Ritual

ritual

Do you have a clean break from work at the end of the day? Or does your work life tend to bleed into your personal life, creating a sense of never-ending stress? If the latter is true for you, then it's time to start practising shutdown rituals. Continuing on from last week's topic – the importance of getting proper rest – I thought we'd touch on a profound tool called the 'power-down ritual' (Cal Newport called it the ' .') shutdown ritual If you felt slightly called out by my last newsletter and want to work on separating your work and personal life, you're in the right place. Let's unpack what it means to power down. End-Of-Day Habits Here's a question – how easily can you separate your work hours from your personal hours? For example, maybe you've got a standard nine-to-five job and your work computer never comes home with you. If you're an entrepreneur or business owner, however (like most of my readers), I'm guessing that isn't the case. Running a company is a surefire way to blur the lines between your work and personal life. You're literally responsible for every aspect of the business; it's your brainchild, the lifeblood of your future. No wonder it's hard to put it down and walk away. The result is an endless stream of residual stress that can cause major burnout. With no start and end time, your life feels like one giant workday with intermittent breaks. It's no wonder that work-from-home employees report higher burnout rates than those who work in an office. You literally never leave the workplace. It's all too easy to forget where your work ends and your life begins. The Power of Rituals By now, I'm sure you've read Atomic Habits by James Clear – but if not, the message is very simple. Habit-building is one of the most powerful tools you'll ever use for personal and professional growth. In my experience, the best habits are those that signify different phases of the day. For example: When I wake up and get straight into exercise gear, my brain knows I'm about to work out and enter the energetic, alert phase of my morning. I brew a calming tea every night before bed, symbolizing the onset of relaxation and sleep. At the end of my work day, I power down my laptop and set myself to 'inactive' on communication platforms, letting my colleagues know I'm done for the day. These habits aren't anything crazy – but they break up my day into distinct phases so that my mind is always on the same page as my daily schedule. My end-of-workday habit is actually an example of a shutdown ritual. Let's zoom in on that one. Shutdown Rituals In his book called Deep Work, , "When you work, you work hard, and when you’re done, you can be done.” That's the intention behind his concept of the shutdown ritual – to completely separate your work life from your free time. Cal Newport famously said Here's what his own shutdown ritual looks like: Update master task list (collated list of immediate and long-term tasks) Review task lists and set completion dates for urgent tasks Peruse the calendar to see what appointments are coming up in the next two weeks Read through the current weekly plan to ensure everything is on track After all of that, he shuts down his computer and walks away, putting work out of his mind until the next day. The idea of a ritual like this isn't just to tell your brain the workday is over. It's to ensure that nothing remains on your mind after hours. You answer every question, tie up loose ends, and resolve anything that would prevent your mind from fully resting. The reality is that you can never properly rest if you're thinking about work. Employment is directly tied to your livelihood; it is incompatible with relaxation. A shutdown ritual allows you to make a clean break from work, allowing your mind and body to fully rest. Do You Need a Shutdown Ritual? Reading this, you might be thinking, "I don't need a ritual. I leave my computer at work and I refuse to respond to emails after hours." Sometimes, however, these measures alone aren't enough. Just because you're not working after hours doesn't mean you're not thinking about work. You might still be worrying and stressing out over the tasks you left undone. A ritual helps to consolidate your thoughts; you leave work with total awareness of what needs to be done, and you can rest easy knowing that it's all written down. Wondering whether it's time to craft your own shutdown ritual? Here are a few signs that your work and personal lives need more separation: You're irritable, overly emotional, or easily overwhelmed You feel tense and anxious when you think about work It feels like you never have time to get through your task lists You feel guilty for taking time away from work You might recognize these as – and left unattended, burnout can derail your career. A shutdown ritual is one way to make sure that doesn't happen. symptoms of burnout Creating a Shutdown Ritual Cal Newport's ritual is an excellent example of a shutdown ritual, but the best rituals are tailored to your specific needs. Answer these questions to make your own. 1. What work-related tasks and events keep you up at night? By this question, I'm talking about the tasks and to-dos that linger in your mind after leaving work. For instance – some people spend all night drafting emails in their head if they don't get them sent during the day. Others feel overwhelmed by their workload if they don't write or review their to-do list. 2. What can you do to put those thoughts to rest? I want to be clear that the point of a shutdown ritual is not to get everything done, but to rest easy knowing that the tasks are accounted for. You might not have time every afternoon to write and send all of your pending emails or tick off the tasks on your to-do list, but you can write everything down and leave work with a clear plan for the next day. 3. What would this look like as a ritual? Now that you know what tasks and thoughts need to be addressed, it's time to turn them into a ritual. For example – if your shutdown ritual focuses on follow-up correspondence, it might look something like this: Spend 10 minutes writing and responding to emails. Write a quick to-do list for the next day, including any tasks you weren't able to finish today. Scan your calendar for upcoming appointments or deadlines. Take 5 minutes of quiet time before leaving work – use this time to reflect on the day and reset your mindset. I personally like to add a symbolic element, too, like powering down my laptop or turning off my work lights. It serves as a tangible reminder that I'm leaving work for the day and entering into relaxation mode. What If You're Working From Home? I would almost assert that WFH-ers need a shutdown ritual even more than office workers. The boundaries between work and home are often blurred. Scratch that – they're blurred by default. You need to go out of your way to create a clear break between your work and home life. A shutdown ritual is a perfect way to do this. It doesn't have to be elaborate – it could just be something as simple as taking 10 minutes to journal about your day, followed by some light stretching or meditation. Anything that helps you disconnect from work and transition into relaxation mode is fair game. I'd warn against keeping the ritual too simple, however. The point is to resolve all loose ends so that you can completely relax without worrying about tomorrow's tasks. A simple yoga ritual might not be enough to achieve this. (It's the perfect post-ritual activity, though!) Will My Business Suffer? For my entrepreneurial readers, I want to assure you that taking breaks is okay. It's not just okay; it is absolutely essential for long-term success. It will always be tempting to remain on-call 24/7, but no one can sustain that lifestyle forever. Shutdown rituals as an entrepreneur require a bit more preparation. They need to be supported by a culture of delegation; otherwise, you'll never feel confident stepping away for the evening and letting your colleagues handle things. Trust me when I say that carving out time for yourself becomes less possible as time goes on. If you aren't disciplined from the very beginning of your startup venture, it will be impossible to practice self-care and meaningful shutdown rituals as business picks up speed. Set a precedent by making yourself completely unreachable after certain hours. Don't give anyone the impression that you're the 'on-call' CEO. Make it part of your culture to leave work on time and honor your shutdown ritual. The Takeaway Shutdown rituals are a powerful tool for improving productivity, reducing stress, and creating a healthy balance between work and home life. They're also an important part of maintaining mental health as an entrepreneur or remote worker. Start by identifying the tasks that keep you up at night, then create a ritual that puts those thoughts to rest. Whether it's 10 minutes of correspondence or consolidation of your to-do lists, it's important to make sure that your ritual is tailored to your specific needs. I'd be fascinated to hear what your shutdown routine looks like. Feel free to share your stories with me – or if you haven't got a ritual to share just yet, take this as your sign to create one. If you enjoyed this article, I’d love to hear from you. Also published here .

