It’s important to detox from electronics – even though phones, computers, and tablets are great.
We love screens – big ones, little ones, and the medium ones we work on all day. But it’s essential to take some time away from them.
Why You Should Put Down Your Phone
They connect us to people around the world, but they also can take over a lot of our time.
There are all kinds of important reasons for unplugging – getting to know people better, sleeping better, and thinking more clearly.
There are a few quick and easy ways we can detox from our electronics. If you have other ideas, please share them in the comments below!
5 Ideas for a Digital Detox
One of the easiest ways to remember to do something is to make it part of your regular routine.
Which one of these digital detox ideas could you regularly incorporate into your life?
1. Have a no phones at the dining room table rule.
Switch them off or leave them in another room, but make sure to take some time out during dinner to be separate from your phone.
It gives you a chance to unplug and connect with the people you love over a meal.
2. Have a no phones next to the bed policy.
This is possibly the most important way you can disconnect from your electronics.
It helps you sleep better when you don’t look at the blue light of your phone screen – if you can, put it away an hour before you go to bed.
Buy an alarm clock so you don’t need to use your phone to wake up.
3. Increase your non-screen activities.
Starting a few activities that are phone or computer free will naturally crowd out your screen time.
This can be anything from a sports league to a painting class. Choose something to do that doesn’t allow or need technology to do it.
4. Set hours for responding to email.
Make some rules for yourself around email. For instance, I have a rule that I don’t respond to any emails on Saturdays. I don’t check them and I don’t respond to them.
If you can, set aside time every week so that you don’t need to check your email.
5. Set a timer for your social media use.
One of the biggest time wasters is social media. We love it and we also hate the amount of time we can unwittingly spend on it.
If you like to browse on Instagram or Facebook for fun, try setting an alarm on your phone for the amount of time you’ll allow yourself to look at it.
This keeps you cognizant of the time you spend on social media and lets you walk away from it more easily.
Another great way to use Facebook but not be overwhelmed by it is the newsfeed eradicator.
Conclusions
Getting some time away from our screens is important.
Creating some digital detox time in our regular routine can be helpful – whether it’s not having phones at the dinner table or in the bedroom.