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How To Do a Digital Detox to Reclaim Your Focus

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Where your attention goes, your energy flows.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels

It’s been 13 years since the invention of the iPhone, and by now, we’re well aware of the downsides of using too much technology.

We know digital devices can harm our physical and mental health. We’ve read the studies about social media and its association with anxiety, depression, and psychological distress.

And yet, most people continue to refresh their news feeds on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Facebook as if they didn’t know.

These people hijack their ability to do anything meaningful with their lives. While they feel they’re working, for example, they do nothing more than shallow work.

“Technology is a great servant, but a terrible master.”

— Stephen Covey

And while 99% of technology users distract themselves from the things that would change their lives for the better, you can decide here and now to take back control of your attention.

By doing a digital detox once in a while, you’ll set yourself up for a happier, healthier, and more meaningful life.

Here’s what it is, why you should do it, and how you can do a detox from the comfort of your home.

What is a ‘Digital Detox’?

A digital detox is a short-term intervention, and contrary to daily habits, is done once in a while. The duration is up to you (more on that in a few sentences).

During a digital detox, you quit your modus operandi. You stop relying on your brain’s default network. You step away from the screens and step into the clarity of your mind.

During a digital detox, you give your eyes and brain a break. You can use it as an opportunity to reduce stress. You can focus on social interaction in the physical world or use the space for inner work.

Why You Should Try A Digital Detox

By doing a digital detox, you’ll reap countless benefits along the way. And while they are powerful and simple in themselves, they have a positive impact on other areas of your life.

#1. You’ll Connect With Yourself

When you’re staring at your screen, you’re unable to feel your body.

While I love to write every morning for some hours, I’d be lying if I’d say my body loves it. I can’t connect with my body when I focus on a screen.

Any online stimulus, like a dopamine shot from a LinkedIn notification, can distract you from your body’s signals. We lose any mind and body connection.

By saying no to your screens, you’ll say yes to your body. You’ll not only notice how you feel but also have the time to do things that make you feel good.

Stop looking at your screen and start looking inside yourself. Connect with how you’re feeling and read your signs for change.

Paying attention to your feelings instead of your phone will upgrade the course of your life. Promise.

“Disconnecting from our technology to reconnect with ourselves is absolutely essential.”

— Arianna Huffington

#2. You’ll Live Your Days with a Clear Mind

Inner peace and joy come from living in the present moment. By refraining from technology, we create the environment to really enjoy and see what’s happening in front of us.

I checked my phone first thing in the morning for a decade. It wasn’t until I made the first digital detox that I experienced the power of not using technology.

Since then, I write every morning for three undistracted hours. And by undistracted, I mean no phone, no social media, no e-mail.

Our mind works at best when we give it space to unfold.

By using digital detox, you can realign your attention on what matters to you.

By leaving all your distractions shut, you’ll be able to center your focus on the things that bring meaning to your life.

“What we choose to focus on and what we choose to ignore, play in defining the quality of our life.”

— Cal Newport

#3. You’ll Protect Your Time

Too often, we give away our time without realizing it’s a highly restricted resource. Time is the most precious thing you have and it’s ticking away with every second.

Everything you consume, information, news, messages, notifications food, shape your days, and ultimately your life.

And while it’s easier than ever to let let Instagram, Netflix, or Youtube rob your time, these services won’t improve the quality of your life.

By doing a digital detox, you’ll be treating your time in a way that it deserves to be treated.

You control what you spend your days on. It’s you who determines whether you control technology or let technology control you.

“No person hands out their money to passersby, but to how many do each of us hand out our lives! We’re tightfisted with property and money, yet think too little of wasting time, the one thing about which we should all be the toughest misers.”

— Seneca

Photo by Sarah Dorweiler on Unsplash

How You Can Do a Digital Detox

So, you know about the meaning of digital detox and the benefits that come along with it. It’s time to apply this intervention to your life: How do you conduct a digital detox?

#1. Decide what you’re going to detox from

Before starting your detox, be clear about what you’re abstaining from. This will look different for everyone.