Harnessing the Power of Shutdown Rituals

Today, I'd like to cover the weekly life of a project manager. When I'm managing a project, these are the things I do every week: . Do you have a goal that is less than a month away? If not, make one up as soon as you can. Talk about the next milestone every meeting with the team. Identify the next milestone . Schedule an hour or two every Friday to review and update your project plan. Update your project plan . During your project planning time, update your risk registry. Update your risk registry . After updating the project plan and risk registry, I send out an update that summarizes where things are at with all the projects I'm responsible for. Send a weekly project update Putting these things together will often require meetings or conversations. But having a concrete idea of what you're delivering each week can make it more clear what to focus on. Identify the Next Milestone People work best when they're working towards a goal that is close and easy to wrap your mind around. engaged, more productive, and more effective when working on a milestone that is less than a month away. This also cleaves complexity into a chunk you can manage. People can reason about about that much work. They work more effectively towards it. Most weeks, you should already have a next milestone identified. Fantastic! However, you'll often be close to finishing that milestone, or things will shift in a project. Or the project won't be broken down enough to have a milestone that is soon enough. Why a month, as opposed to something sooner or later? The short answer is that this is what I've seen both with my own experience, and with evidence from some limited data I've seen. You can read more about this in my post on . milestones, not projects I recommend getting the product manager, designer, and people who have thought the most about the technical contours of the project in a room, and tell them you'd like to identify a milestones: "What would the best milestone be that is less than a month away? Let's come up with a few possibilities, and choose the one we like best." Start with the constraint that you always need a milestone that is less than a month away. If you don't have one, or you're about to finish a milestone, make sure you have the next milestone identified. Refer to that milestones post to learn more about the art of breaking up projects. And also remember that this is a real skill that takes time and practice to develop. Update Your Project Plan I book time every week to update my projects. I review the project plan, and make sure it reflects my current thinking. I ask myself if it still seems realistic. I think through the rest of the project, and think about potential sources of delay and risk. Wishful thinking is your enemy. Look at everything from a skeptical perspective. For some people, this is natural, and for others, it requires practice. You will often need information from others in order to update the project plan. I usually schedule a weekly meeting per team, or per project. At this meeting, I have the main leaders present, and walk them through the next couple of weeks in detail, showing them my current thinking with the project plan, and asking them to critique it. I then go through further out into the future, but with a little less fidelity the further out we get. Usually I invite someone representing product, technical leadership, and design. Try to keep these meetings pretty high level. You want them to not be a huge waste of time for the participants. I often find it best to join this activity into a meeting that has a larger purpose. For example, a local team's leadership meeting might cover this in 5-10 minutes every week. But the majority of our time we might discuss other matters, like the things we're concerned about or need to improve. One anti-pattern for project managers is that you can get into a habit of pinging people for information all the time. This is annoying at best. Make it inexpensive for people to keep you informed. And also encourage people to surface what they're observing, so you don't have to update them. Switching communication to push, from pull, is preferable. What Should the Project Plan Look Like? I make project plans that are week by week. Each week has a couple of bullet points. The bullet points are things we plan to demo that week. The demos should include technical demos, but the description of what we will deliver should be as customer-focused as possible. I also add time-based events that are relevant to the delivery of the project. For example, vacation time, on-call schedules, and offsites. The goal for your project plan is to not be more specific that a couple of bullet points. You want a plan that is easy to change. The more specified your project is, the more expensive it is to alter it. A good project plan should be a tool for discussion and one that change rather than discourages it. When I see lots of project artifacts, and things that require updating, I get skeptical. Gantt charts communicate effectively but are often a sign the underlying data is hard to change. encourages One thing to watch out for is many engineering teams work on a person per project. The more you can use the team as a unit of delivery for your projects, the better. This is a deeper topic, so I won't go into a lot of detail now, but in general, when I see project plans that specify what each person is doing, I view that as a sign that the project is unnecessarily brittle. And a team that is overly specializing, and not doing enough knowledge sharing. This can be appropriate for small companies, but otherwise, I tend to discourage it. If I see fractional allocation of "resources" in a project, I typically scream, take a lighter out of my bag, set my hair on fire, and run out of the room. The fewer projects you're managing, the better you'll do with them, so that's another argument for teams focusing on fewer projects. People ask if you need a week by week project plan if you're on a team that has two week long sprints. Of course it is up to you, but I would do it week by week. Otherwise, you have very little visibility into whether things are on course or not. If I were doing it on a two-week long sprint cadence I would tell the team, this is a plan showing whether or not we demo this by Friday every week. could What Should Your Risk Registry Look Like? As you update your project plans, you should also ask yourself what could go wrong. Here are a couple of ways to ask yourself, or others, questions that will help you plan better: What is most likely to go wrong with this project? What projects have been similar to this in the past? What challenges did we have with them? What's the worst case thing that could happen on this project that seems like it could actually happen? If we had to bet this month's salary on this project going well, what are things we would be worrying about right now? Risk management is a balancing act. You don't want to overinvest in many of your risks. But you do want to think through them. After you come up with new risks, list them as bullet points in your . risk registry For each risk, you or your leadership group should determine if you want to take any action to mitigate that risk. Next to your risk registry, list your plan next to each. Or write down, "accept risk". If your leadership group is functioning well, you can have rational discussions about the risks, and the cost to mitigate the risks. I suggest when you introduce a risk registry, you have a conversation about the costs of mitigation, and be sure to have conversations about not just how you'll mitigate risk, but whether you even want to. Write a Weekly Project Update After updating my project plan and risk registry, I have a good idea of the current state of the project. So now I help the people around me by sharing that state, in as concise a format as possible. The aim of a weekly project update is not to share everything about the project. It's also not to show how great your team is. When you approach project updates from either of those perspectives, your writing becomes excrutiating to read. Instead, you should focus on the needs of your reader, and give them just enough information that they can come to you if they need to, to have a longer conversation. This tweet summarized a lot of the things I've learned over the years about writing concise, readable updates. It also features some wonderful examples, so I strongly recommend reading through it: One thing I'd like to emphasize is that you should come across as a neutral party: objective, upfront about risk, exposing things without bias. Your update should include a link to the source of the information: the project plan, risk registry, and a link to demo the current state of the project. After you write your update, send it to your stakeholders. You can use a mailing list or a channel in Slack. You want to make it easy for new people to follow the information. You'll probably be surprised who finds it useful. You might find other parts of the company who find your updates useful. These updates help the people around you to be effective. Your manager will be informed about the state of the project, so they can represent your work in meetings (you have no idea how helpful this is for them). Other teams that depend on you won't have to contact you to get updates. It provides a very nice communication scaffold. You may even get thank you notes! Incidentally, these updates help demonstrate your ability to manage the project. I find the project updates to be a good forcing function for doing the rest of the project management. By knowing that I have to send out my weekly update, it forces me to take the time to do everything else. Ideally, the update should be just a tweet or two in length. You don't need a lot of detail -- people can talk with you if they have questions. Share this post: https://www.rubick.com/project-manager-weekly-rituals/ Thank You I've had a long history with project management, even writing project management software in the past. But really hammered into me the details of how to write a good update. He acted as an editor -- training me each week on how to do better. Bjorn Freeman-Benson Thank you to for the cover image. Gerd Altmann Co-published here.

