Do a Digital Detox for 10 Minutes Every Day
Simple Instructions:
- Each day take at least ten minutes to put some distance between you and your phone and other electronic devices.
- We mean real distance — take a walk, run an errand, have lunch with a friend, or even go on a date while leaving your phone at home or in the car.
- Do not just turn off your phone and keep it on you — leave it behind.
- While ten minutes is the minimum, you can go as long as you like without a device.
Watch this video for an explanation of this Well-Being Practice from Whole Life Challenge co-founders Andy Petranek and Michael Stanwyck.
Why Is This Practice Important?
We are so immersed in electronic communication we hardly even notice it anymore. It’s as invisible as the air we breathe. What’s even worse, we hardly notice the effect it is having on our relationships with the world around us, other people, and even ourselves. You may find yourself more connected to what will accompany the next buzz or ding than you do to what’s in front of your face.
Imagine ten years ago that you suddenly started getting a constant stream of beeps and buzzes in your pocket — email, calls, messages, and notifications. It probably would have seemed insane. And yet over time, that’s exactly what has happened, something that would have seemed nuts only a decade ago. By itself this technology is not so bad, but as it is, it leaves precious little uninterrupted time to engage with our own selves. Rarely do we get an hour without feeling like we have to respond to something.
If you can begin the practice of disconnecting for a period of time, then you may begin to have a whole new experience of the world. You may start to remember you are the most important relationship you have in your life, and that the person you may want to respond to first and foremost is you. And you may begin to actually connect with people in new (or old) and meaningful ways.