Here’s some inspiration of what I include in my digital detox:

  • Smartphone 
    This one is the game-changer. In my first detox, I tried to use it in flight mode to add some music to my time. Again, I was tricked into some other apps. 
    Every time I switch off my smartphone completely.
  • Computer
    While I use my computer mainly for work, I also include it in my digital detox. I didn’t want to have the temptation to open a side tab on LinkedIn to check a message quickly.
  • Kindle 
    This one is tricky. It’s not really a device that distracts me, but I feel I want to refrain from everything that has a screen. So no Kindle for me during my digital detox.

Once you have decided on what to detox from, you’re ready for step two.

#2. Set a specific time frame

This one is critical. Unless you have a clear goal in mind, you’ll find yourself on your computer and smartphone faster than you can imagine.

My first digital detox failed not only because of my smartphone’s flight mode but also because I wasn’t clear on this one.

I thought I’d go for on so long that it feels good.

Turns out this was a bad choice.

By setting a specific time frame, you have a clear goal in mind. For a starter, you can aim for 5 hours and gradually increase the length as it feels right for you (and as your work allows).

My digital detox range from 3 hours to 21 days. There’s no right or wrong duration. And any length is better than none.

#3. Plan what you’ll do instead

In the end, you’re not detoxing to punish you. You’re not using technology to reclaim your focus.

Here are some suggestions what you can do while fasting on your digital devices:

  • write a journal entry
  • take a bath
  • envision your 5, 10, 20-year future
  • create a vision board
  • clean your apartment
  • create some art
  • meditate
  • read a physical book
  • go out in nature
  • cook and eat with full presence
  • work out or stretch
  • write letters to people you love

Whatever you decide to do, make it something you genuinely enjoy.

And think about an offline treat you can do when you want to get up and pick your phone. Thereby, you’ll set yourself up for a successful digital detox.

“If we don’t create and control our environment, our environment creates and controls us.”

— Marshall Goldsmith

Final Note

In 2020 it’s a luxury to refrain from technology for a longer period. To do a digital detox:

  • Decide which devices you will detox from
  • Determine the duration of your detox
  • Map out what you can do instead

Yet, we’re so used to using our devices every minute that the idea can feel daunting first.

Don’t ever let any post make you feel overwhelmed because you’re not practicing all the suggested steps.

This article is here to help you live a more intentional life — not to let you feel bad.

Use these ideas as a source of inspiration and brainstorm what might help you to live a happier, healthier, and joyful life.

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6 Negative Habits to Break to Help Stop Your Phone Addiction

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If you want to reclaim your time, here’s what you need to do.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

How often do you find yourself staring at your phone? If you’re like my former-self, your answer will go along the lines of “all the time.” No matter how hard you try to spend less time on your phone, your screen seems to glue your eyes to it. You can’t escape this magnetism. Phone addiction sucks.

End of 2017, Cal Newport inspired me to drastically reduce my screentime. Since then I’ve tested different approaches. I discovered the best way to stop phone addiction is by letting go of specific habits.

Here is a collection of behaviors you must break to minimize the time you spend on your phone. Every single principle helped me to reclaim my time. I hope it does the same for you.

Waking Up to Your Smartphone Alarm

When I woke up to my phone’s alarm, all social apps were only a fingertip away. Naturally, I let external information flow into my mind before I realized I did. I was among the 80% of smartphone users who check their phones within 15 minutes of waking up. I’d scroll through my Insta feed, read the news, or reply on Messenger before getting out of bed.

In 2018 I replaced my phone with an alarm clock. And this changed everything. Now, my phone charges outside of my bedroom. By using an alarm clock instead of your phone, you don’t need to exert your willpower muscle first thing in the morning. You’ll ease into your distraction-free morning. Or, as the humble genius Michael Thompson put it,

“Some mornings will be easy. The sun will shine, and you’ll feel good. Other days will be much darker. You can’t control everything that happens to you. You can, however, make some changes to wake up feeling a little bit brighter.”