What Weekly Rituals Should You Master?

Top Entrepreneurs understand two things: how their attitude affects the business and how to make a difference in the world. This week, Furqan Aziz joins us on “Mondays with Entrepreneurs” to discuss how he is making a difference in the world and growing business at the same time. Who’s the Guest? Furqan Aziz 👨‍💻 Name: Furqan is the CEO of 🙌 What They Do: InvoZone Starting up a company isn’t just about work but also how much of yourself goes into this lifestyle choice. 💭 Best Advice: So before starting your week, pause for a coffee break ;) and enjoy this chit-chat with Furqan. 1. Please tell our reader about how you perceive success? The path to success is unique for each person. For some, it may be about being the best at what they do, others might define their own goals differently - whether that means impacting a world or just achieving personal milestones such as having more time with family members. For me, success means making a difference in the world. I benchmark it as to whether or not you can be remarkable. If your work is extraordinary enough to stand out from everything else going on around us congratulations! You've found what's successful for you. 2. Why did you start InvoZone and how does your passion still drive your business’ growth? In an unexpected turn of events in 2014, my credit card was charged with a fraudulent payment of $10,000. Yes, I became the victim of credit card fraud and the whole ordeal shook me up; I thought to myself, ‘I need to stop this loophole’. So to minimize attacks on payment systems due to their weak cybersecurity measures such as lack of security protocols or unprotected networks, I strategically planned and started my own company that would protect people from scams through robust security solutions. It is now more than just one man's passion project: this full-fledged development team has taken cybersecurity as their core service! For the last seven years, we've been leading innovators in web and mobile development by using new technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data Science, Artificial Intelligence. 3. One of the biggest fears of outsourcing is trusting the people you hire to do your business as you would do. How do you ensure that your clients trust you? My clients and employees are equally important to me. I let my team take the front seat by taking complete ownership of a project, encouraging them through allowing their ideas to be heard in brainstorming sessions- enabling us all to work as one as we push for our ultimate goal; finding the best solution possible for the client's product. But to make sure that clients get the best product, we always hire A+ grade players. Other than that we have a deep and 3-step (verification, validation, and quality assurance) process to ensure high-quality deliverables. 4. The pandemic surely affected businesses worldwide. What about InvoZone, What impact COVID-19 had on your business? (Both positively and negatively.) With 600% plus growth during the pandemic, Invozone has not felt the worst effects of a disaster, fortunately. Also, there’s an increased demand for software development companies because people have been shifting to the digital space. But some of our clients and local businesses have felt the worst effect of this pandemic. We do sympathize with them and are looking to help as much as we can. 5. In 2021, what is the major problem you think the tech industry should work on? COVID-19 showed that our healthcare systems need more technological advancements if we want to overcome a pandemic situation. Although digitalization is happening in the healthcare industry, it's not enough. Other than that, Cyber fraud needs to be addressed as well because of increased online transactions and scams that are targeting victims who make purchases or perform other digital actions on their devices. 6. Why do you think most people fail to grow their business? And what advice would you offer them to keep pushing? Entrepreneurs who hesitate to delegate and outsource are more likely to fail because they wear too many hats at the same time. Besides delegating, outsourcing is integral to startups as well as if you want your business to grow from two times to ten-fold. Most businesses come to us when their businesses have almost reached death's door; we help them stand back up again by having professionals and experts in every vertical. But those who don’t seek help eventually fail. My advice for everyone who is facing failure is to learn to delegate tasks to experts and do what you are best at. 7. If you could speak face to face with yourself when you first started, what pearls of wisdom would you impart? There are many things that I missed and would like to pass on if given the chance. Loyalty in hiring is paramount, prepare for surprises, stay tough-skinned - it's not always easy! You can't start until you know what your goal is; starting up a company isn’t just about work but also how much of yourself goes into this lifestyle choice. With business partners make sure there's an equilibrium between passion, commitment, ambition, and willingness/ability to manage stress because when one diminishes so does the other which is disastrous for your team. 8. What’s the best advice you ever received and do you follow it? I got too many bits of advice from my mentors and family. But the best advice I ever received was from one of my mentors. He said: “Rather than going with a standard path, see how you can add more value”. and It's always good to take the time to invest in your career. When you're trying to figure out what the next steps are, ask yourself: How can I add more value? I often find myself wondering how I can contribute even better than before - and then it hits me! If adding something that already exists will help make my work easier or more efficient for other people, why not do so whenever possible while still maintaining a positive attitude about everything else too (i.e., don't let negativity get the best of you). 9. And the last question, since the series is named “Mondays with Entrepreneurs”, What are your Monday Morning rituals? Since I work all week, Monday is no different than any other day. Well not so much for the morning rituals- that's when things get unordinary. The minute my eyes open in the morning- it's time to check messages from team members and clients alike. If there is nothing urgent then a shower and breakfast with family might do before getting back on desk duties for almost 14 hours every single weekday. Shahmeer: Alright, Furqan! Your story is truly inspirational. Thanks for your time and best of luck. I am sure readers will enjoy and learn. Thanks, Hackers for reading :) If you have any suggestions regarding questions to ask in this series or if you want to get featured, I am available on and you can also reach out to me on ;) slack Linkedin

