I’ve tried digital detoxes before and found them incredibly relaxing. So, when I ran across the idea for a daily digital detox, I knew I had to give it a try. It wasn’t easy at first, but after 30 days, I couldn’t believe the difference in myself.
Simple Rules for a Daily Digital Detox
I know a daily detox sounds daunting, and it definitely was for me. But, by setting some simple rules from the beginning, it’s easier to make this work for you.
First, choose how long you want your detox period to be each day and make sure it’s realistic to ditch your devices during that time. I chose two hours both day and night. One short period a day is more than enough though.
The main rules I followed include:
- No computer, phone, or tablet. I allowed TV, but only to watch TV shows and movies. No endlessly scrolling on YouTube.
- Turn off all devices you’re not supposed to use. I did leave my phone on, but turned off all notifications outside of calls/texts from a few important contacts in the event of emergencies.
- Create a list of any exemptions. For example, I love listening to music. One of my exemptions was my Echo Show. I used it strictly for streaming music while I did chores around the house or read books. If you only read ebooks, an offline e-reader is a good exemption.
- Have a timer to signal when your digital detox period ends. I recommend a physical timer to avoid the temptation of grabbing your phone to check the remaining time.
- Let your friends, family, and co-workers (if applicable) know about your detox time. This ensures they don’t worry if they can’t get in touch with you during this time. Consider getting a dumb phone just for important calls.
Why I Chose to Detox Daily
I used to pick one day a month for a digital detox. The only problem is, after a day of feeling twitchy without constant notification dings, I went right back to my old habits. Doing it daily means cultivating healthier digital habits. It’d be like trying to improve your health by only exercising one day a month. It just wouldn’t work.
Daily felt doable, yet challenging. I also wanted to experience long-lasting benefits, such as:
- Improving focus
- Reducing overstimulation that destroys attention span
- Decreasing cognitive overload from so many social media posts, YouTube videos, news stories, etc.
- Improving sleep quality
- Reducing stress and anxiety, especially when ditching social media
- Eliminating the “need” to reach for my phone
- Gaining more time in my day (screens quickly become a massive time suck)
- Embracing non-tech habits again
The more often you detox, the quicker you start to experience the benefits. And, if you stick with it, the benefits stick with you too.
My 30 Days of Digital Detoxing
I won’t sugarcoat it. The first week was hard. We’ve rewired our brains to crave our devices. Yet, that constant screentime raises anxiety, keeps our minds overstimulated, and makes it difficult to focus on anything more than a few minutes.
I kept reaching for my phone to see if I had any new messages or missed an important email. I kept thinking about how much content I was missing out on.
By the end of the week, I made the choice to disable notifications completely on the apps I gravitated toward most. They weren’t essential to my life and I didn’t want the distraction.
Week two was a bit easier. I relaxed more into my hobbies and even spent several hours on deep work. I did all research beforehand and completed my work offline. By the end of the week, I deleted multiple apps that always seemed to result in lost time, procrastination, and doom-scrolling.
By week three, I fell into a comfortable routine. And, by the end of 30 days, I was sleeping better and more deeply, staying focused for longer periods, waking up more energized, and didn’t feel nearly as stressed.
Even outside my daily digital detox periods, I didn’t reach for my devices nearly as often. And, when I did, I was far more mindful of how long I used them.
How to Avoid the Biggest Pitfalls
I made a major mistake when I started my daily digital detox experiment. I jumped in with no prep. Don’t do this. Seriously, don’t make this mistake.
Suddenly, I had two blocks of free time in my day devoid of screen time. If you’re like me, you typically grab your phone for a distraction the moment you have a minute. Of course, those free minutes turn into hours and suddenly your day disappears.
I highly recommend creating a list of things to do during your detox period each day. After several days of feeling restless and unsure what to do with my time, I made a clear list. Keep it simple. My list included things I’d been wanting to do around the house, catching up on my to-be-read book stack, and spending some quality time with hobbies that slowly got left behind, like playing music and needlework.
Some options to try include:
- Journaling (physical pen and paper or offline app)
- Exercising
- Learning a new hobby or skill
- Having a relaxing coffee break with no screens
- Spending quality time with friends and family
- Meditating
Essentially, just avoid high stimulation screen time and you’re all set.
Another pitfall was allowing some screen time. I wanted to relax with a favorite TV show, but got sucked into YouTube shorts instead.
Also, if you need to work during your detox, set yourself up for deep work. No scrolling or browsing non-work content. Focus solely on the task at hand. Changing to a minimalist Android launcher helped quite a bit.
If you want to try this yourself, start with just 30 minutes a day. For me, four hours a day was life changing, but it’s not realistic for everyone. Even outside of a daily digital detox, try using your phone’s built-in screen time controls. Both Android and iOS have these. Even YouTube has a Shorts timer to limit scrolling. Trust me, you’ll treasure the time away from screens.