Using Social Media Apps

I’m honest with you: I deleted all of my social media apps only to reinstall them a few weeks later. I needed to abandon them a second time until I finally stuck to it. Researchers continue to link social media usage to mental and physical illnesses like back pain, depression, anxiety, and even suicide-related thoughts.

If you’re trying to live a happier, healthier life, deleting your social media apps from your phone is the fastest track to get there. Removing social media from your phone will reduce the role these platforms play in your life. You can still access them through the desktop version. Yet you’ll soon realize you don’t need them as much as you thought. You won’t even miss them. In Cal Newport’s words:

“What we choose to focus on and what we choose to ignore, play in defining the quality of our life.”

Carrying Your Phone in Your Pocket

One of the critical habits I ignored for too long was carrying my phone with me all the time. When you’re phone is within a hands reach, you can’t withstand the temptation to check it. Smart engineers designed notifications to capture and hold your attention. When I quit taking my phone with me, the urge to check it stopped as well.

Leave your phone away from you whenever you can. Don’t take it with you when you meet friends, go to the gym, or go grocery shopping. When you’re at home, put your phone in silent mode on the window seat. In 2020, being unreachable is a luxurious treat. Take it whenever you can.

Relying On A Mobile To-Do List

A big mistake I made was using Wunderlist for my tasks. I sabotaged my plan for spending less time on my phone by needing the phone to be productive. End of 2017, I started to bullet journal. It was the first analog To-Do list I ever used. Now, I can never imagine to replace it with a digital equivalent. The system is simple, minimalistic, and distraction-free.

Any other offline To-Do list will likely do the same trick for you. By replacing your mobile tasks with a pen and paper, you’ll have one reason less to take your phones to your hands.

Turning On Notifications

In 2007 my heart jumped every time I saw an envelope on my Nokia 3410. It might have been my first boyfriend spending 0.19 cents to send me a 160-sign-short text. In 2020, a blank lock screen gives me chills. Not because nothing is happening in my life. It’s rather a feeling of freedom and the realization that I determine when and how I use my phone. Stephen Covey got it right when he said:

“Technology is a great servant, but a terrible master.”

Using Your Phone For Entertainment

Cellphone companies try to turn your phone into a television. They make deals with Netflix or offer data packages when you use certain streaming providers. While this is good for the companies profits, it’s you who pays the price. Time is the most valuable resource you have. Choose wisely how you spend it.

By deleting all entertainment apps, like games or streaming providers, you’ll be living your life, instead of staring at your screen. In the words of Ryan Holiday:

“Because it’s my life and it’s ticking away every second. I want to be there for it, not staring at a screen.”

The Bottom Line

You can end your phone addiction today. All it takes are a few decisions:

  • Get an alarm clock and charge your phone outside of your bedroom.
  • Delete all social media apps and only use a desktop version.
  • Keep your phone at home whenever you can.
  • Start an analog To-Do list.
  • Turn off all sounds and notifications.
  • Use other entertainment options than your phone.

Instead of feeling discouraged by all the ideas about what you should do to stop your phone addiction, enjoy experimenting at your own pace. Choose one or two new habits until you find a pattern that helps you to use your time in meaningful ways.

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3 Simple Ways to Declutter Your Mind

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Give your brain a break and find joy in the present moment.

Photo by Glen Carrie on Unsplash

“If you take care of your mind, you take care of the world.”

— Arianna Huffington

Most people don’t prioritize mental health. They chase around, trying hard to take care of the world and, meanwhile, forget to take care of their mind.

To be honest, I was one of those people. In 2014, I ignored my inner wellbeing until I couldn’t have clear thoughts anymore. I wish my younger self would read this article.

Because even though most humans never give their brains a break, decluttering your mind is actually pretty simple. You need neither money nor much time.

Here are three simple yet powerful ways to ease your mind from any clutter.

Meditate To Let Go Of Your Inner Chatters

There’s a reason you get the meditation advice again and again: it works. Meditation is the single most effective tool for our time. It eases your mind as nothing alike.