InvoZone CEO Furqan Aziz on Passion, Failure, and Monday Rituals

When companies went remote overnight, most thought it would last a month or two, but it has become clear by now that the COVID-19 pandemic has changed not only how we live our everyday lives but how we do our jobs. While remote working has its benefits, employees struggle with personal issues like loneliness while experiencing problems when collaborating, communicating online. Such can decrease both the motivation and the effectiveness of teams. new challenges In fact, emotional and economic pressure – decreasing employee performance – have increased substantially amid health concerns, work stress, and financial problems with the fact that they are exhausted by the extended . two of the three indirect motives pandemic workday As a founder or team leader, you have more influence than you may realize over your team’s wellbeing, motivation, and performance. But how can you motivate yourself and your team amid these uncertain times? Team Motivation Idea 1: Celebrate Small Wins. Harvard Professor and Author Teresa Amabile has shown that tracking these small and incremental successes can have a surprising impact on a team's motivation. Research by This is also related to how our brains work. Every achievement — big or small — triggers our brain’s reward system and releases hormones that help us feel more energized, confident, and motivated. Teresa Amabile from The Harvard Business School how everyday life inside organizations can influence people, their motivation, and their performance. studies When Teresa M. Amabile and Steven J. Kramer analyzed nearly 12,000 diary entries from 238 white and blue-collar employees in seven companies they found something very interesting: Research has surprising results for 95% of the managers because they ranked “recognition for good work” as the most important factor in motivating the team, but “making progress” had the most prominent positive effect on the team’s motivation. They published an article for Harvard Business Review called on “progress principle”. "The Power of Small Wins," According to Amabile and Kramer, “if you are a manager, the progress principle holds clear implications for where to focus your efforts. It suggests that you have more influence than you may realize over employees’ well-being, motivation, and creative output.” According to them, knowing what “serves to catalyze and nourish progress—and what does the opposite—turns out to be the key to effectively managing people and their work.” Team Motivation Idea 2: Create Rituals. According to another HBR ; “Rituals in the workplace can reinforce the behaviors we want, create focus and a sense of belonging, and make change stick.” Not only that, but , resulting in improved ability to respond together to the challenges. Article teams become more motivated In their book, , authors Kursat Ozenc and Margaret Hagan offer 50 rituals and states that “enhance performance by motivating and bonding people.” Rituals for Work Team Motivation Idea 3: Make Progress a Daily Ritual. Teresa Amabile also advocates keeping a daily diary of progress because it helps to reflect on the day and keep track of all those small wins that normally go unnoticed. She writes, “keeping regular work diaries, which took no more than ten minutes a day, gave many of our research participants a new perspective on themselves as professionals and what they needed to improve.” – Teresa Amabile, Harvard Business Review It's easy to be reactive, just responding requests, emails, messages. While this can be difficult to escape, a work journal – such as the or the – forces you to be more present on a daily basis. Clear Habit Journal Self Journal The benefits of keeping a daily work journal is to identify the signals out of the noise. It helps to: 🧠 Organize your thoughts Starting the day by setting clear intentions will boost your productivity, 📌 Capture anything From small wins and learnings to the things that concern you in your workplace, 👀 Practice daily self-assessment You can use emojis to keep track of your mood. Team Motivation Idea 4: Do it on Slack. (Use Slack.) Slack breaks the on concurrent users as demand surges for remote working. Some people praise it for enabling their work’s success, while on the other, people point it as a source of distraction and ruining their productivity. However Slack is a perfect platform to develop rituals. record For example, with , you can implement rituals such as daily/weekly check-ins, feedback, to your team’s day to day workflow without leaving the slack. Mitual’s check-in module is always free to use with your team.  Bring your team together on a channel where they can openly reflect, share thoughts, and appreciation. Mitual’s new Slack app You and your team get small wins almost every day, repurpose your team’s time spent on slack by building rituals that capture signals out of the noise and leverage them to create momentum towards your team's goal.

Remote Team Motivation Ideas for COVID-19: One Ritual to Rule them All

Beyond Agile Stand-ups and Retros There are well documented rituals for development — sprint planning, daily stand-up, iteration review, retrospective. agile product When I started working in an enterprise, I found that these ware not enough. The complex stakeholder landscape and geographically diverse business units that exist in an enterprise meant that I needed an extended toolkit to succeed. Over the years, I have worked with teams to optimise a number of rituals that I have found useful for the enterprise workplace. I’m going to share them here and hopefully you might find them useful too: Product Discovery : Product Owner, Business Analyst, Tech Lead, UX Designer People : Weeks before workstream inception When : A few weeks or up to months depending on complexity of the project/proposition Duration : First you need to figure out what the product looks like. While in a startup the exercise normally starts with identifying a user problem, in an enterprise there are more dimensions to align with: Purpose Strategic goals — the product has to fit with the strategic goals of the company. Resources available — this is a two-way exercise. On one hand, quarterly and annual resource planning would outline what resources are available at a high level. On the other hand, the discovery and the product backlog that comes out at the end of the Inception would inform how much resources is required. Technological constraints — such limitations would form the boundaries of the opportunity. In certain enterprises this means having to deal with legacy systems which dictates the effort required to truly innovate. Customer problems — this one is similar to the well document process of identify customer pains and getting to product market fit. Usually extensive user testing is required Competitive and comparative analysis — benchmarking your proposition against products in the industry and similar products outside of the industry. Materials from Product Discovery is typically put together in the form of a deck. This deck is used during Inception ‘Kick-Off’ to set context for the workstream and bring all stakeholders onto the same page. Workstream/Project Inception : Full Team (Product Owner, Business Analyst, Tech Lead, UX Designer, Developers, Iteration Manager), Business Stakeholders, Program Leadership, Program Technical Architects, and other Subject Matter Experts. People : Start of the workstream When : 1–2 weeks depending on project/product complexity and size Duration : This consist of a series of intensive half day workshops over 1–2 weeks. The goal is to bring all stakeholders together to so everyone is on the same page. The workshops are facilitated by the core product team. Every stakeholder are invited to attend the first (Kick-Off) and the last (Final Showcase) workshops. Relevant stakeholders are invited to individual workshops. A sample rundown could look like this: Purpose Day 1AM: — Kick Off; Hopes and ConcernsPM: Problem Definition; Value Proposition Canvas; User Journeys Inception Day 2AM: Functional SolutioningPM: Design Validation; Story Splitting Day 3AM: Tech Solution ValidationPM: QA Testing Strategy; Story Estimation Day 4AM: Story PrioritisationPM: Roadmap Planning; Project Governance Day 5AM: Showcase PreparationPM: Final Showcase Working Groups : Product Owner, Business Analyst (optional), Business Stakeholders / Subject Matter Experts People : Regular cadence throughout product delivery When : 30mins to 1hr depending on topics to discuss Duration : After project inception, the product team will start building the product, i.e. begin ‘delivery’. The team will continue to conduct user research, user testing and come up with new UX/UI/prototype/assumptions about the product. It’s helpful to have a working group consisting of Subject Matter Experts in the wider business to review these early artefacts. Purpose Experts may ask questions or give advice to de-risk the product. Often it leads to a better product that aligns better with business goals and user needs. It also helps with stakeholder buy-ins as these domain experts may become advocates for the product within the organisation. Product Showcase : Product Owner, everyone included in the Inception and Working Group People : Every 2 weeks or end of each iteration/sprint When : 1 hr Duration : This is a forum to demo working software to all stakeholders and share progress against milestones. The showcase can be video recorded for circulation afterwards. Purpose Early user feedback and analytics can be discussed here too. As the workstream progresses it’s useful to use the Showcase as a standard way to communicate progress and results. Conclusion I found that in an enterprise environment, just focusing on agile rituals internal to product development isn’t enough. Having these additional rituals helped me manage stakeholders and establish structured communication channels to gauge feedback and ensure our product continue align with expectations and goals. Feel free to comment below. If you enjoyed this article, please hit that clap button to help others find it. : | Follow me Medium LinkedIn

