Who else feels like they have 5 limbs? Two arms, two legs ... and a Phone! Yep, me too!

I've developed some good techniques to ditch the phone over the years & I really want to share them with you. I want to remind everyone that if you go without your phone for a day... or even an hour, THE WORLD IS NOT GOING TO FALL DOWN!

Try it for yourself ;)

We are virtually accessible 100% of the time these days... UNLESS we put our phones away. This is the trick to total alone time & a little bit of piece. There is nothing wrong with this.

Below is a list of 9 ways I've tried to eliminate my phone use each day & why I have chosen to.

1. I don't look at my phone when I wake up in the morning between about 5.30am -7.30am. This is my time to wake up, hit the gym, re-energise and get my head right.

Sometimes I feel as though I have to get back to a text or an email ASAP or else! But you know what? Most of the time, there is no rush. We always seem to be in such a hurry these days...as if we are living life in fast forward. It's up to each and everyone of us to just slow our pace a little. Not everything has to feel so urgent. When we act like it is, we put far too much pressure on ourselves and it's exhausting.

2. I try & ditch the phone during breakfast. Breaky is my favourite meal of the day because I'm usually starving post workout. I put my phone away while I eat & appreciate my food & how good it tastes! The worst thing is when you rush your meals & look down to an empty plate thinking, "where did it all go!"! Enjoy your food! This is such a simple pleasure we all take for granted too often.

As well as breaky, I put my phone away during dinner so I can enjoy my food & my company. There's nothing worse than a table full of people looking down at their screens! Boring! Chatting to friends & family can turn your mood or your day around. Better yet, you might turn their mood or day around.

3. Anything work related (emails, banking, scheduling my diary etc) I try & only do on my computer at my desk, or on my laptop. If I get into a habit of doing these day-to-day things on my phone, I feel like I spend hours looking down.

4. I try & switch my phone to silent as much as possible. If you can't hear it, you might forget it's there. This is a good little way to trick yourself & stay more present.

5. Before going to bed ... even from as early as 6pm I try & ditch the phone. Before you go to sleep & while your body is winding down, it's important to give your eyes & your brain a break from the information overload & the bright screens. Even if you're just flicking through Instagram, your brain is processing SO much information. If you're not a great sleeper, put the phone down & grab a book instead. I swear you'll sleep so much better & feel more rested in the morning.

6. While I'm on the topic of bedtime, if you can plug your phone on charge away from your bed (even in another room), that's a great idea. All that radiation can't be good for us! Alarm clocks are just as good! (And they look super cute on a bedside table!)

7. Catch up with people in real life!!! Texting is good to make the plans. But once you have set the time & the place - it's time to get rid of the phone & enjoy seeing your friends face-to-face! Laughing out loud feels a lot better than typing LOL.

8. If you're a phone junkie (we all go through stages!), there's an app you can use to monitor how much you use social media. Set yourself a goal to lower it day-by-day. If you have a competitive streak in your body, you'll become hooked on getting your phone consumption as low as possible!

9. Weekends are for my friends, my family, my dogs and myself! If you can try as hard as you can to get rid of your mobile and all other forms of technology during the weekend & just enjoy relaxing things like walks, swims, catch ups, reading a mag, going to cafes etc - you'll allow your brain to unwind & come back to Monday feeling fresh and recharged. We rely on our phones as a source of entertainment so much now-days. Online shopping, e-news, apps, games, cameras & social media. I get it. I've been guilty of relying on my phone to pass the time if I' bored. But you know what? Life's too short! Get out into the world and participate! Even if you read the newspaper at your local cafe over checking your news app OR if you walk down to your local boutique to see what's in stock rather than checking their Instagram feed, you're already doing more with your day! You're being more active and way more present - which is the absolute key to our exisitance.

Phones are great, don't get me wrong! But real life is even bloody better!

I'd love for you to comment below if you have any other great tips for ditching the phone more often! I'm all ears!

Elyse x … thanks for the pics @edpurnomo