Understanding the need for digital detoxification
It's hard for us to imagine our lives without modern technology. We wake up to an alarm clock set on a smart speaker or phone, pick up our smartphone and check our email. And from that moment on, we are practically inseparable from our phone for the rest of the day.
Unrestricted use of digital devices leads to:
1. Increased stress
18% of U.S. adult respondents labeled digital technology as a source of constant stress.
2. Formation of psychological dependence
The more we use digital technologies, the harder it is to imagine our lives without them. There is a real NEED to constantly check email, social networks, messengers, etc.
3. Deteriorating sleep
The more time we spend on digital gadgets before bed, the worse the quality and quantity of our sleep.
4. Overweight
A correlation has been established between being overweight and using technology at night.
5. Decreased well-being
A study by the University of Pennsylvania has come to unexpected conclusions: a decrease in people's well-being may be linked to the frequent use of social networks such as Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook.
How do you know if you've developed an addiction to digital media? Imagine not being able to find your phone right away. If the mere thought of it makes you feel uncomfortable, you need a detox. It's also necessary if you spend more time on social media than you planned, if you constantly need to check messages, etc. Also, an important indicator of the need to limit screen time is the feeling of fatigue, and sadness, which you try to dull with even more frequent visits to social networks.
Apps and techniques to reduce the amount of time you spend in front of a screen
1. Monitor screen time
The best app that lets you control the amount of time you spend on your phone is a screen time utility. It is available in almost every phone today. Check it out and analyze how much time you spend with your phone in your hand and how much you'd like to reduce it by.
2. Try going on a complete digital detox
For a digital detox, a period where you don't use digital technology at all, it's best to choose weekends. This is especially important if your workday can't go by without using your phone and laptop. An extended digital detox can be arranged during vacations or long vacations.
3- Use the “donut method”
Let's call it that, as it is akin to the method when we wean ourselves off sugar. It needs to be removed from your diet completely, and when cravings are curbed, you can consciously bring it back in small amounts. If going into a digital detox isn't possible right now, clean your phone for the apps you spend the most time in. And temporarily or permanently delete those apps. If you need them for work, however, there's a simple trick: leave them on your work computer. Once you finish your work day and close your laptop, you won't see any more work-related messages until the next morning.
Important! Inform your family and loved ones of your decision
Creating a balanced schedule of the time you spend in front of the screen
Three factors that are important to consider for a balanced schedule:
1. There are apps that eat up your time. If your life is not so closely connected with such applications, it makes sense to stop using them altogether. You will be able to detect these applications in the system's screen time alerts. If your phone doesn't support this option, there are special apps that you can install on your phone for this purpose. As a result, you will see how much of your time is wasted, and this will be a powerful push to balance your schedule;
2. Not everything online is exceptionally useless. You can add to your schedule, for example, reading weekly articles about the development of your industry on a specialized website;
3. You'll need something to occupy your free time. When you start limiting your digital use, you'll notice that you'll have a few extra hours in your day. This is the perfect time to do something you've always dreamed of doing.
When creating your new schedule, start by understanding how much time you need to spend per week using digital technology. This includes all those work processes that are impossible/unproductive to accomplish otherwise. It's important to minimize the impact of digital on your time by removing anything unproductive.
Once you have decided for yourself how much personal time you are willing to allocate to your usual online activities, allocate that time throughout the day. Maybe those 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes in the evening will be critical to you.
Tips for a successful digital detox
1. Digital detox is only difficult in the first few days. It will get easier as the days go by. At some point in time, you will wake up and your hand will habitually not reach for your phone. And before you go to sleep you will, for example, fumble for a paper book. It is impossible to say exactly when this moment will come. For some people, it comes after a week, for someone two weeks is not enough;
2. Immediately close all those applications that you use for work. For example, if you chat with your colleagues on your phone in Zoom, the first thing to do after the meeting is to close the application and put the phone away;
3. Uninstall all those apps without which your life will feel as if it is empty. Everyone has a list of such apps: it could be games you've been logging into every day for many, many years, social media, etc. Allow yourself to feel that even without these apps, your life can be filled with enjoyable experiences!
4. Feel free to turn off notifications. Only the most important apps should send you notifications, not all of them;
5. Don't be in a hurry to revisit your past life. When you feel like digital technology no longer has any power over you, don't get optimistic and download everything you've deleted. Be careful: if you've been hooked once, you may be hooked again;
6. Anxiety - it will pass. When quitting any addiction, the feeling of anxiety is always there. It will be disturbing not to check your newsfeed, work chats, not to post new stories, etc. But over time, the anxiety will recede, and its presence is just an indicator that the problem was serious. And how great that you decided to deal with it!
7. Use Voiset to organize your life. This unique, unobtrusive and easy to understand AI-based app will help you find a work-life balance and achieve whatever goals you have!
Three benefits of Voiset as your digital detox assistant:
- Control your schedule. With Voiset, you won't be in a situation where you picked up your phone in the morning and only woke up at lunchtime. It will remind you to take the dog for a walk at 10:00 and fitness at 13:00. Voiset is that digital assistant that will help you avoid digital temptations;
- Voiset has no built-in distractions. No games, no newsfeed, no storis, etc. It's a comfort app for keeping up with everything.
- Finds the optimal time in your calendar for a digital detox. Even if you feel like you don't have one - Voiset will help!
With this smart planner you can reshape your life to take it to a new level. One where you have more peace of mind, more time to do things, more happiness in your everyday life, and any goal is achievable because you're working towards it day by day! Try Voiset and it will change your life!
