Chances are, as you read this, you’re multitasking or scrolling through your phone. Recent research highlights that Americans spend an astounding 10 hours and 39 minutes each day glued to screens, excluding time spent on texting or taking photos. This constant engagement takes a toll: nearly half of mothers report sleeping less than seven hours per night and feeling fatigued half the month. Adults older than 15 average just 2.73 hours watching TV, while they dedicate a mere 29 minutes to reading for enjoyment and an almost equivalent amount of time to simply “relaxing and thinking.” That’s significantly less than 36 minutes of genuine downtime compared to our screen time.
We are perpetually busy—spending around 5 hours a day on our devices. A staggering 46% of people check their smartphones before even getting out of bed, a number that soars to 66% among millennials. Many use their phones to check emails and social media, and 60% of millennials admit to reaching for their phones while at work. In fact, 83% never turn their phones off during the day. We utilize these devices for various activities, including taking photos, watching videos, and staying connected.
The stats alone can be overwhelming. Research indicates that our creativity suffers when we’re constantly occupied. The more we’re plugged into our devices—whether at stoplights, during our children’s playtime, or while waiting for appointments—the more we diminish our creative potential. According to The Big Think, nurturing creativity necessitates taking a break—creating time for idleness, meditation, or just daydreaming. This means resisting the urge to check our phones in line at the grocery store, during commutes, or even while on family vacations. We need moments to do nothing, to embrace boredom.
While loading the dishwasher, I often find myself lost in thought, but it’s usually about the next tasks on my to-do list. There’s laundry to fold and meals to prepare; I hardly have time to relax. Even meditating feels impossible unless I can combine it with exercise, which often turns into a frantic workout with my child pretending to be a pony. And if I take my eyes off my three kids for even a second, chaos ensues.
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a noted creativity expert, suggests that creative individuals trust their instincts and can link disparate ideas. Unfortunately, as busy moms, we often lack the time to listen to our intuition amidst wiping noses, teaching alphabets, and breaking up sibling squabbles. Exhausted, we grab our phones to zone out, seeking connection on social media to combat loneliness. At day’s end, when our to-do lists remain unfinished, we often opt for mindless entertainment instead of genuine relaxation.
Journalist Mark Hargrove emphasizes the necessity to create breaks in our communication and consumption habits. Without these pauses, our lives can become overwhelming noise, drowning out meaningful experiences. My life is filled with the clamor of my children, household chores, and meal prep. While I appreciate the busyness, it can be a lot to handle. Like many, I turn to screens for relaxation, but perhaps it’s time to reconsider our dependency.
Instead of waiting for a grand creative epiphany—like penning the next great novel or becoming the next artistic genius—consider that the real breakthrough might come in the form of self-reflection. We might learn to identify what causes our frustrations or how to manage sibling rivalry. We could develop strategies for parenting challenges, find new crafts to engage in, or explore innovative ways to teach the alphabet.
If we set aside our devices and allow ourselves to breathe without distractions, we might just become better parents. This isn’t about shaming anyone for using their phones; we all know they can be essential. However, we don’t need to be connected all the time, even though it often feels like we do.
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In summary, the hustle of motherhood leaves little room for creativity and self-care. By reducing our screen time and allowing ourselves to simply “be,” we can foster a more enriching environment for ourselves and our families.