5 Useful Non-Agile Rituals for Product Managers Working in Enterprises

Justin Ward http://delmarva.invisiblefence.com

My daily ritual is reading Entrepreneur.com,

If you haven’t read The Reality of Digital Nomads: Chasing Highs, Finding What? (Part 1), it delves into the challenges I faced as a digital nomad — the lack of stability, absence of community, and the constant stress and fatigue. A key takeaway is my suggestion that “digital homeless” might be a more fitting term for digital nomads. I end by comparing today’s nomads to historical figures like Mountain Hermits and Monastic Wanderers, who also led lives of solitude and self-reliance. Read <Part 1> The Reality of Digital Nomads: Chasing Adventure, Finding What? on Hackernoon! [Click Here.] <Part 2> The common thread that ties digital nomads, Christian monks, and Buddhist monks together is that they all leave their hometowns in pursuit of greater enlightenment and growth. For someone like my parents, watching their daughter constantly pursue challenges can be concerning. Yet, traveling as a digital nomad has been incredibly meaningful for self-discovery and personal growth. Before beginning this journey, I struggled with anxiety rooted in self-consciousness. I was the type of girl who loved popcorn but would skip it when at the theater alone, worried about what strangers might think if they saw me in line by myself. I’d even wait until the theater emptied out to shyly grab a bag on my way out. One unexpected advantage of having to work full-time while traveling is that you don’t really have the leisure to get swept up in all the local tourist attractions. Instead, you find small joys in visiting cafes where you can quietly observe locals while working, or by changing neighborhoods for an evening stroll each day to experience subtle differences in scenery. Contrary to the high-pitched dialogue often heard in Japanese anime, residential neighborhoods in Tokyo are always astonishingly quiet. In Siem Reap, children rummage through trash cans in search of necessities just a few kilometers away from one of the largest and most impressive religious monuments. In Asia’s most liberal city, Bangkok, located in the only country to have legalized cannabis, a less hipster and more capitalistic, and self-conscious scene can be observed, with people waiting their turn at beauty clinics as late as 9 PM. Meanwhile, in Bali, locals begin and end their day with religious rituals, with every store and accommodation advertising their fast Wi-Fi speeds. In Philadelphia, some cafes do not provide Wi-Fi or even allow laptop use, yet still manage to thrive. Seeing such differences in real-life cultures all over the world leads to the questioning of how much of who I am was shaped by the culture and environment I grew up in, this journey becomes a time of introspection. Traveling is the culture and community that shaped a significant part of my identity disappearing right before my eyes. I start asking myself, “Who am I without my culture?” and “What are my fundamental traits?” And from city to the next, the answers to these questions about myself slowly unveil. Who am I without my culture? There’s a unique liberation that comes with exploring “me” in a foreign country. Here, everyone sheds their familiar identity and becomes a foreigner, free from their usual roles and expectations. The term “foreigner” means “a person who does not belong to a particular group or community.” You’re not the hometown girl, recognized by her daily iced black coffee, or the guy who’s known for his DIY car washes since he moved in last year. Instead, you’re simply you, stripped down to the essentials, unbound by the routines and labels from home. One of the greatest advantages of traveling to many places is adopting the mindset of “I am a foreigner anyway.” This mentality of inherently “being different” is freeing. Although we are always unique individuals, experiencing multiple cultures and their contrasts makes this truth resonate deeply. Realizing that no two communities are identical and that we don’t need to conform to any single one allows us to uncover our true nature and personality. As innate social animals, we’ve grown accustomed to communal life over thousands of years. In Eastern cultures, where communal living is especially valued, we sometimes overlook a key fact: communities are composed of individuals, each with unique traits. Often, we subconsciously prioritize the identity of the community over our own, hesitating to adopt beliefs or behaviors that set us apart. As a foreigner passing through an area briefly, it’s rare to get much attention from locals, apart from the enthusiastic promotions of bar promoters. This freedom of not being seen, to simply blend into the background, is liberating and accelerates your self-discovery by giving you more space to allow yourself to be who you are. This is entirely different from wearing a bikini on the streets in Southeast Asia after wearing Confucian-style clothing in your home country. The initial adventurous spirit of arriving in a new place fades, and it’s in the period when you’ve grown somewhat familiar with the place but still don’t belong to the community that you start to see your authentic self emerge. In various cities across the world, I encountered my intrinsic kindness. Even when I didn’t care about how I might be seen to others, and was under a massive amount of stress, I remained kind to others. My shyness was replaced with lengthy conversations with cab drivers. This new found self became a source of strength and uplifted me in ways I hadn’t expected. Language barrier was surprisingly not much of a discomfort, but a factor that helped with self-discovery. How much do the words and sounds we hear around us everyday influence our thoughts? Even last weekend, while hiking in the utter peace of nature, I passed by a group discussing the housing prices of Seoul. Under the clear sky, their conversation made blurred my future into darkness. Koreans, as a whole, seem particularly focused on wealth and the economy, with a strong drive toward accumulating wealth. Since my only financial planning involves saving whatever is left after impulsively spending my salary, hearing these conversations makes me feel on the verge of a panic attack. Additionally, I’m often greeted by a YouTube ad playing the moment I get in although I pay for each ride. Just how much do the words and sounds around us in daily life influence our state of mind In this day and age, exposure to materialistic and consumerist attitudes and media isn’t an experience exclusive to my home country. However, in a foreign country, all advertisements and other people’s conversations just come across as noise, so even if I was exposed to them, I wasn’t really impacted by them. Of course, just because I can’t understand the language around me doesn’t mean that the influence of the culture I’ve lived in for decades simply disappears. Even in the laid-back atmosphere of Southeast Asia, I still found myself prioritizing efficiency and speed — like a true Korean. But when the surrounding noise faded, I began to hear an authentic voice within me — a voice I couldn’t hear as clearly back in Korea. It was the desire to pursue art and creative work, so I began writing again. Traveling to different places felt almost like being free of a past, and therefore your age. Perhaps it’s because, as a foreigner, you’re somewhat invisible, not part of that community’s recorded history — only by staying long enough, by becoming a familiar face, might you start to leave a mark. Or maybe it’s because the places woven into the history of my life are out of sight, and all I see is ‘new’ around me. Anyways, with the emergence of the unique voice inside me, I also stopped feeling so self-conscious of my age. The self-doubt that normally would have risen with the emergence of my authentic voice subdued in the seeming absence of the history it was born from. But the best part of being a digital nomad didn’t strike me until it was over.. I’ll tell you guys everything about it in Part 3, next week.. Thanks for reading If you haven’t read The Reality of Digital Nomads: Chasing Highs, Finding What? (Part 1) , it delves into the challenges I faced as a digital nomad — the lack of stability, absence of community, and the constant stress and fatigue. A key takeaway is my suggestion that “digital homeless” might be a more fitting term for digital nomads. I end by comparing today’s nomads to historical figures like Mountain Hermits and Monastic Wanderers, who also led lives of solitude and self-reliance. The Reality of Digital Nomads: Chasing Highs, Finding What? (Part 1) Read <Part 1> The Reality of Digital Nomads: Chasing Adventure, Finding What? on Hackernoon! [ Click Here .] Click Here <Part 2> The common thread that ties digital nomads, Christian monks, and Buddhist monks together is that they all leave their hometowns in pursuit of greater enlightenment and growth. For someone like my parents, watching their daughter constantly pursue challenges can be concerning. Yet, traveling as a digital nomad has been incredibly meaningful for self-discovery and personal growth . Before beginning this journey, I struggled with anxiety rooted in self-consciousness. I was the type of girl who loved popcorn but would skip it when at the theater alone, worried about what strangers might think if they saw me in line by myself. I’d even wait until the theater emptied out to shyly grab a bag on my way out. self-discovery personal growth anxiety self-consciousness. I was the type of girl who loved popcorn but would skip it when at the theater alone, worried about what strangers might think if they saw me in line by myself. I’d even wait until the theater emptied out to shyly grab a bag on my way out. One unexpected advantage of having to work full-time while traveling is that you don’t really have the leisure to get swept up in all the local tourist attractions. Instead, you find small joys in visiting cafes where you can quietly observe locals while working, or by changing neighborhoods for an evening stroll each day to experience subtle differences in scenery. Contrary to the high-pitched dialogue often heard in Japanese anime, residential neighborhoods in Tokyo are always astonishingly quiet. In Siem Reap , children rummage through trash cans in search of necessities just a few kilometers away from one of the largest and most impressive religious monuments. In Asia’s most liberal city, Bangkok , located in the only country to have legalized cannabis, a less hipster and more capitalistic, and self-conscious scene can be observed, with people waiting their turn at beauty clinics as late as 9 PM. Meanwhile, in Bali , locals begin and end their day with religious rituals, with every store and accommodation advertising their fast Wi-Fi speeds. In Philadelphia , some cafes do not provide Wi-Fi or even allow laptop use, yet still manage to thrive. visiting cafes evening stroll Tokyo Siem Reap Bangkok Bali Philadelphia Seeing such differences in real-life cultures all over the world leads to the questioning of how much of who I am was shaped by the culture and environment I grew up in, this journey becomes a time of introspection. Traveling is the culture and community that shaped a significant part of my identity disappearing right before my eyes. I start asking myself, “Who am I without my culture?” and “What are my fundamental traits? ” And from city to the next, the answers to these questions about myself slowly unveil. “Who am I without my culture?” “What are my fundamental traits? Who am I without my culture? Who am I without my culture? Who am I without my culture? There’s a unique liberation that comes with exploring “me” in a foreign country. Here, everyone sheds their familiar identity and becomes a foreigner, free from their usual roles and expectations. The term “foreigner” means “a person who does not belong to a particular group or community.” You’re not the hometown girl, recognized by her daily iced black coffee, or the guy who’s known for his DIY car washes since he moved in last year. Instead, you’re simply you, stripped down to the essentials, unbound by the routines and labels from home. foreigner, you, One of the greatest advantages of traveling to many places is adopting the mindset of “I am a foreigner anyway.” This mentality of inherently “ being different” is freeing. Although we are always unique individuals, experiencing multiple cultures and their contrasts makes this truth resonate deeply. Realizing that no two communities are identical and that we don’t need to conform to any single one allows us to uncover our true nature and personality. being different” multiple cultures and their contrasts As innate social animals, we’ve grown accustomed to communal life over thousands of years. In Eastern cultures, where communal living is especially valued, we sometimes overlook a key fact: communities are composed of individuals, each with unique traits. Often, we subconsciously prioritize the identity of the community over our own, hesitating to adopt beliefs or behaviors that set us apart. As a foreigner passing through an area briefly, it’s rare to get much attention from locals, apart from the enthusiastic promotions of bar promoters. This freedom of not being seen, to simply blend into the background, is liberating and accelerates your self-discovery by giving you more space to allow yourself to be who you are. This freedom of not being seen, to simply blend into the background, is liberating and accelerates your self-discovery by giving you more space to allow yourself to be who you are. This is entirely different from wearing a bikini on the streets in Southeast Asia after wearing Confucian-style clothing in your home country. The initial adventurous spirit of arriving in a new place fades, and it’s in the period when you’ve grown somewhat familiar with the place but still don’t belong to the community that you start to see your authentic self emerge. In various cities across the world, I encountered my intrinsic kindness. Even when I didn’t care about how I might be seen to others, and was under a massive amount of stress, I remained kind to others. My shyness was replaced with lengthy conversations with cab drivers. This new found self became a source of strength and uplifted me in ways I hadn’t expected. In various cities across the world, I encountered my intrinsic kindness. Even when I didn’t care about how I might be seen to others, and was under a massive amount of stress, I remained kind to others. My shyness was replaced with lengthy conversations with cab drivers. This new found self became a source of strength and uplifted me in ways I hadn’t expected. Language barrier was surprisingly not much of a discomfort, but a factor that helped with self-discovery. How much do the words and sounds we hear around us everyday influence our thoughts? Even last weekend, while hiking in the utter peace of nature, I passed by a group discussing the housing prices of Seoul. Under the clear sky, their conversation made blurred my future into darkness. Koreans, as a whole, seem particularly focused on wealth and the economy, with a strong drive toward accumulating wealth. Since my only financial planning involves saving whatever is left after impulsively spending my salary, hearing these conversations makes me feel on the verge of a panic attack. Additionally, I’m often greeted by a YouTube ad playing the moment I get in although I pay for each ride. Language barrier Just how much do the words and sounds around us in daily life influence our state of mind Just how much do the words and sounds around us in daily life influence our state of mind Just how much do the words and sounds around us in daily life influence our state of mind In this day and age, exposure to materialistic and consumerist attitudes and media isn’t an experience exclusive to my home country. However, in a foreign country, all advertisements and other people’s conversations just come across as noise, so even if I was exposed to them, I wasn’t really impacted by them. Of course, just because I can’t understand the language around me doesn’t mean that the influence of the culture I’ve lived in for decades simply disappears. Even in the laid-back atmosphere of Southeast Asia, I still found myself prioritizing efficiency and speed — like a true Korean. But when the surrounding noise faded, I began to hear an authentic voice within me — a voice I couldn’t hear as clearly back in Korea. It was the desire to pursue art and creative work, so I began writing again. authentic voice within me Traveling to different places felt almost like being free of a past, and therefore your age. Perhaps it’s because, as a foreigner, you’re somewhat invisible, not part of that community’s recorded history — only by staying long enough, by becoming a familiar face, might you start to leave a mark. Or maybe it’s because the places woven into the history of my life are out of sight, and all I see is ‘new’ around me. Anyways, with the emergence of the unique voice inside me, I also stopped feeling so self-conscious of my age. The self-doubt that normally would have risen with the emergence of my authentic voice subdued in the seeming absence of the history it was born from. But the best part of being a digital nomad didn’t strike me until it was over.. But the best part of being a digital nomad didn’t strike me until it was over.. I’ll tell you guys everything about it in Part 3, next week.. Thanks for reading

