Time for dinner? Great, I’m starving! Just let me grab my phone.
Sound familiar?
According to a recent IKEA study, 98% of people eat while looking at a device, primarily their smartphone. You might not find this surprising, since today, more than ever, we spend a good portion of our day scrolling, browsing, and searching for cute cat videos.
Enjoying dinner from the couch as you watch your favorite flick is one thing. But what happens when we spend every meal glued to a screen, ignoring others at the table, and absentmindedly shoveling food into our mouths?
Well, for one thing, the study points out that having screens at the table not only increases stress levels but also reduces joy. We become less conscious of what we’re eating, missing satiety signals, which can lead to overeating.
We’re also missing out on a prime time for socializing and connecting with others. But technology has turned into such a habit; how are we supposed to break the trend and come to the table screen-free?
For starters, try these ideas to create more opportunities for screen-free meals.
4 Device-Free Dinner Ideas
1. Hang It Up
Rachel’s family made the dinner table a phone-free zone. Before everyone sits down, they leave their phones in a designated spot so no one’s tempted to take a peek during the meal. Rachel created a cute drop zone using IKEA’s FJANTIG towel hooks, and now everyone simply places their phones on the hooks before dinner.
2. Take Time To Recharge
When you’re taking time to recharge during dinner, why not let your devices do the same? Stefan created a charging station for all sorts of electronics, from phones to tablets, using the OSTBIT plate holder and a KVISSILE cable management box.
The slots provide the perfect place to dock your devices, allowing you to fit plenty at once. IKEA discontinued the KVISSILE series, but any box will do. Use cut-outs to run cables through, and make sure to set up your charging station near a power source.
3. Create A Display
We seem to adore our phones (albeit a little too much), so why not show them off?
The various IKEA picture ledges are ideal for turning pretty much anything into a display. Install ledges on a wall near the dining area and place artwork or magazines on them, leaving a few spaces empty for your devices.
Before mealtimes, have everyone place their phones on the ledges. Bonus! Add powerpoints to charge them up.
4. Box It Up
Here’s a great idea you can borrow from some clever restaurants. Certain eateries provide you with a pretty box to stash your phone in so you can enjoy a distraction-free meal. How cute is that?
You can easily recreate this practice at home using IKEA’s DRAGAN bamboo boxes or KUGGIS boxes and lids. The colorful GLIS boxes are another budget-friendly option, with a three-pack for $3.99.
No matter which style of box you choose, check your phone sizes to make sure they’ll fit. Also, decide whether everyone gets their own box or if you prefer a larger box to hold all the phones.
Device-Free Dinner Plan: Start With One Night
If this is new territory for you, you don’t have to drop the devices all at once. Going cold turkey could be especially difficult if you have kids who are used to bringing devices to the table.
Discuss the plan as a family, and start with one night a week where everyone enjoys dinner together, phone-free. We started having a family game night on Wednesdays. We put down all the phones, turn off the TV, and eat dinner around the table before we start playing games.
It’s quickly turned into one of our favorite days of the week, and we all look forward to it. Once you establish a weekly habit, gradually increase the number of days until you find a routine that works best for your family.
What other great ideas do you have for a no-phone dinner? Share with us in the comments below, then put down your phone, because it’s time to eat!