I’m going to blame my car taking a dump on Monday/Tuesday of last week as to why I didn’t post my normal weekly Tech Free Tuesday installation. Did you know a new A/C compressor and radiator costs 1200 bucks with labor after your car starts vomiting up coolant all over the driveway? The more you know. Anyway, I’m back with my latest on Tech Free Tuesday. Let’s chat about it.

A lot of people, me especially, struggle to put our devices down. I know it’s time to take a break when I’m really upset about something someone I don’t actually know in real life has said or done. Or I have to do three loads of laundry because I’m so far behind on chores. When I’m worked up about internet morons being loud and wrong or falling behind on simple tasks, I know it’s time for a digital detox. What does that process look like and how can you customize it to fit your needs? Here are my best tips and tricks for when I need a hard reset.

Set your purpose: What are you looking to achieve with this? More time on your hands? Be more present in your real life with family and friends? Mental reset? Having clearly defined reasons behind why you’re taking a break will serve as a great reminder when you’re tempted to pick up the device.

Set realistic rules: One of the biggest things is focusing on unplugging in a way that’s sustainable. If you’re trying to get in shape, you can’t go crazy all at once. You’ll burn out and give up pretty quickly. It’s the same thing with most goals, including trying to take a step back from screens. Be honest with yourself, if your screen time is at eight hours a day, it might not be feasible to cut that down to two hours a day instantly. Start with small things like no phones at the dinner table or screen free date nights. Then, you can gradually move on to deciding to do screen free Saturday’s or something bigger.

Replace your habits: When you come home from work, instead of scrolling for twenty minutes, try picking up that book you’ve been meaning to start for the last three months. Do that craft or long term project you’ve been pushing to the side. Have a list of things to pick from that you want to do or should be doing when you’re tempted to look at your phone. Then you can refer back to the list and say why don’t I clean out my closet instead or get some fresh air outside like I wanted to. You’ll be able to chip away at things you’ve been meaning to do super quickly!

Mindfulness: Try noting how you feel when you’re off of your devices. Stressed out? Major FOMO? Me personally, I feel a lot more relaxed when I’m intentional about how I’m spending my down time. If I scroll for two hours, I feel really blah at the end as opposed to if I went for a long walk or played pickle ball with my mom. Self care doesn’t have to be bubble baths and face masks. It can be paying attention to how you feel and why and adjusting accordingly.

My digital detox goals for the month:

• For April, I’d like to finish three books. I already finished one this month. Two to go.
• Limit headphone usage. I wear headphones religiously and need to give my ears a break.
• Sit outside screen free twice a week every week.
• No TikTok at all.
• No phone for thirty minutes after waking up.

The goal is not to punish myself, but to spend more time doing the things I actually love. I have constant stimulation from music, screens, and more. It’s overwhelming after a while and nice to take a break. It’s a chance to reconnect with the world around me tech free. Setting up some simple boundaries with my phone and replacing my new found free time with some of my favorite things, I remember just how satisfying life is offline. So, go ahead, unplug, take a breath, and enjoy the silence. I challenge you all to do your own digital detox! Let me know what your goals are for yours and how it goes in the comments below! Thanks for reading and until next time.