Tips to help you put limits on your technology use and start living more of your life offline.
Technology has changed the world. It has increased our productivity, changed the way we work, and altered how we communicate with each other. Even with all the positive advances in technology, there is a dark side. Everything that is "free" to you comes with a price. Social media and other technology companies make money by advertising to you and selling your data. Your time has value to them, which is why many apps are designed to be highly addictive and monopolize as much of your time as possible.
In 2021, the average person spent 4.8 hours a day on their phone. Let that sink in for a second. That is equivalent to 73 days a year. If you made a 5-year life plan, would you include spending a year of your life looking at your phone? Something tells me the answer is no.
When it comes to technology, everyone has reasons they want to form better habits. Here are the 5 reasons I did a digital detox:
I don't think it adds enough value to my life. When social media was more about connecting with people, I saw the value especially when I moved 2500 miles away from my family and friends. Now that the feeds are filled with advertising and strangers' posts, it's harder to find my actual friends. When I look at the pros and cons, the negatives are starting to outweigh the positives of social media.
I want to be more productive with my time. With TikTok and Instagram Reels, I find myself constantly looking at these short, oftentimes pointless videos. Sometimes I look up and realize I've been doing it for 30 minutes or more. I'll never get that time back. I also check my emails at least 10 times a day, which distracts me from getting my real work done. For the most part, these are just bad habit I need to break.
I don't like feeling manipulated and watched. I truly dislike the algorithms that start feeding me things based on what I'm doing. It is creepy. Social media used to be a fun way to connect with others. Now it is full of advertisers trying to get your attention. As the saying goes, "If something is free, you are the product." These companies make money by selling your personal information and analyzing your behavior for advertising.
I think we need more real human connections. One of the main problems I see in the world today is we have lost our ability to make real connections offline. These are so important for our mental health and happiness in life. Building our support systems and feeling connected to our community adds so much value to our lives. We need to get back to spending time with real people offline.
My kids deserve better. The obvious reason is I want to give my kids all my attention, but there is more to this than just putting my phone down and playing with my kids more. Did you know that Steve Jobs said in an interview he did not allow his kids to play with the iPad at home. Think about that. The inventor of the iPad knew that it was not healthy for his kids to use technology all the time. He was not alone. According to the article, many industry leaders in the tech world limit their kids use of technology. They trade devices for real books, activities, and time spent together as a family. I want that for my kids, and I know I need to set a good example for them.
I'm an older millennial, so I remember life without an iPhone. I remember only getting on Facebook a few times a week in college because there were no smartphones that conveniently went with me everywhere. I got my first iPhone in 2010. Now after more than a decade of spending countless hours on it, I want to live my life without constantly looking at my phone. That doesn't mean I want to give up my smartphone. I just recognize that we all need a healthy relationship with technology, and time is the only real currency we have in life.
The amount of your time you want to give to your phone is a personal choice. My hope is we can get back to a time when social means real in-person connections, and our time is spent in intentional ways that bring joy to our lives. If social media brings you real joy, then you have achieved that healthy relationship. But, if you are searching for a way to get offline more, a digital detox may be exactly what you need.
I will admit my goal of 30 days without technology was difficult. Like any habit, it's hard to stop what is comfortable. However, I knew it was necessary for me. Everyday I found myself searching for new ways to use my time. It's amazing how much time you get back when you aren't on your phone. It forces you to look for new hobbies and interests. I made a list of every small thing that made me happy outside of technology. When I was bored, I just picked something off the list to do. It felt great to finally do many of the things I used to tell myself I was too busy to do.
If you are ready to try a digital detox, here are some tips from my experience:
Start by outlining why this digital detox is important to you and what you would like to accomplish by doing this exercise. If it helps, make a pros and cons list for your digital habits to determine which technology you overuse or is not adding value to your life.
Decide how long you want to do the detox. I did 30 days, but many people have positive results doing only 7-10 days.
Delete all social media apps from your phone to help break your habit of opening them without thinking.
Use Downtime on your iPhone to set limits for other distracting apps. Go to Settings-Screen Time to find the Downtime feature. In Screen Time, you can also see how much time you send on your phone daily, set app and communication limits, and customize your screen settings to help with your personal technology goals.
Make a list of other things you want to do with your time. This will help when you realize how much free time you have without your phone.
Cut off the email feature on your phone. If you use the email app on your iPhone, you can turn off a certain mailbox by going to edit in the top right of the app and unchecking inboxes you don't want to see. Easily turn this feature off and on to set time limits on your emails.
Put your phone in another room during the day. I have the Apple Watch and used that instead to make sure I still could get calls and texts.
My biggest takeaway from the detox was recognizing the value each type of technology brings to my life. For me, Instagram has become less of a social platform and more like a replacement for Yelp. I go to check out restaurants I want to try or find people in the community sharing events for my kids. That is the value I see now. In terms of keeping up with friends and family, I want to start doing that in person and will be more intentional on reaching out.
Now I set limits on how much time I spend on my phone. I have a no technology rule for my family during dinner and have developed habits to avoid using my phone when I'm bored. For example, when I'm in a waiting room or carpool line at school, I read a book instead. I can honestly say taking control of my technology use has changed my life for the better.
I hope sharing my experience will help you develop your own healthy relationship with technology. I'd love to hear how your detox went and learn new ways to set boundaries on my technology use. If you have more tips on how you manage technology in your life, please leave them in the comments section.
Want to try a digital detox? Check out our guided journal 100 Days to Focus. Each 30 days you will focus on adding one habit that will improve your life. My three focus areas were reducing technology, developing a reading habit, and writing everyday for 30 days. What do you want to focus on in your life? This journal is the perfect way to get started and track your progress.
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