So your New Year’s resolution is to kick your technology addiction to the curb—great! Excessive technology use can lead to a lack of productivity, loss of attention span, feelings of inadequacy and can distract you from the beautiful details of real life.
But one problem—avoiding technology is really hard! Especially if you’ve never done a tech detox before. Not to fear. Try these 3 tips for making it through your first tech detox with success…
1. Stick to your rules.
There’s nothing more damaging to your psyche than breaking your own rules. Show yourself some respect and stick with your plan. Perhaps you are in the habit of staring at your phone immediately upon waking, scrolling through instagram and facebook feeds or watching late night shows on Youtube. If you decide, during your detox, to not look at your phone for the first hour of your day, know that there are no exceptions. Keep your phone on Do Not Disturb mode and keep it out of the way, no questions. Once you start making exceptions, your own word becomes weak and the entire detox begins to unravel.
2. Don’t go all or nothing.
It’s not really a detox. It’s a lifestyle shift. So don’t try to take technology out of your life completely for the length of your detox. The issue most people have with dieting is that they go back to their old eating habits once the diet is over. The same thing tends to happen to those who try a tech detox. So, don’t think of it as a detox. Start slowly to let yourself adjust and adopt to the small changes you are making (with the intention of keeping them once the detox is over). After the first week, you can cut out technology for longer swaths of time for a period, but keep the original adjustments no matter what. Not only will the process feel easier, but odds are you’ll be more successful. If you come out of this detox even 10 percent less addicted to technology, consider that a win!
3. It’s not about removing. It’s about adding in.
Another diet mistake: you focus on cutting out and replicating the glories of a food group, like sugar, rather than focusing on adding more healthy foods into your diet in its place. If you don’t add in healthy habits during the times when you would normally be consumed by technology, it’s going to be a struggle to succeed. So, focus on adding in more positive habits during your technology-free hours rather than just abstaining and stress-eating chips to distract yourself. What can you actually do with all this newfound time on your hands? Depending on how much time you have, you can…
- Doodle (you’re more creative than you think)
- Read a book (a real one)
- Practice some radical self-care with a good bath
- Go outside
- Do more physical activity
- Take up a new hobby and practice
- Get coffee with a friend or loved one and catch up
- Knit a sweater
- Enjoy some self-massage
- Get creative and let loose!
You’ll feel so much happier and healthier if you aren’t a slave to your devices. Share your experiences with reducing your tech consumption with the community below and feel free to provide encouragement for those ditching tech for the first time! We all deserve to experience real life, not a virtual one.
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