2016 Resolutions: February

It's time for me to make my February resolution. Actually, yesterday it was time. 

January's goal to watch my spending went surprisingly well. I was probably aided by the fact that I had to cancel a trip to Atlanta and went five consecutive days without speaking in-person to another human being due to Winter Storm Jonas. I was like Tom Hanks in Castaway, except instead of talking to a volleyball, I talked to the characters on the television ("Dammit Stabler, you know the co-worker's nanny is guilty!"), and instead of not showering, I used the time to apply various hair and face masques. (That's how you spell it when you're fancy.)

My pores are smaller and my wallet is fatter. Not too shabby, January. 

Seeing as one month of a strict budget didn't magically pay off my students loans, I will try to continue that habit throughout the rest of the year. But, it's a new month and I'm ready for a new challenge. 

February:
Rock-a-bye iPhone No More

The resolution I've picked for February is to not read my phone (or iPad) before going to sleep at night. 

They say the average person checks her phone 85 times a day. I like to overachieve so I check mine about 200 times a day. I've already checked my phone twice while writing this sentence. 

In my honest opinion, my cell phone behavior is not too abhorrent. I try hard not to rudely check it in the presence of other people when they need my attention. In a fascinating role reversal, I often scold my parents for having phones at the dinner table. That's usually around the same time my mom says, "When is your flight back to D.C., again?" Just kidding. Well, sort of. 

On my own time, I'm borderline obsessive, especially at the end of the day. 

I lie in bed at night, scrolling through Twitter and Instagram, making sure I didn't miss anything important while I was washing my face. 

I just want to make sure I know what's going on at all times and that I am staying on top of all emails and important pop culture memes. Does anyone need to reach me before I fall asleep? Do I have meetings tomorrow? Did I set my alarm correctly? Is Kanye in a feud with someone? What's the difference between "organic" and "all natural"? When is The Mindy Project back from hiatus? Is my alarm still set? 

Before I know it, I've been lying in bed, reading random stuff on my phone for 20 minutes. My head hits the pillow and I suddenly feel the need to catch up on all the world news that has ever happened. 

Then, I can't fall asleep. 

Science says that the screen is a huge part of the problem because the blue and white light emitted at night is messing with my melatonin or something. 

What's a girl to do? 

According to the Fast Company article, I can buy amber lens goggles to wear while I'm looking at the blue light of my phone. While that sounds like a highly attractive bedtime look, I think I'm going to pass. In case I change my mind, I've bookmarked these bad boys: 

Apple says they are releasing a fix to this "blue light" problem in the next update, which is currently in beta testing. But, even with that fix, I still probably don't need to check my email at 11 p.m., especially since I'll immediately check when I wake up, and also, I'm not that important. No, instead, I need my brain to shut off so I can dream of higher priority matters like my BFF-dom with Amal Clooney and Beyonce, and my romantic getaways with those handsome and talented Chris actors (Pine, Hemsworth, Pratt...who can keep them straight?) 

So, for the month of February, no screen time at least an hour before bedtime. Until further notice, please limit all of your clever social media to the hours of 6:30 a.m. and 9:30 p.m.