Holidays: winding down, relaxing, spending time with family and building sublime memories that will last much longer than that delicious gingerbread house on the counter...

At least, we’d like to enjoy quality time with our family, but there’s a major distraction that seems innocent enough--our phones and computers. Phone addiction is a real thing. You’ve probably felt it before: the helpless panic of misplacing your phone, the withdrawal of not knowing what your friends are up to on social media. It’s natural to want to be in the know because humans are social beings. But when it’s time to relax and enjoy what’s going on around us, do the consistent dings of status updates and notifications from our phones allow us to? A good quote for this, which, by the way, always makes me feel guilty is “On their deathbed no one ever wishes they had spent more time at the office”. Or shall we say, “on their phone”.

But when feeling guilty isn’t enough motivation, here are five surefire ways to stay unplugged during the holiday season:

#1: Limit yourself to a certain amount of time on your device, such as: from 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm. Or set aside days to access the phone, such as: Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

#2: If step #1 doesn’t work for you, consider downloading apps that show how much time you spend on your phone, such as Breakfree and Moment. Breakfree sends a notification letting you know if you’ve used the phone for over an hour, but they both show how many times you unlock your device and how many minutes you spend on apps. It’s really an eye opening experience to see what seemed like 5 or 10 minutes actually have been a wasted hour!

#3: Plan interesting, fun activities that will get you into the holiday spirit. Walk around your neighborhood and admire the shimmering lights. Bake delicious treats for yourself, your neighbors, and friends, or go ice skating. Host a White Elephant party or a bonfire and drink hot cocoa with friends. If you’re active or out and about, there’s no reason to be on your phone!

#4: If all else fails, put the phone, remote or laptop into a safe place and forget about it!

#5: Enjoy loved ones during the holidays without any interruptions.

Try these tips out! You’ll be pleasantly surprised by the results and make cherished memories as well. Have a fun and festive holiday season, gurus!