The Reality of Digital Nomads: Defying Sight and Sound

<Deel 2> Die realiteit van digitale nomades: trotseer sig en klank

<Част 2> Реалността на дигиталните номади: противопоставяне на зрението и звука

<পর্ব 2> ডিজিটাল যাযাবরের বাস্তবতা: দৃষ্টি ও শব্দকে অস্বীকার করা

<Parte 2> La realidad de los nómadas digitales: desafiando la vista y el oído

<Drugi dio> Stvarnost digitalnih nomada: prkoseći vidu i zvuku

<第2部> デジタル遊牧民の現実：視覚と聴覚を無視

<2-бөлүк> Санариптик көчмөндөрдүн чындыгы: Көрүү жана үнгө каршы

<2 dalis> Skaitmeninių klajoklių realybė: nepaisyti vaizdo ir garso

<Część 2> Rzeczywistość cyfrowych nomadów: rzucanie wyzwania wzrokowi i słuchowi

<Chikamu 2> Chokwadi cheDigital Nomads: Kuzvidza Kuona uye Kunzwika

<Частина 2> Реальність цифрових кочівників: заперечення зору та звуку

<پارٹ 2> ڈیجیٹل خانہ بدوشوں کی حقیقت: نظر اور آواز کی مخالفت

Fortune Cookies For The Fortune 500? Waymo Thinks So — But Should You?

