Start With Daily Mini Digital Detoxes

We are very ambitious when we think about introducing change in our lives. Oftentimes we declare bold statements like cutting our social media use by 50% or using a dumbphone that will replace our smartphone. These declarations are made with the best of intentions of course. Unfortunately, we often underestimate the willpower that is required to execute. That why it is important to declare small steps, how easy they may be. On paper, they may not seem hard to execute but it’s all about consistency. Can you take that “small step” consistently? Can you enforce boundaries consistently as you intended? When you say you want to do a digital detox, start introducing small digital detoxes. Mini digital detoxes. Think first of the activities you wish to continue without your phone nearby or in your hand. Allocate a special place or room where you leave your device before taking on that activity. So when you go read a chapter of a book, know where to leave your phone in advance and place it there. After you’re done reading that chapter, get your phone back (if you wish). So initially you will be phoneless for 20 minutes, 30 minutes, depending on the duration of the activity. That’s how long those mini digital detoxes should last. When you have mastered to be phoneless during those activities, you can start thinking about periods of time where normally nothing has been planned yet. Now we are talking about a mini digital detox of 3 hours or 4 hours for example. This will require more preparation because you will need to know what your replacement activities will be. You want to be clear about which screens are allowed and which ones are off-limits. The next stage will be a digital detox that lasts an entire evening or an entire day even. Nevertheless, start first with the (small) activities you do on a daily basis where your phone likes to keep you company without asking for permission. Master those moments of being phoneless first before transforming any bigger aspirations into realization.