How To Balance Experiencing The Moment And Capturing It
If you’ve ever tried to get that “Instagram-worthy” shot or record a moment for memory’s sake, you know how hard it can be to balance experiencing the moment and capturing it. And if you’ve ever been around someone like this, you probably know how irritating it can get after a while.
Let me start off by saying this is not to shame anyone for wanting to take photos and/or videos of what they’re doing. I think that is totally normal and fine. However, if you are noticing yourself spending more time on your phone rather than off of it, these tips may help you how they’ve helped me. Especially for my fellow bloggers and content creators!
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You know those weekly screen time notifications Apple sends you? I suggest taking some time to really look at those and make sure you’re at least aware of how much time you’re spending on your phone each day. You can also go to Settings -> Screen Time to check.
This will look different for everyone, especially if your job revolves around being on your phone. For me, I aim to get my daily phone screen time below 5 hours/day. Last week though I averaged close to 8 hours/day, with most of that being spent on Instagram and Messages. Definitely a work in progress.
Before going to an event or on a trip, I suggest setting boundaries for yourself with your phone. This can be as simple as “I will spend the first 15 minutes of the event walking around and taking photos” or “I will put my phone away while talking to someone and during all meals.” I’ve found that just having this awareness has really helped me stay present and enjoy each moment.
You can also physically set limits for certain apps on your phone. Again, this will be in Settings -> Screen Time -> App Limits. This is really helpful, as it’s pretty easy to get lost scrolling and lose track of time. Once you’ve spent your allotted time on the designated app, your phone will notify you that you’ve reached your limit.
By friends, I really mean anyone you are around where this may impact the relationship. When I went on vacation with my boyfriend, I asked him very clearly beforehand to tell me if my photo/video taking was ever interfering with our time together. And also made sure to check in throughout our time together to make sure we were still on the same page.
You can also ask your friends for honest feedback. Having these open conversations with your friends can also make sure everyone is on the same page and no one’s feelings are getting hurt. I’ve found that almost everyone has different expectations when it comes to screen time and staying present.
Not every moment is a photo-worthy moment. Plus, I really think your conversations can be so much deeper when everyone’s phone is away. My sister has started leaving her phone behind for a few hours when she goes to hang out with friends. I think this is super inspiring and want to start incorporating that more myself.
I know for me personally I’ve felt overwhelmed when I feel like I need to be recording everything “just in case” for later. This is really stressful and honestly just resulted in my iPhone storage being maxed out.😂 Ironically, having dedicated time for capturing photos and videos has actually improved the quality of that content! And allowed me to have more phone-free hangouts where I can be focused on the conversations and people around me.
As they say, everything in moderation! Comment your best tip for balancing experiencing the moment and capturing it. And be sure to follow along on my journey on Instagram!
mariss