For the longest time, I felt skeptical about meditating. My tipping point was Tim Ferriss’ Tools of Titans. In his book, most of the interviewed world-class performers rave about meditating.

To get into the habit, I downloaded the 10-day Headspace trial. Since 2016 I meditate first thing in the morning, every morning. Sitting down gives me unmatched freedom of mind.

I don’t meditate for the sake of meditation or to become a better meditator. I meditate to enjoy my life and all the moments in full presence.

“You can’t stop the waves but you can learn to surf.”

― Jon Kabat-Zinn

How to do it:

Put your fixed mindset aside and give it a try. Seriously. Download your app of choice and start meditating tomorrow morning. Give yourself ten days before you quit.

Ignore the voice inside your head that tells you you shouldn’t try new stuff and doesn’t like change. If you want a decluttered mind, there’s no way around meditation. Promise.

Use one of the step by step guides on how to make meditation a daily habit for life, and check out Calm, Headspace, or Insight Timer. Once you decided for an app and figured the best time to meditate is after waking up, just do it.

Your meditation muscle will grow day by day. By seeing your thoughts as thoughts and letting them go as they arise, you’ll find yourself calm and present throughout your entire day.

Sitting on your meditation pillow is the entryway to a more fulfilled, joyful life. It declutters your mind and frees you from worrying and thoughts.

Move To Make Your Body Sweat

We have all heard of the running evangelists who swear running their hours will free one’s mind that you need to go all in to experience the runner’s high.

Yet, you don’t need to be an avid runner to reap the benefits of movement.

All you need is to make your body sweat.

In fact, any movement that gets your heart pumping will free your mind. Jumping, tennis, high-intensity training, badminton, dancing, swimming, rope skipping — pick your favorite one and feel your heartbeat speed up.

Perspiration has impressive physical benefits. But the mental ones are even better. When you move, you’ll feel alive. The only way to reap those benefits, though, is just to move.

“Movement is the song of the body.”

— Vanda Scaravelli

How to do it:

Pick the type of movement you enjoy most and make it ridiculously easy to start with. Then set very achievable goals.

Let’s see how this works for dancing. First, create a playlist with ten songs that give you chills and jolts of energy. Create a playlist with your favorite power songs.

Then, put on your favorite clothes and set the intention to move in a way that makes you feel great. Set the achievable goal to dance to 5 of the songs. There you have your personalized, mind-clearing 15-minute workout.

Do this for you. Exercising is for you. This isn’t about anything else like the weight on your scale. It’s for you to let go of anything that bothers you. You’ll be rewarded with a fresh, decluttered mind.

Treat Sleep Like A Massage

You can’t have a calm mind when you’re sleep-deprived. Although research says we should treat sleep seriously, many people skip this easy, yet important mental health lever.

I think of sleep as garbage disposal. When our brains sleep, they clear out harmful toxins. The next day, we’ll feel fresh and ready for new input.

By sleeping less than 7–8 hours, you’ll harm your body. In case you’ve convinced yourself otherwise, keep the words of sleep scientist, Dr. Thomas Roth, in mind who said:

“The number of people who can survive on five hours of sleep or less without impairment, and rounded to a whole number, is zero.”

How to do it:

Set a bedtime alarm that reminds you to go to bed in the evening. For example, if you want to wake up at 7 AM and get 8 hours of well-rested sleep, your alarm should be set for 10 PM.

Then you’ll have a short period for disconnecting from your devices and reconnecting with yourself. By going to bed early enough, you’ll wake up full of energy.

Additionally, if you’re fortunate enough to have the possibility, take a nap during your day. A 20-minute midday nap before 3 PM will improve your coronary health and refresh your mind.

Final Thoughts

Regular meditation, exercise, and restful sleep are more powerful than any drugs. These habits will not only declutter your mind but boost your mental health.

Once you’ll experience the benefits you don’t want to stop. Because by taking care of your mind, you’ll find your way to live a happier, more joyful life.

