Thought's Digital Detox Tips

I can already hear the murmur, "digital detox? Why would I do that? What if I miss the latest news? What if someone tags me in something on Facebook? And what if I miss out on the sales!?" Believe me, I understand. Being Thought's marketing coordinator means that I manage the brand’s social media pages, am always on the lookout for relevant industry news or events, and constantly keep up to date with bloggers and brands online; my life revolves around digital. And it seems I’m not the only one – on average we check our phones around 200 times a day; that’s once every 6 minutes. But even if you aren’t as keen on being up-to-the-minute with the ever changing cyber world, distancing yourself from digital isn’t as easy as it seems. So to help you detach from your screens, I’ve decided to put together a small list of digital detox tips to get you started.

My Digital Detox Tips

1. Put it away at meal times

This is something I live by. No matter how much time you spend on your devices, you should always have a break from them during meal times. Why not actually chat to the people you’re with, rather than scrolling your feed? You might find that you enjoy your meal more too.

2. Buy an actual alarm clock

This way, when your alarm goes off in the morning, you won’t be tempted to check your social pages too.

3. No devices in the bedroom

Try leaving your phone in a different room overnight. This will stop you from using it just before you go to sleep and first thing when you wake up, and you’ll find that you sleep better. In fact, you should avoid any devices in the bedroom at all; no phones, no laptops, no tablets. Studies highlight that the use of electronic devices in the bedroom disrupts the natural pattern of the sleep-wake cycle due to the light emitted from the screens.

4. Take up a hobby that doesn’t involve screens

Particularly if your work involves screens, consider detaching yourself from the digital world by taking up a non-screen based hobby such as yoga, swimming, music or art classes.

5. Take mini digital detoxes at home

For example, don’t check your devices before 9.30am or after 9.30pm.   Just by incorporating these simple rituals into your day to day life, you’ll find that you spend more quality time with your friends and family, get better sleep, are less dependent on technology and you'll even have better focus. And if you have any digital detox hacks that you’d like to share, we'd love to hear, so let us know in the comments below! You may also be interested in Elaine’s ideas for getting better sleep, or Kat’s top tips for good posture.