Inside: I recently did a "distraction fast"- and it wasn't easy. In Part 1 I talked about what I learned. In Part II I shared the emotional journey I took. Today I want to give you some tips for how to start your own distraction fast!

This ability to be constantly distracted is relatively new for me (and maybe for you, too). Ten years ago, when I was newly married and in college I didn't have a smartphone. Waking up and fighting the urge to grab my phone wasn’t a battle I had to win. I don’t think I even knew what a podcast was!

But now it seems so commonplace. It’s odd to think that there was a time when I didn’t gravitate towards my phone at every break in the day. 

Taking time to recognize this new reality has also made me more determined to fight against it. Because I don’t see any real value gained from having so much information and entertainment constantly at our finger tips.

In fact, I've actually noticed I’m missing out on some things because of it. 

I’ve tricked myself into forgetting what life was like before smartphones. But I don’t want to forget.

Does that resonate at all with you? If so, and you're interested in going through you're own “distraction fast” here are a few steps to consider: 

**(if you're not sure what I'm talking about, head over to Part I and Part II, first. Part III will be right here waiting for you, I promise)

1. Make sure a "distraction fast' is what you need

Before you get all gung-ho about a distraction fast, take 10 minutes to make sure this is what you actually want (or need) to do. 

Because it won’t be fun (at least not at first). It will be hard. And if you haven't been clear about your motives beforehand, it might be hard to stick with. 

So take a bit of time to make sure a distraction fast is really for you (my guess - it is). 

Some questions to ask yourself:

• What do I hope to get out of this experience? 
• Why do I want to do a "distraction fast"? 
• What do I expect to be the hardest piece of this journey? 

PLUS: Thinking through and writing down your motives will give you a boost of motivation when your enthusiasm starts to dwindle 🙂

2. Brainstorm

Alright - so you’re in! Now it’s time to get down to the nitty gritty. If you want to do this right, you need to personalize it. The truth is, your distractions might be totally different from mine. If you fast from exactly what I did (podcasts, YouTube, and non-fiction books), it may not be what you need.

Take some time and think through what your distractions are. Use these questions to help you:

• Where do I go when frustrations with the kids sets in?
• When the day is done, what do I run to to take a breather?
• What in my life is my zone-out go-to?

3. Do it with a friend

Oh the promises I've made to myself and then later reneged. A promise to someone else - now that's a different story!

So grab a friend and do it together. you'll be able to process together, share struggles, and encourage each other. 

4. Pray about it 

Don’t gloss over this one. I know I can be tempted to. In fact, I've caught myself rolling my eyes when "just pray about it!" seems to be the answer for everything.

I'm learning that prayer - which is just us worshiping God, sitting in His presence, bringing things before Him, and allowing ourselves that quiet space to hear Him - really is so, so, so important. 

So if you’re thinking about doing a distraction fast, bring it to God. Ask Him to give you wisdom and humility during it. Allow Him to speak to you in it. 

5. Have a plan for how to fill the extra space

Remember how I suddenly became obsessed with the news during my own distraction fast? 

If you aren’t careful, you’ll fill the now "distraction-free" space with another distraction you hadn't prepared for. 

Write down what you want to do with that free space. 

Is it a prayer you want to fill it with? Is it writing and journaling? Is it just plain ole silence?

Have a plan - otherwise it's too easy to drift off... 

Ready to get started?

Good! You can do it - after coming out of mine, I'm convinced that more of us could use a little more quiet, a little less distraction, and a little more peace. 

Rooting for you,