Your phone is out of reach! Oh, oh…

BACK on the feed for my #100daysofpractice entry of the day!

I want to start sharing some insights into my practice. All in the hopes of creating an exchange of ideas, tips, stories –and what may come!– amongst my practicing nerd friends (old and new!). 

Disclaimer: what may work for me, may not work for everybody! That is the beauty of it, and one of the reasons why I am curious to see what y’all are doing out there. I am excited to try new things: what works for others, what has not worked. In short, the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Today’s Practice Insight: *Your phone is out of reach! Oh, oh…*

• One thing I have noticed to make a HUGE difference in both my focus and overall mental state when practicing is to NOT have my phone anywhere near my practice space. I leave it in my locker, and only grab it in between breaks or at the end of a session, depending on the day. Having that extra screen out of sight (given that I use my iPad at all times when I am practicing), with no chance of checking any texts, emails, or notifications, has been a game-changer to the general flow of my practice. 

This may seem extreme, but I found that I had to restrict myself to not even have it in my backpack, or for it to not be of easy-access whatsoever. I am not that strong to not check it every time a passage is not working… or when my mind wanders even a little bit. 

Curious to hear if people have tried this… what’s your experience, or what do you do instead to not break your focus with notifications on your phone?