Digital Detox: Could You Do This? (This is Kinda Scary to Share With You!)

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Digital Detox: Could you do this? PHEW!

Note/disclaimer 🙂 (ha!) if you do decide to do a digital detox with me, please check the actual Passionate Penny Pincher blog on your laptop once or twice a day as we're constantly sharing new deals, or better yet, sign up for our daily emails and we'll make sure you never miss a thing! 🙂 

Okay, of all the things I've posted over the last 14 years on PPP, this might just be the least savvy one as a business owner.

But I think it might just be worth it for you and me both so… here goes. 🙂 

Since 2009, I've run a business that was entirely dependent on people finding us digitally. In order for us to keep things up around here, we honestly need…..

YOU!!!

However, the church we're attending is encouraging a “Digital Detox” for May, so I thought I'd share what it is, and how it's going so far. 

Here's how it's looked for our family (baby steps here, folks ~ don't judge!)

• My husband James has seriously digitally detoxed this month. He's given up all apps on his phone (his favorite app is a sports app to keep up with his favorite Fighting Illini, but he's let that one go). He's also stopped using news apps, the weather app, and is using his phone almost solely for calling and texting.
• I'm detoxing some, but not nearly as much as James. The biggest change I've made is keeping my phone in the kitchen at night,  and completing any tasks that I possibly can on my computer instead of my phone. (As a blogger, you can imagine a lot of work especially on social media is pretty much dependent on my phone, but if I can do it on my laptop, I'm choosing the computer over the phone as I'm so much more efficient that way!)
• We're both trying to really limit our screen time each day. James was down to 45 minutes last week (WOOT!), I'm still sitting around 2.5 hours (a lot of that is just work time, but I know I can still scale back a bit more!)
• As a family, we're being more intentional about the amount of screentime we use each day. We've encouraged our youngest (she's 16), to keep her phone also in the kitchen at night and she's done it (mostly?) willingly. (For families with younger kids, if I could go back and redo the last eight years as parents, I think I'd make the rule that none of us were allowed screens in our phones at night. For what it's worth, we let them slowly scoot where we stood on that rule and I wish I'd stuck it out. So I'm doing the best to at least model the behavior I wish I'd created now. We'll see!)

For me, the biggest thing I've noticed is simply how many “other” tasks I've magically had time to catch up on fairly easily. (Remember, my kids are older with one in high school and two in college, so I'm definitely in a quieter season than you may be!)

I've slept so much better. (More on that below.)

I've had a little more time to read. (I'm reading Atomic Habits right now at bedtime and it's been excellent!) While I typically “read” a fair amount on Audible while walking, it's been nice to slow my brain down to read a physical book in the evenings!)

I've gotten up for my morning workouts and prepared for the day so much faster than before. 

And I've been able to keep up with my laundry with a little less internal whining and general grouchiness. (Y'all know laundry isn't always my favorite. PHEW-EE! 🙂

So far, I honestly haven't felt like I've lost anything, but I have realized that I reach for my phone a ton (AND I MEAN A TON), not necessarily out of boredom but simply out of the desire to procrastinate. 

Don't want to hop up and do the laundry?

{voice inside my head: “better wait. Need to check my phone first.”}

Want to go for a walk but not so sure what the weather's like outside?

{voice inside my head: “I HAVE to check my weather app or I'll NEVER know what the weather's like outside…” and then (squirrel!) magically Instagram opens up on my phone.}

Need to write a blog post but not really sure I have all the words together quite yet?

{voice inside my head: “I NEED TO SEE WHAT THE WORLD IS SAYING ON FACEBOOK RIGHT NOW AND THEN I CAN WRITE A WORD OR TWO. For real.” Thirty minutes later, no blog post written but Facebook scrolled way too long and feeling just a little doomed.}

Anyone else with me? 

I am not in any way against technology.

I love the sweet community we've created here and in our private Facebook groups that cheer other moms on to make dinner, shine their sink, and pop some fresh clean sheets on their bed.

I love that we make finding cheap TP faster and easier for you and you don't have to shop 14 stores just to find the best deal.

I love listening to podcasts from smart business owners.