Fortuinkoekies vir die Fortune 500? Waymo dink so - maar moet jy?

¿Galletas de la suerte para las empresas Fortune 500? Waymo cree que sí, pero ¿debería hacerlo usted?

Bonbon Fortune pou Fortune 500 la? Waymo panse konsa - Men, ou ta dwe?

フォーチュン 500 企業向けのフォーチュン クッキー? Waymo はそう考えています — でも、あなたもそう思うべきでしょうか?

Fortune Cookies dla Fortune 500? Waymo tak uważa — ale czy Ty też powinieneś?

د فارچون 500 لپاره فارچون کوکیز؟ وایمو داسې فکر کوي - مګر تاسو باید؟

Biscoitos da sorte para a Fortune 500? Waymo pensa assim — mas você deveria?

Fursecuri Fortune pentru Fortune 500? Waymo crede că așa - dar tu ar trebui?

Колачићи среће за Фортуне 500? Ваимо тако мисли - али да ли бисте требали?

Fortune Cookies för Fortune 500? Waymo tycker det - men borde du det?

ፎርቹን ኩኪስ ን ፎርቹን 500? ዋይሞ ከምኡ ይሓስብ — ግን ክትገብሮ ኣለካ ድዩ?

Swikhukhi Swa Fortune Swa Fortune 500? Waymo U Ehleketa Sweswo — Kambe Xana U Fanele?