Do you want to connect? Join my E-Mail List.

9 Reasons That Will Make You Want to Stop Checking Your Phone After Waking

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You use your phone too early. Here’s how to stop it.

Photo by Marjan Grabowski on Unsplash

If you’re like 80% of smartphone users, you check your device every morning within the first 15 minutes after waking up. This is dramatic as the early hours of your day will make or break your life.

By checking your phone first thing in the morning, you condition your mind for distraction. Notifications and messages will make your thoughts bounce around like a ping-pong ball. You won’t be able to focus on your day ahead.

Throughout your day, your morning behavior repeats itself. By checking your phone too early in the day, you won’t be able to produce any deep work. You’ll get distracted and lose focus again and again.

Yet, you can reprogram your phone habits and thereby, free your mind. It’s in your power to take back control. Here are nine reasons that will make you want to stop checking your phone after waking up, including instructions on how you can make that change.

1. Start Your Day With A Clear Mind

You decide how to spend your time. You can start and end your day without glancing at your phone and, instead, focus on what matters to you.

“What we choose to focus on and what we choose to ignore, play in defining the quality of our life.”

— Cal Newport

Do you really want to wake up contemplating the latest post on your newsfeed?

By leaving your phone shut, you won’t be tempted to scroll through social media. Instead, you can start your day with a clear mind. By protecting your morning, you’ll start on your right foot.

I checked my phone first thing in the morning for a decade. It wasn’t until I read studies (like this one, this one, or this one) on the downsides of smartphone use that I abandoned my device from my morning hours. Since then, I make faster progress towards my life goals than I have ever imagined.

2. Finish Your Morning Routine Distraction Free

Your morning routine sets the tone for the day. You should do anything to protect these hours for yourself. By completing your routine without distraction every day, you’ll live your happiest life.

Yet, I can’t count the times I sat on my meditation pillow only to open my e-mail account instead of the headspace app.

Do you control your phone, or does your phone control you?

The problem is you can’t undo information input. What slipped through my phone into my morning routine found an entryway to my brain. You get in life what you’re willing to tolerate. Here’s how Benjamin Hardy, PhD, puts it:

“Most people tolerate spending huge amounts of their time on things that don’t inspire them because they aren’t clear on what they want. They aren’t clear on what they want because they haven’t begun acting right. Clarity and inspiration follow positive action.”

By not checking your phone after waking up, you create a distraction-free environment. There won’t be any “bing” during your morning routine, and you’ll quickly find yourself on the path to your happiest life.

3. You Can’t-Wait To Start Your Day

Reading messages from your co-workers after waking up can feel like a weight that ties you down. You might want to stay in bed rather than tackle the tasks ahead. Dr. Nikole Benders-Hadi, a psychiatrist, says

“Immediately turning to your phone when you wake up can start your day off in a way that is more likely to increase stress and leave you feeling overwhelmed.”

In the hour after waking, your head needs time to get in the rational state of your consciousness.

By checking your phone, your overwhelming your clear mind with external information. By starting your phone with messages from your colleagues, it’s no wonder you might want to stay in bed rather than getting up.

Yet, your phone doesn’t have to feel like a weight that holds you back. To start your days full of energy, you can make the decision right here and now to change your phone habits.

With phone-free mornings you’ll have focused, dedicated and creative time for yourself. Your morning will bring you intense energy of doing and creating.

4. Connect With The People Around You

With your eyes glued to a screen, it’s tempting to forget your surroundings. And by burying your face in your phone’s screen, you won’t be able to connect with the people in your home.

By disconnecting your phone, you connect with the people around you. You’ll experience the power of human bonds, and spending time with people in your early hours will help you live a happier life.

“Deep human connection is the purpose and the result of a meaningful life, and it will inspire the most amazing acts of love, generosity, and humanity.”

— Melinda Gates

5. You Have Time To Eat The Frog

By checking your messages first thing in the morning, it’s easy to focus on the tasks of others. Yet, giving your morning attention to reaction events will limit your productivity.

