Digital Detox: Finding Balance in a Hyper-Connected World

Our society is more connected than previous generations thanks to the Internet and mobile devices. But I find it interesting that with all this connectivity, people are still lonely, depressed, angry, and purposeless in their lives. It seems that our mobile devices are our additional body parts that we feel we can’t live without. Teachers and parents complain that today’s kids are not playing outside they way they used to because of their technology addiction. It also affects their academic performance because as their attention spans get shorter each year, it becomes harder for them to sit through long classroom sessions or lessons at home. So what is the solution? There are no easy answers but one thing you can do is go on a digital detox. It doesn’t have to be for one year although some have done this. It can be for a few hours or a few days. Here is how you can do your own digital detox.

Eliminate Notifications on Your Computer and Phone

This is a simple way to start your digital detox. When you’re not distracted by constant notifications, you can focus on getting work done and you won’t spend the next few hours looking at mindless entertainment that will never bring you closer to your goals.

Do A Physical Book Reading Challenge

Another idea is to challenge yourself to read physical books for a set period of days or weeks instead of ebooks or audiobooks. There are advantages of reading physical books. It helps you with reading comprehension since you’ll need to follow the characters and plot carefully to figure out what the book is about. Reading physical books can also help you sleep well since it’s a relaxing activity. Physical books are less distracting than ebooks.

Check Out Cookbooks From The Library And Cook From Them

Challenge yourself to not use online recipes to cook this week’s meals. Visit your library and check out two to three cookbooks based on your favorite type of cuisine. Then choose six recipes and buy the ingredients you need for them. Choose recipes that are simple and that the whole family will enjoy. Refer only to the cookbook’s instructions and resist the temptation to research ingredients on Google or Youtube.

Do Face-To-Face Job Networking

The Internet has made us lazy in our job searches. Make old-school job networking a part of your digital detox. Walk inside local businesses and ask if there are any open positions. If they offer paper applications, sit inside and fill them out. Attend local job fairs and present physical copies of your resumes to the employers there. Ask thoughtful questions about what the companies look for in employees and discuss what you know about the employers since this impresses them.

Learn New Life Skills

A lot of necessary life skills don’t require instruction from Youtube although the platform is helpful. During your digital detox, aim to find screen-free ways to learn these skills. If your aunt is a seamstress, visit her for the next few weeks and get sewing lessons from her. Have your dad teach you the basics of car maintenance and bond with him at the same time.

Write Handwritten Letters To Relatives

When was the last time you wrote a handwritten letter to others? As you take a break from the digital world, impress your relatives by writing each of them heartfelt letters of appreciation for how they’ve helped you over the years. You can also write these letters to friends, spouses, and even your children. Text messaging and emails made conversations so casual that we forgot about the beauty of formal writing.

Practice Cursive Handwriting

My daughter has been learning cursive handwriting with my mom, and she’s doing well with it. There are some cognitive benefits of cursive handwriting. When you write words or paragraphs in cursive, you’re more likely to retain the information than if you typed those words or paragraphs. Buy a few inexpensive handwriting books and write in cursive every day.

Place Your Phone In Another Room Before Bed

One to two hours before bedtime, place your phone in another room to reduce the temptation to scroll on social media all night. Then look for relaxing activities to do such as reading, meditating, listening to soft music on the radio

With these helpful strategies, you can get through a digital detox successfully. Think about the benefits of a digital detox before you start. Maybe you realize that your screen time is interfering with family time or that it’s keeping you from achieving the goals you set at the beginning of the career. Once you know why you’re doing this, it will motivate you to evaluate your device usage and implement new ways to not depend on it so much.