And I love the fact that thanks to technology I'm able to work from home and create a happy little busines s for our family and my teams, all in my cozy leggings and comfy socked feet.

But I want to use technology to bless our family, not to allow it to harm our minds or who we are each day. 

And as for sleep? I'm sleeping just about a bajillion times better since putting my phone in the kitchen. In the past I've kept my phone next to me, woken up in the middle of the night, started worrying, prayed for a second, then checked my phone just in case anything new was around there that maybe I for real needed to see.

(As a business owner there actually have been a few occasions when there's been a crisis I've needed to deal with a time or two, but most of the time, things are really thankfully okay!)

So the process has been wake up at 1AM, worry, pray, check my phone, then three hours later it's 4AM, and I've forced myself awake to exercise after scrolling for at least an hour (you can imagine how exhausted I've been ~ maybe you've even lived the same thing!)

But for the last week or so (remember, we're only a few days in!) I've put my phone in the kitchen between 8 and 9 at night, climbed into bed with my book, fallen asleep pretty easily (which is normal for me – staying asleep however is not…), and then woken up without an alarm clock and feeling fairly rested  between 4:15 and 4;30 am. (It's nuts but I leave for the gym at 4:45 ~ that's just part of my crazy routine!)

(Here's how a normal morning/day looks for me . I've shared that one of my goals is to not use my phone before completing my morning list most days, so this has definitely helped ~ take a peek!)

For me it's truly been so worth it. Probably the only thing I've missed is catching up on a few favorite podcasts at night before going to bed, but I've enjoyed reading an actual book enough to make up for that, and my sleep has been so much better. (I even had a dream the other night. I haven't dreamt in ages, but just googled it and apparently dreaming is a sign of good sleep!)

I've found myself to be more bored when I do hop online to just scroll, more interested in the things going on around me, and just a wee bit more peaceful each day.

So there you have it ~ that's how it's been working for me. 

Would you ever consider a digital detox for yourself? One of the things that I thought was so interesting that they shared in church was that in the Jewish community, the women are the ones who begin Sabbath by welcoming it into their homes. In the Jewish faith, women are the ones who usher Sabbath in by lighting two candles, then saying a prayer and blessing over their family.

If you'd like to lead your family a tiny bit to bring in rest to your home, consider trying at least a bit of a digital detox, here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Commit to limiting your screentime. To quickly see how much time you're spending online, open “screentime” on your phone and take a peek. If it's more than you want it to be, resolve to change. You and I can do this. 
• Remove apps that aren't encouraging you or that you don't need on your phone.
• Keep your phone in another room in your house while you sleep. (If you're worried about any emergencies, keep it in your  bathroom where you can still hear it in the middle of the night or at the very least across the room. My husband keeps his phone across the room in our bedroom in case our kids for whatever reason need us, and that's working right now for our family!)
• If you can do it on a computer instead of your phone, do it there so that you're focused in the time. you spend online.
• Decide what you would do with all any extra hours ahead of time. When you get bored (you truly might!), think about catching up on housework if you need to, reading a book, calling a favorite friend, making a new recipe watching a movie together as a family, or playing a game. Be creative and see what you can do!)
• For the things you truly do want to keep up with online, subscribe to emails or check out your favorite site on desktop a few times each day. 🙂

Hint: we post the happiest, very best deals here on Passionate Penny Pincher about 15-20 times a day, Monday through Saturday. Stop by once in the morning and once at night, and fingers crossed you won't miss a deal ~ sign up for our emails and text messages, and we'll send the very best right out to you too! 

I'd love to know – have you ever heard the term “digital detox” and it's something you'd consider? Have you already tried it? Do you sleep with a phone nearby? Is it worth it for you? Leave a comment to share ~ I feel a little weird putting this out here and I'd sure love to hear your thoughts (I truly do love hearing from you!)

P.S. Total shameless plug. 🙂 Part of the reason that I created menu plans and home planners on Passionate Penny Pincher a few years ago was because I was tired of having to get on my phone just to look up a recipe at dinnertime, and needed focus in my daily tasks. If you need an alternative to Pinterest and simply feel overwhelmed making meals and caring for your home each day, start right here.