My Top 5 Tips for A Digital Deliverance

Hello, my magnificent Plante Lifers!

I want to share a story from a client of mine who met up with her girlfriend for Happy Hour recently. She hadn’t seen her friend in awhile and was really looking forward to catching up over a few yummy cocktails.

But from the moment they sat down at the table to when the check arrived, her friend was on her phone non-stop. There was no time to have any real conversation in between text messages and the pings of emails coming in that her friend “just had to answer”. And let’s just call a spade a spade — kind of an a-hole move. 

Now, we all know one or two people who are buried in their phone at all times — or perhaps we are one of those a-holes on occasion! And I’ll be honest here, I check my phone way more often than I’d care to admit. It’s very common, but instant access to our email, friends, calendar and the global community comes with a price to our health and well-being.

Constant immersion in our inboxes and devices has changed the way we socialize, think, absorb information, and motivate ourselves to accomplish our goals. It has even changed our physical bodies!  So I put together my Top 5 Tips to take back your time (and health) from technological distractions — so you can spend it on the activities and people that are most important to you.

First, let’s talk about the ugly side of technology. Studies have shown that whenever we look at our smartphones, we experience a little hit of dopamine. This important neurotransmitter has many jobs in the body, including being “vital for movement control, and [playing] a role in memory, attention, mood, cognition and sleep.” It’s also the go-to chemical behind why it feels so good to receive a reward. 

When the body is flooded with dopamine, the neural pathways that connect to our prefrontal cortex, which manages impulse control, are exhausted. As a result, we can more easily become addicted, just like with a drug. Americans, on average, touch their phones 2,600+ times a day, so you do the math… And because it feels good to swipe unlock, the more we do it, the more we become addicted to the tiny joy it sparks.

But our out-of-control dopamine levels leave us moody, groggy and sleep-deprived. In fact, 86% of Americans reported checking email and social media accounts “‘constantly,’ and that it’s really stressing them out.”  Dopamine also helps us take action, to do something good or avoid something bad, so we need it to stay motivated and on a healthy, more positive course. 

Another way modern technology has left its mark on our culture is by affecting our physical body. So much time spent bent over our phones and computers has led to poor posture and a shift in our spine to a more forward head position. This “Text Neck” can be attributed to increased neck pain, headaches, and certain body disorders. Yikes! 

If you’re still unconvinced your device use could be detrimental to your wellbeing, check out this survey here to evaluate your physical and emotional attachment to your phone.

Plan Your Escape

In order for a digital vacay to be effective, it has to be doable. How long can you commit to consistently being tech-free each day? You want to pick a time frame that is both realistic and challenging, based on whatever your obligations are to your job and family. When in doubt, try taking a weekend off at first. There’s less “essential” traffic coming through your phone and inbox, but you can still reap the restorative mental and physical benefits of a rest. 

I also want you to remember that being busy just means you’re busy. It’s not a personality trait or defining characteristic of how badass you are, so don’t put busyness on a pedestal. You are allowed to take a break once in awhile, and I promise, the world will continue to rotate. 😉

Silence Your Devices

When you’re ready to begin your device-free break, it’s a good idea to turn to technology one last time to satisfyingly put its own self in the time out corner! 

If you have an iPhone, check out this easy hack by Brick to set up automatic away messages for incoming texts to let people know you’re alive but offline. Brick is a grassroots movement based in West Hollywood for people who are “dissatisfied with their relationship to technology and social media.” Founder and CEO Tommy Sobel challenges his clients and readers to commit to one hour of phone-free time a day.

For Android users, you may need an outside app to send away messages, but you can check out the free app SMS Auto Reply. 

Boomerang is a Gmail add-on that allows you to schedule emails to be sent later, but it also has a great feature to pause your inbox, stopping incoming emails for a specified period of time or on a regular basis. You can also set an optional automatic response and designate specific contacts that should always be allowed through. It’s available for both your desktop and smartphone, and you can continue to utilize it when you’re at work and need to focus on projects without distractions. And if all else fails, you can use the regular Out-Of-Office settings on most email providers to make sure no one is left waiting on you while you’re relaxing.   

Take Some Literary License

Reading fiction is a beautiful, beneficial thing. It requires concentration, focus, and patience. As a reward, it improves our empathy, opens us to new perspectives and stokes our imagination. And it’s so much gentler on our eyes, instead of that harsh blue light from screens. 

While we may feel like we read more by constantly being connected to Google and all the breaking news you didn’t want to know, we’re mostly skim reading. This can have eventual devastating effects to our society if we lose our ability “to read with a level of critical analysis sufficient to comprehend the complexity of thought and argument found in more demanding texts,” such as documents that affect our legal status, jobs, insurance, voting rights, etc.  

So “deep reading” is as important as ever! Be sure to “do your civic duty” and curl up with a good book on your break. Standard Kindles are OK, by the way, as they don’t emit a blue light, but there is nothing better than the feeling of a paper copy book in your hands!

Connect IRL

Technology has absolutely changed the way we interact with one another. While being able to check-in with our old high school pals or relatives twice removed is awesome, many people crave deeper connections. The best place to get that will always be in person. 

So while you’re taking your digital vacay, be sure to get out of the house. Soak up the sunshine, play with your kids, hike with your friends, invite that long-lost pal out to coffee. And when you’re out together, insist on a no-phones-allowed rule. You can even blame it on me: “Moniqua says no, sorrynotsorry.” Turn it into a challenge. When out at dinner with your tribe, stack all your phones in the center, and the first one to go for theirs before the check comes, buys everyone dessert. 

If you need more assistance staying device-free when you’re out on the town, there are lots of digital detox retreats and phone-free events popping up everywhere. 

In the California area, Brick offers phone-free social gatherings and private life coaching around digital habits.  The DEN Meditation offers restorative retreats centered around meditation. 

If you have some serious wanderlust, check out these 12 Unplugged Destinations. Some locations are in “tech-dead zones” while others just strongly encourage disconnecting, but all of them are so beautiful, you’ll be saying, “Inbox who?” in no time. 😉

Sort Your Souvenirs

Once you’ve completed your digital siesta, it’s tempting to dive right back into your old habits. But I encourage you to take time to journal about your experiences during the break one by one, like flipping through pictures of a recent trip. 

Were you more energized? Did you sleep better? Were your conversations richer without your phone in your pocket. Science shows that after just a few days without technology, our memory for small details improves because we’re more present and in tune with what’s happening around us. 

I love these three questions from Happify to help get your started:

1. What have you learned from the experience?
2. Having lived without it this long, is there any device/platform you think you can do without permanently?
3. Would you consider setting a regular time (say, Saturday afternoon to Sunday evening every week) to repeat the experience?

And don’t just look at the highlight reel. If you were stressed out, consider why? If you feared you’d miss an important task from your boss, how can you find coverage for next time to quell your fears. If you missed your evening scroll through Instagram, maybe plan more activities with friends next time, so you can check in on their lives face to face. 

Now, the next time you instinctively reach for your phone to kill some time, I hope you’ll pause to ask yourself if it’s necessary, before you dive into distraction. I know it will be hard, but a happier, healthier you is worth the work!

I want to hear your digital detox plans! Let me know in the comments below, so I can help you stay on track.

 

LOVE + offline adventures!