“A digital detox” is a term that gets thrown around a lot these days. But what does it mean? Basically, it’s the practice of taking time away from technology and social media. It gives you space to focus on yourself and your wellbeing, plus it allows you to unplug from all those notifications that have been keeping you up at night (or waking you up in the morning). It can be as short as 24 hours or longer than 72 hours, depending on what works best for you. So grab your yoga mat or hiking shoes—we’re going on a journey into nature!
Create a plan for the digital detox.
When you’re planning a digital detox, it’s important to think about the why. Why are you doing this? What are your goals for the experience? Once you have a clear vision of what success looks like, it will be easier for you to stay focused and avoid procrastination.
You can use one of two approaches: either set aside some time each day (and/or week) where no devices are allowed at all; or create a list of rules that govern how and when you use technology during the rest of your waking hours. For example, if your goal is simply having more face-to-face interactions with friends and family members without distractions from technology then perhaps setting aside specific evenings or weekends would work best for someone like me who works from home full-time and has limited opportunities otherwise! However if I wanted to focus on writing more often then maybe limiting myself only between 11am – 6pm would help ensure more productivity during those hours instead!
Find ways to disconnect at home.
The best place to start is by turning off your phone. Then, if you have a tablet and/or computer, turn those off as well. If you have an internet-enabled TV or radio (or any other electronics), unplug the router and power down the device until tomorrow morning when you wake up.
The next step is going outside. This can be as simple as taking a walk around your neighborhood or going for a jog through the park–whatever it takes for you to enjoy being outside without being distracted by technology!
Try going on some forms of wellness retreat.
A wellness retreat is a place where you can go to spend time with yourself, take care of yourself and get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. There are many different types of wellness and health retreats like ​​Sunshine Coast health retreat available to people who want to unplug from their devices. Some examples include:
- meditation retreats that focus on mindfulness meditation practices like Vipassana or Zen Buddhism
- yoga retreats where you learn different poses as well as how to meditate while doing yoga
- silent retreats where there are no phones or internet access at all
Take a look at your digital schedule.
To get started, take a look at your digital schedule for the week ahead. Look at the calendar app on your phone or computer and scroll through the days of the week, marking with an “x” any meeting where you know there will be screens involved: phone calls with clients or colleagues who are out of town; presentations in front of groups; travel times when you’ll be sitting next to other travelers who are watching videos on their laptops.
Next, look at your to-do list for this month–or even better yet, the year ahead! Any tasks that involve sitting down in front of a screen (for example: emailing clients or colleagues) should also get marked with an “x”.
Finally–and this might be tough–look back over all these marks and see if there’s anything else that could potentially add up to hours spent staring at our devices every day.
Find out when you’re most vulnerable to digital distractions.
The first step to unplugging is knowing when you’re most vulnerable to digital distractions. If you know that after lunch, for example, your phone tends to be more of a distraction than during other parts of the day (and especially if it’s because of Instagram), then it makes sense for you to plan ahead and make sure that there are no notifications or apps open during that time period.
It also helps if we know what triggers us so we can prepare accordingly. Maybe one particular friend sends messages at around 9 p.m., which always makes me want to check my phone because I’m curious about what she has written–but I know from experience that once I start scrolling through social media feeds on my phone at night and before bedtime, there’s no stopping until dawn breaks over my head again!
Make sure you have everything you need for your digital detox.
In order to do a digital detox and unplug completely, you need to make sure you have everything you need for your digital detox.
- Check that you have all the equipment that is needed for your digital detox. If not, go out and buy it now!
- Make sure that your phone charger is fully functional and working properly so that when it’s time for bedtime, there won’t be any problems charging up before going off into dreamland with no distractions from technology whatsoever (except maybe an alarm clock).
- Make sure there is enough power left on your phone so as not to run out during important times like when taking photos or recording video clips during events such as weddings or birthdays where people may want proof of their special day forever captured digitally in case something happens later down the road which could get lost due to forgetting how much fun one had while partying hard at those parties back then…
Have some backup plans for work.
If your job requires you to be available at all times, it’s important that you have a backup plan in place. Make sure you have phone numbers or email addresses for the people who can help out if something comes up. If there are specific people who will take over for you in an emergency, make sure they know about the detox and how long it will last so they don’t get worried when they don’t hear from you immediately after work hours.
If someone needs to contact you, make sure they know how.
If you’re going to be out of reach for a while, make sure people know how to contact you.
- Make sure your phone has enough battery life and that it’s charged up.
- Give them your alternate number if one exists (for example, if there is an emergency).
- Let them know what plans/schedule/events will keep you occupied so they don’t try to reach out when those things are happening.
A digital detox can be good for you even if it’s just a day or two!
Digital detoxes are a great way to step back from technology, reconnect with yourself and the people around you, and regain some perspective on life. Even if it’s just for a day or two!
It can be hard to unplug completely when we’re surrounded by screens all day long. But there are plenty of ways to break up with your phone: turn off notifications; leave it in another room when possible; try not responding immediately when someone texts or calls. Or take some time out of each day where no one uses technology at all–even if it’s just 20 minutes!
Conclusion
There are many ways to unplug from technology, and this guide has given you some of the best ones. We hope that by reading it, you have come away with a better understanding of what a digital detox is and how it can help you in your life.