Digital Detox: How to Eliminate Dependence on Phones

Do you get tired of the avalanche of information from social networks and think about the need for a digital detox, but do not know where to start? If your life and work involve constant usage of gadgets, you need to consider some “digital” relaxation.

In recent years, people have become more attentive to everything that enters their body: they have carried away with all kinds of diets, switched to conscious nutrition, etc. However, this approach usually does not apply to their brain and personal time.

You can be an eco-fighter or a vegetarian but still hang for hours on Instagram, violently commenting on the status of the weather, the dollar and foreign policy, exchange stickers in messengers, and discuss stuff with friends on WhatsApp & gb whatsapp. The abundance of news and gossips, in my opinion, is no different from refined sugar or fast food. Information clogs up our brains, mercilessly devours attention and takes up precious time. I am not a supporter of diets, and I think that only conscious choice and habit work will eventually become a way of life. Therefore, for me, detox is the opposite of multitasking and is synonymous with the word “mindfulness” in everything: in reading, in nutrition, in the consumption of information, in work, in communication.

We use gadgets to full capacity. We read ebooks, listen to favorite German and French radio stations, do yoga with Tara Styles on YouTube and track the results of skiing, cycling, and jogging training in Nike Training, search for dissertation service, listen to podcasts and lectures. We use smartphones to take bright moments of life in photos and videos, keep a diary, share photos with a family in a shared chat, chat with friends on social networks, and answer customer requests by mail. 

Our gadgets are an integral part of life; they are included in work as they provide endless possibilities to use time effectively, efficiently and pleasantly. At the same time, we need to make clearly defined boundaries at which point gadgets should be postponed: during business meetings, dinners with friends, dates and family dinners.

Advice 1: Focus on the Moment

Having decided on a digital detox, you need to focus on the present moment. A traveler who looks into the camera lens and does not look around; a mother who takes a child’s video without participating in the celebration; a friend who is sitting opposite,  is scrolling Instagram instead of listening to you; a young man who does not look in the eye on a date, but at the phone screen; A colleague who instead of actively participating in a brainstorming flips through Twitter – you do not need to follow these examples, act differently. Make sure you are present in the moment and fully focused on what you are doing.

Advice 2: Minimize the Number of Apps

Use only one messenger for communication. For example, use WhatsApp exclusively for chatting with family and relatives, turn off notifications on Instagram and Facebook. Be sure to switch the group chats and chat messages to silent mode, unsubscribe from news sites, hide or unsubscribe from the people who irritate you. However, do not become a militant essentialist: if someone writes you at WhatsApp for work, ask them to forward the request to the mail.

Advice 3: Practice Daily Fasting 

It is impossible to completely exclude social networks from life when your colleagues and boss are there, especially if you work from home. If you’re a freelancer, the Network is your primary means of communication. And it seems impossible to run away from the virtual world. But it’s not true.

 Once a week, try to put the phone in the “do not disturb” mode for a full day. Start with small steps. On Sundays, stop checking the mail, do not scroll Facebook or WhatsApp. Take note of the incoming flow of information without momentary involvement. Focus on one thing, spare some time to do more without a sense of fuss, stress and time pressure. 

Try digital detox for a simple and popular reason: the Internet began to unreasonably take a lot of time, according to DigitalInformationworld.com. If you spend some time to control where your free time goes, you’ll soon notice that the reason why you always feel like you are running out of time and energy is your dependence on the phone and social networks. When you come to the conclusion that there is too much Internet in your life, there is only one thing left: to minimize its use sharply.