11 Feb Valentine’s Day 7 Days to Digital Detox Challenge #LogOffForLove
It’s nearly Valentine’s Day, and we’ve been thinking – what would our loved ones really love this Valentine’s Day? And we realised – it’s our presence, not presents. It’s already been proven that smartphones are ruining our relationships, so shouldn’t we give smartphones up for our partners on the most romantic day of the year?
So we decided to challenge a group of people to a 7 Days to Digital Detox Challenge, which starts off gently and culminates in a full digital detox on Valentine’s Day – so that they can give their partner their undivided attention.
Our 7 Days to Digital Detox Challenge has small steps to take each day in preparation for the full detox. This year rather than showering your loved ones with gifts, why don’t you give them the precious gift of your time?
We challenge you to #LogOffForLove this Valentine’s Day to put down your tech, look up and focus on what is really important.
On the first day, we suggested that people wake up with a good old fashioned alarm clock instead of using their phone. Using your phone as an alarm is one of the biggest uses for smartphones, and inevitably leads us all to grab our phones first thing in the morning – after which we can’t get off our screens. 80% of people admit that they check their phone first thing in the morning.
To follow on from the first step, on the second day we’ve taken Arianna Huffington’s famous words of wisdom and suggested that you leave your phones outside your bedroom. Keep your room a sacred space and take the time to unwind before you get into bed – it will help you sleep better!
The third step on our 7-days to Digital Detox Challenge is to leave your digital devices in a separate room while you eat. Whether you’re eating with a partner or a colleague, the person sitting across the table from you deserves your full attention and shouldn’t have to fight with a device for it. And if you’re eating on your own it gives you some valuable space to switch off and clear your head.
Day 4 asks you to uninstall emails from your phone. Work email notifications are one of the biggest problems we face when trying to disconnect and separate work from life. So much so that more than half of us check our work emails while we’re on holiday!
The following day we’re suggesting that you get out in nature, without your phone. Connecting with nature is proven to have a wealth of benefits, from improving your focus, to lowering your blood pressure and even boosting your immune system, and it’s the perfect antidote to mindless scrolling on your devices.
The penultimate step on our digital detox challenge is to remove all social media apps from your phone. There have been links between heavy Facebook use and depression, and staying off social media for a week was proven to increase happiness.
The final step of our 7 Days to Digital Detox Challenge is a full digital detox. Lock your phone and all your other digital devices away in a drawer the night before. Spend the day with your love ones! Disconnect from your devices and log off for love!
We want to know how you got on this Valentine’s Day, so make sure you tweet us @TimeToLogOff on Monday!
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.