Did you know that 48% of US smartphone users admit they’re addicted to screens? I was one of them. But I was too naive to admit. Screen addiction nearly tore my family apart, turning our vibrant home into a series of disconnected moments. I still remember one dinner where my wife and I sat across from our three children, all glued to their screens, barely uttering a word to each other. It hit me then: if we didn’t address this growing problem, we risked losing what truly mattered—our family bond. Recognizing the need for change, I embarked on a journey to reclaim our connections and restore meaningful communication. Here’s how we took control of our screen habits and strengthened our family ties. We Set A Poor Example For Our Kids In the early days of smartphone usage, my wife and I didn’t think much about the habits we were setting. We were busy with our own lives—balancing work and responsibilities—and we justified our phone usage as a way to stay connected and informed. Little did we know, we were unwittingly teaching them to prioritize screens over family connections. Gradually, screens became ubiquitous in our daily lives. They invaded our breakfast routines, crept into family movie nights, and even made their way into bedtime rituals. I remember how excited we were when we first gave our oldest child a smartphone. It felt like a rite of passage, a way for him to stay connected with friends. But instead of encouraging responsible usage, we fell into a routine where phones were always within reach. Research shows that the average time spent on Instagram’s Android app per user is 15 hours and 50 minutes per month. That’s a significant chunk of time, and I could see it affecting my kids firsthand. They no longer engaged in conversations or shared their thoughts about school and friends. Instead, they communicated through emojis and memes, losing the art of genuine connection. The Impact of Screen Addiction On Our Family As screens took center stage in our household, I noticed a troubling shift in our family dynamics. Excessive screen time began eroding our connections, with conversations dwindling to silence, replaced by the click-clack of keyboards. My children, ages 12 and 13, struggled to engage with each other, having traded playtime for their own virtual worlds. A once-enjoyable family game night became a frustrating reminder of our disconnect; instead of laughter, my kids were absorbed in their phones, barely making eye contact. The emotional distance deepened, leaving me feeling helpless as I watched them drift apart, communicating through texts instead of face-to-face. This realization hit hard—I understood we needed to confront our screen addiction before we lost our family bonds entirely and became disconnected lives living under one roof. Taking Action: Starting the Conversation Recognizing the need for change, I decided to confront the issue of screen addiction with my family. One evening, I gathered everyone in the living room, aiming for an open dialogue. I took a deep breath and said, “We need to talk about our screens and how they’re affecting us as a family.” The initial silence was thick; my kids exchanged skeptical glances, accustomed to rules without understanding the reasons behind them. I shared my observations about how our screen habits impacted our relationships, expressing how much I missed our shared stories and laughter. My daughter rolled her eyes, and my son muttered about needing his phone for school, but I pressed on. I emphasized that this wasn’t about punishment but finding a better balance to strengthen our connections. To my surprise, curiosity sparked. My oldest shared his pressure to respond quickly to messages, while my youngest missed playing games together. We then brainstormed solutions, creating potential ground rules like “no phones at the dinner table.” Involving everyone shifted their attitudes; they felt empowered to contribute, transforming this into a collaborative effort. As we finalized our list, I felt renewed hope—together, we were reclaiming our family bond. Creating Family Rules: Struggles and Resistance After our brainstorming session, we had a solid list of rules to reduce screen time and encourage meaningful interactions. However, implementing them proved challenging. During our first family dinner, everyone was excited about the new guidelines, but the urge to check our phones crept in as we sat down. I insisted on the “no phones at the dinner table” rule, but my youngest son fidgeted and pleaded to check his phone, breaking the calm. The struggle continued during our first family movie night. My daughter suggested watching a film together, but as the movie started, everyone’s attention drifted to their phones, overwhelmed by the familiar pull of notifications. I felt frustration rise and reminded them of our rules. Arguments erupted over “just one more scroll” or “needing phones for homework,” making it feel like a losing battle against screens. Despite these challenges, I recognized the importance of pushing through to reconnect as a family. Small victories emerged, like evenings where we navigated dinner without screens, sharing laughs and stories. These moments became the foundation for building trust and connection, reminding us that we were on this journey together. Gradual Improvement: Building Better Connections Despite initial struggles, we began to see gradual improvements in our family dynamics. Committing to screen-free practices allowed us to rediscover the joy of spending quality time together. I vividly recall one Friday night when we held a board game marathon, gathering around the table with snacks and laughter instead of being glued to our screens. As the games unfolded, conversations flowed freely. The kids shared funny anecdotes from school and engaged in playful banter, filling the house with warmth and laughter. We also explored alternative family activities like hiking, visiting parks, trying new restaurants, and cooking together, reinforcing that life beyond screens could be fulfilling. Over time, I noticed a remarkable shift in communication; my kids began to open up about their thoughts and feelings. These conversations reaffirmed that our efforts to reconnect were about nurturing relationships, and I learned the importance of celebrating our small victories along the way. Tips for Families Struggling with Screen Addiction Open Discussions are Crucial Begin by having candid conversations about screen time and its impact on family dynamics, allowing everyone to share their thoughts and feelings. This fosters a sense of shared responsibility. Involve Everyone in Rule-Making Involve everyone in rule-making, as it makes family members feel invested in following the guidelines. Drafting rules together emphasizes a collective effort to improve family life. Set Realistic Expectations Change takes time and habits won’t shift overnight. Approach setbacks with patience and remind each other that you’re all learning together. Celebrate Small Victories Celebrate small victories, like successful screen-free dinners or enjoyable outings, to reinforce positive changes and create motivation. Be Open to Adjustments Flexibility is key, as what works for one family may not work for another. Adapt your rules as you discover new activities and routines. Final Words: Be Patient, It Takes Time Reflecting on our journey to overcome screen addiction, three key points stand out. Open communication is vital; discussing screen habits fosters understanding and encourages family members to express their feelings. Recognizing that screen addiction is a real issue allows us to confront it together. Lastly, patience is essential; change takes time, and setbacks are part of the process. Celebrating small victories reinforces progress and motivation. With consistent communication, awareness, and patience, you can build stronger family connections. The path may be challenging, but the rewards—deeper bonds and meaningful interactions—are well worth the effort. Take that first step today. Did you know that 48% of US smartphone users admit they’re addicted to screens? Did you know that 48% of US smartphone users admit they’re addicted to screens? 48% of US smartphone users 48% of US smartphone users I was one of them. But I was too naive to admit. Screen addiction nearly tore my family apart, turning our vibrant home into a series of disconnected moments. I still remember one dinner where my wife and I sat across from our three children, all glued to their screens, barely uttering a word to each other. It hit me then: if we didn’t address this growing problem, we risked losing what truly mattered—our family bond. Recognizing the need for change, I embarked on a journey to reclaim our connections and restore meaningful communication. Here’s how we took control of our screen habits and strengthened our family ties. We Set A Poor Example For Our Kids In the early days of smartphone usage, my wife and I didn’t think much about the habits we were setting. We were busy with our own lives—balancing work and responsibilities—and we justified our phone usage as a way to stay connected and informed. Little did we know, we were unwittingly teaching them to prioritize screens over family connections. Gradually, screens became ubiquitous in our daily lives. They invaded our breakfast routines, crept into family movie nights, and even made their way into bedtime rituals. I remember how excited we were when we first gave our oldest child a smartphone. It felt like a rite of passage, a way for him to stay connected with friends. But instead of encouraging responsible usage, we fell into a routine where phones were always within reach. Research shows that the average time spent on Instagram’s Android app per user is 15 hours and 50 minutes per month. That’s a significant chunk of time, and I could see it affecting my kids firsthand. They no longer engaged in conversations or shared their thoughts about school and friends. Instead, they communicated through emojis and memes, losing the art of genuine connection. The Impact of Screen Addiction On Our Family As screens took center stage in our household, I noticed a troubling shift in our family dynamics. Excessive screen time began eroding our connections, with conversations dwindling to silence, replaced by the click-clack of keyboards. My children, ages 12 and 13, struggled to engage with each other, having traded playtime for their own virtual worlds. A once-enjoyable family game night became a frustrating reminder of our disconnect; instead of laughter, my kids were absorbed in their phones, barely making eye contact. The emotional distance deepened, leaving me feeling helpless as I watched them drift apart, communicating through texts instead of face-to-face. This realization hit hard—I understood we needed to confront our screen addiction before we lost our family bonds entirely and became disconnected lives living under one roof. Taking Action: Starting the Conversation Recognizing the need for change, I decided to confront the issue of screen addiction with my family. One evening, I gathered everyone in the living room, aiming for an open dialogue. I took a deep breath and said, “We need to talk about our screens and how they’re affecting us as a family.” The initial silence was thick; my kids exchanged skeptical glances, accustomed to rules without understanding the reasons behind them. I shared my observations about how our screen habits impacted our relationships, expressing how much I missed our shared stories and laughter. My daughter rolled her eyes, and my son muttered about needing his phone for school, but I pressed on. I emphasized that this wasn’t about punishment but finding a better balance to strengthen our connections. To my surprise, curiosity sparked. My oldest shared his pressure to respond quickly to messages, while my youngest missed playing games together. We then brainstormed solutions, creating potential ground rules like “no phones at the dinner table.” Involving everyone shifted their attitudes; they felt empowered to contribute, transforming this into a collaborative effort. As we finalized our list, I felt renewed hope—together, we were reclaiming our family bond. Creating Family Rules: Struggles and Resistance After our brainstorming session, we had a solid list of rules to reduce screen time and encourage meaningful interactions. However, implementing them proved challenging. During our first family dinner, everyone was excited about the new guidelines, but the urge to check our phones crept in as we sat down. I insisted on the “no phones at the dinner table” rule, but my youngest son fidgeted and pleaded to check his phone, breaking the calm. The struggle continued during our first family movie night. My daughter suggested watching a film together, but as the movie started, everyone’s attention drifted to their phones, overwhelmed by the familiar pull of notifications. I felt frustration rise and reminded them of our rules. Arguments erupted over “just one more scroll” or “needing phones for homework,” making it feel like a losing battle against screens. Despite these challenges, I recognized the importance of pushing through to reconnect as a family. Small victories emerged, like evenings where we navigated dinner without screens, sharing laughs and stories. These moments became the foundation for building trust and connection, reminding us that we were on this journey together. Gradual Improvement: Building Better Connections Despite initial struggles, we began to see gradual improvements in our family dynamics. Committing to screen-free practices allowed us to rediscover the joy of spending quality time together. I vividly recall one Friday night when we held a board game marathon, gathering around the table with snacks and laughter instead of being glued to our screens. As the games unfolded, conversations flowed freely. The kids shared funny anecdotes from school and engaged in playful banter, filling the house with warmth and laughter. We also explored alternative family activities like hiking, visiting parks, trying new restaurants, and cooking together, reinforcing that life beyond screens could be fulfilling. Over time, I noticed a remarkable shift in communication; my kids began to open up about their thoughts and feelings. These conversations reaffirmed that our efforts to reconnect were about nurturing relationships, and I learned the importance of celebrating our small victories along the way. Tips for Families Struggling with Screen Addiction Open Discussions are Crucial Begin by having candid conversations about screen time and its impact on family dynamics, allowing everyone to share their thoughts and feelings. This fosters a sense of shared responsibility. Involve Everyone in Rule-Making Involve everyone in rule-making, as it makes family members feel invested in following the guidelines. Drafting rules together emphasizes a collective effort to improve family life. Set Realistic Expectations Change takes time and habits won’t shift overnight. Approach setbacks with patience and remind each other that you’re all learning together. Celebrate Small Victories Celebrate small victories, like successful screen-free dinners or enjoyable outings, to reinforce positive changes and create motivation. Be Open to Adjustments Flexibility is key, as what works for one family may not work for another. Adapt your rules as you discover new activities and routines. Final Words: Be Patient, It Takes Time Reflecting on our journey to overcome screen addiction, three key points stand out. Open communication is vital; discussing screen habits fosters understanding and encourages family members to express their feelings. Recognizing that screen addiction is a real issue allows us to confront it together. Lastly, patience is essential; change takes time, and setbacks are part of the process. Celebrating small victories reinforces progress and motivation. With consistent communication, awareness, and patience, you can build stronger family connections. The path may be challenging, but the rewards—deeper bonds and meaningful interactions—are well worth the effort. Take that first step today.

Screen Addiction Can Ruin Your Family

It's Not A Motivation Problem That You Have (It's a Clarity Problem)

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