Your Phone Doesn't Need to be in Your Hand All Day

Click above to listen on Apple or click HERE to listen on Spotify.Show Notes: What we Talked About + ProductsHey friends! welcome back to Get Mom Ready.It’s the trio holding it down today: Meredith, Hannah, and Anna (Holly will be back!). And yes—today’s audio is a little different: Meredith is traveling and packing light, so her volume is a bit quieter than usual. Turn it up when she’s talking because she drops some of the best mental shifts in the episode.Last week we talked about something counterintuitive: sometimes the most productive thing you can do is… nothing. Step back. Put the phone away. Regulate. Stop letting constant input run your day.This week we’re holding the “both/and”:You can give yourself permission to slow down… and still want to feel more productive.Not “hustle harder” productive —More like: less pulled, less cluttered, less irritated, more present.Because honestly? That’s what most of us want.The theme of this episode: Stop living like everything is urgent.We kept coming back to this word: pulled.Pulled by:* texts* notifications* rabbit trails* “I’ll just do this one quick thing…”* the never-ending mental tabs open in your brainAnd when we’re pulled in ten directions, we end up doing life slightly irritated… even when nothing is actually wrong.So today we talk about what’s actually helping right now — the tiny shifts that reduce mental load and decision fatigue.1) The “leave your phone somewhere else” experimentWe all shared some version of this: physically separating from your phone.Examples from the episode:* leaving your phone in another room during the morning routine* leaving it inside while you play outside after school* charging it in an office (not your bedroom)* treating it like a “landline” — you have to go to it to use itAnd the surprising benefit?Less irritation.Because your kids aren’t interrupting your phone/podcast/text spiral… you’re just with them.No tug-of-war.2) Turn off notifications (and take your power back)We’re not saying “be unreachable.” We’re saying: you get to decide when the world gets access to your attention.One line we loved:“I want to happen to life. I don’t want life to happen to me.”Start small:* turn off Instagram + Substack notifications* mute the noisiest group chats* keep only calls/texts on (or set emergency contacts)This is one of the fastest ways to reduce “everything feels urgent” energy.3) Think one step ahead (not ten)This was Meredith’s core practical shift, and it’s so good:If planning overwhelms you… don’t plan the week.Just think one step ahead.Examples:* prep breakfast the night before* decide lunch while you’re eating breakfast* close curtains + turn on the sound machine before nap time chaos hits* boil extra eggs while you’re already boiling one* chop fruit/veg at night while you’re already cleaning the kitchenIt’s not about becoming a “planner.”It’s about reducing friction so you’re not living in constant scramble mode.4) Time-block your phone the way you time-block your lifeThis might be the most helpful mindset shift for anyone who keeps their inbox at “zero” (hi, Anna 🙋‍♀️):Instead of responding to everything all day long…create a few phone windows.Like:* 11:30–12:00 = texts + DMs* 3:00–3:15 = quick check-in* 8:30–9:00 = respond + catch upBecause being “caught up” isn’t the goal.Being present is.Side note: If you haven’t listened yet, go back to our episode with Jennifer Sise. It ties in perfectly to this chat. We talked about what it looks like to stop living in reactive mode, create intentional rhythms, and make decisions from a grounded place instead of a frantic one.5) A gentle reminder: the goal isn’t perfect systemsWe even said it out loud: we didn’t give “30 hot productivity tips” today.But we did name what’s underneath all of this:* reducing sensory input* creating boundaries around attention* choosing tiny systems that calm your nervous system* making the next right step easierAnd that’s the real productivity hack.Get Mom Ready is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free subscriber.Try this today (one tiny action)Pick just one:* Put your phone in another room for 60 minutes* Turn off notifications for one app* Write down the Amazon/to-do rabbit trail instead of doing it immediately* Prep one thing tonight that future-you will thank you forIf you try something from this episode, tell us what you notice. We really do want to learn alongside you.Listen + keep in touchYou can listen to the full episode wherever you get podcasts, or on our site: getmomready.com (you’ll also find our articles + resources there).If this episode made you exhale even a little… send it to a mom friend who’s living with 47 tabs open.And if you want to take this week’s advice to a more practical level, book a coaching call with Hannah, Meredith, Holly, or Anna to talk through the mental load you’re carrying and create simple systems that make your days feel lighter.We’ll see you next week. 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