The messages and news of others distract you from your most important task of the day, leaving your “frogs” victim to procrastination.

“If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it First Thing in the Morning. And if it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the BIGGEST one first.”

— Mark Twain

When you stop reacting to others, you can start to act on your agenda, eat your frogs first. When you get into the habit of doing your most demanding job before you check your phone, you become a person of action and discipline.

Spend your most precious time on your most valuable activities, and you’ll change the trajectory of your life.

6. Breakfast Will Become A Sensory Experience

With eyes glued to our screens, it’s impossible to enjoy eating. Eating with distractions will leave you unsatisfied.

When you eat, eat. The key to achieving satiety and satisfaction when eating is mindful eating. The more attentive you eat, the more you‘ll feel what your body needs.

Without your cell phone on your table, it’ll be easier for you to stop eating when you are full. Instead of focusing on your device, focus on your breakfast qualities:

  • Taste and smell: sweet, sour, salty, bitter
  • Temperature: warm, cold
  • Texture: hard, soft, creamy, liquid, tough, dry

By not reacting to messages early in your day, you’ll have time to enjoy your breakfast with all your senses.

7. You Read More Books

Charlie Munger, self-made billionaire, and Warren Buffett’s longtime business partner, once said:

“In my whole life, I have known no wise people who didn’t read all the time — none. Zero.”

Bill Gates read one book a week during his career and took a yearly two-week reading vacation throughout his entire career. Barack Obama read an hour a day while in office.

The less time you spend on your phone, the more you’ll read. You’ll notice that you have plenty of time during your mornings. You can start a new habit, like reading 15 minutes every morning before you react to other people’s agenda.

Changing my phone habits was the hardest part but also the most effective one. I didn’t need to skip any activities to read 52 books a year.

Decreasing my screen time enabled me to read more. Since I stopped checking my phone in the morning in March 2018, I read 116 books. And if I can do it, you can do it, too.

8. You Take Self-Responsibility

By regularly checking your phone, you condition your mind for self-interruption. Social media, e-mail or messaging will deliver other people’s opinions, requests, and advertising into your head.

By not checking your phone, you take back self-responsibility. You’ll be the one determining what to do with your day. Nothing can distract you from your agenda.

Leaving your phone switched off will feel hard at first because it’s easier to follow other people’s agenda. You can’t look at social to escape from boredom or discomfort.

Your ego will fight back, whispering you should check these urgent messages. But by turning your phone on later in the day, you’ll take back more self-responsibility.

9. You Connect With Yourself

In the years I woke up to my smartphone’s screen, I was unable to notice my feelings. At that time, there were deep and intense feelings in me. Yet, I paid more attention to my screen than to my emotions.

If I’d read my body signals instead of the words on my smartphone screen, I would have been better at making effective decisions.

Stop looking at your screen and start looking inside yourself. Connect with how you’re feeling and read your signs for change. Paying attention to your feelings instead of your phone will upgrade the course of your life. Promise.

Not letting your phone distracting you opens your mind up to fantastic possibilities. You’ll set yourself up for success. By connecting with yourself in the morning, you’ll get more insights and ideas than you know what to do with.

“Disconnecting from our technology to reconnect with ourselves is absolutely essential.”

— Arianna Huffington

Now, Set Up Your Environment For Change

By reading this far, you understood why you shouldn’t check your smartphone in the morning. But change doesn’t come from understanding. Change comes from taking action. It’s in your hands to live the life you want to live.

  • Set up everything in such a way that you won’t miss your phone in the morning.
  • Dig up your old alarm clock, or buy a new one.
  • Turn your phone off before going to sleep and charge your phone outside of your bedroom.
  • Pick the book you‘ll read tomorrow morning and place it in sight.
  • Put an empty notebook and a pen to the place where you’d put your phone.

Promise yourself you will switch on your phone only 3 hours after waking up, for the next seven days. The change you’ll experience will make you want to continue with your new habit.

Unplug yourself from the matrix of social media and information.

Instead, plug into your life.

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