Digital Detox : The Need of an hour

Being a blogger and an Influencer, detaching myself from the smartphones and continuous scrolling became an uphill task. Every single notification became an addiction and urged me to lift up and see what it cited. At the back of my mind, I wanted to stop my hands from lifting the phone but every text coxed me as the dopamine released. Social Media and technology has made life much comfortable but it has also reduced the quality Family time and Me time. Researches suggests that Internet is one of the growing reasons of family disconnects, strained relationships and false emotions.

We’re spending more and more time on digital medium’s these days compared to what it was even 5 years ago. We’ve all seen the phase when there were no smartphones, and life was all the more “Less Cluttered”.

This Diwali, I vowed to complete this long pending initiative of Digital Detox. It doesn’t means that you completely bid bye to the gadgets, but it is a methodology to restraint self from that excess use. Believe me, with every day that passed while I was practising this detox, I was getting more and more optimistic. I felt more productive, my mind was a lot calmer. And the best part was, I had so much of time for things which I couldn’t do. After all, I had saved lots of time by not engaging in futile scrolling’s and their aftermaths.

5 simple Tips to practise Digital Detox :

1. Turn off the notifications :

Believe me, Social media notifications are the biggest culprits. One beep sound, you might not touch, but by the third beep, you are tempted enough to see what all is happening. Ask yourself, if that’s not true. Notifications are the real distractions, so better switch them off. I did that and with no alerts, beeps, buzzes every minute, I found that I completed my task more effectively. It looked like a Time Management strategy to me. Try it out honestly, It will work wonders!  And yes, keep your smartphone more than an arm’s distance while you are engrossed in your work.

Every notification is not an “emergency”, is what I learnt.

2. Love watches and Alarm clocks :

For a good body functioning, unhindered and quality sleep is imperative. Are you getting up in the night and looking at the feeds or mails or messages? Have you lost that quality sleep? Don’t say that you were setting the morning alarm now. How about the idea – ditch smartphone alarms and bring in the real alarm clock? I’m loving that ticking sound waking me up. The big dial watches look classy, wear them, flaunt them and don’t pull out your phones from the bags to see the time anymore. Let your jeans /dress pockets feel lighter, put your phones in the bag. Don’t allow Facebook, Instagram, Whats app to sleep with you in the bed.

3. Be productive :

Yes, I know there is an acute shortage of the time. Even I thought so. We have 24 hours, leave 8 hours for your work, be it office work or house work. Keep 8 hours for sleep. Man, you still have 8 more hours!

Either you run the day, or the day runs you. ~Jim Rohn. You run the day and see the difference!

Be productive and focussed. Ignore smartphones while you are working. I’ve stopped looking at the mobile while I’m writing my blog posts and believe me, my productivity and the time frame I write in, has bettered off, a lot!

4. Indulge in your passion :

There are 24 hours a day, and you have 8 hours free, so spend atleast one hour doing something you love (Online Shopping not included in this, lol). Be it Gardening, Nature walk, Sketching, Photography, Poetry, Dancing,Swimming, Sports or any activity, pamper yourself with your passion. Keep your phones away from you, feel the real bliss of doing something you love. Be a person of impetuous passion. Spending dedicated 30min amidst the beautiful nature, will give you the real happiness. You’ll see yourself brimming up with optimism and constructive thoughts.

Music can be an integral part during workouts. Don’t cut that, simply swipe to ON the Flight mode. Enjoy the music and sweat out while working.

5. Are you fasting?

No, I’m not asking about fasting from foods. Many religions and now science has also proved the benefits of intermittent fasting for a healthy body. So, why not indulge in periodic fasting from gadgets (mainly smartphones)? Good for eyes, hands, and mind! I practised one full day last week without any electronics and I simply loved it. I took it as a challenge and the effect was mesmerizing. I had so much time to be with my child and play with him. I had time to read books and have some hearty talks with my beloved family. It was something I wanted from a long time.

It might sound scary, but give it a shot, atleast once a week. Start the challenge by putting your phone down for at least 30minutes without looking at it on Day one. The next day, increase that break-time upto one hour and so on. Also, you can plan one day a week as Gadget free. Sunday is a good choice, as you get to spend quality time with family and there is usually no work pressure. You can start with 6 hours, then 12 hours and then one full day a week without any electronic gadgets. Most of us will not have any exigency during that period. Just let your near and dear ones know of this fasting.

Beware! Temptation will set in, you need to start Digital Detox with a strong will. But I’m sure once you acknowledge the benefits of it, you’ll be tempted to give yourself a digital-free time and enjoy the simple happiness surrounding you.

Share me your thoughts on the same, what has been your thought on Digital detox and have you attempted such fasting’s?

Live a happy contented life!

Disclaimer :

Unless otherwise noted, I (Jhilmil from mommyinme) am the legal copyright holder of all material on this website and it may not be used, reprinted, (partially) modified or published without my written consent. A link to this website must appear in all copies of any artwork or content, post written consent from me. The poem here is solely my creation and it cannot be used in any way.