23 Jun National Unplugging Day challenge
If you follow us on Twitter you’ll know that it’s National Unplugging Day in the UK on Sunday 26th June. We’ve been telling you about the importance of switching off your digital devices and spending time with your loved ones for some time now, but National Unplugging Day is the perfect day to start.
At Time To Log Off, we don’t want a ban on all things tech, but instead, we want to promote a healthy balance between you and your devices. We believe that you should disconnect regularly from digital devices and reconnect with the world offline. We do this through digital detox retreats, but for those at home this weekend we challenge you to have a go at unplugging and detox from your digital devices for just one day – and what better day to do it than a Sunday.
We’ve got a selection of challenges for the whole family to do, and whoever gets the most points at the end of the day wins! Just print out our challenge table and get started. Good luck!
Keep your phone out of your bedroom on Saturday night (4 points)
Technically your challenge begins on Saturday evening. With 95% of adults admitting to using screen-based tech before they go to bed, which results in poor sleep.
Are you guilty of scrolling through social media just before you switch off for the night? Keeping your phone out of the room will stop this, helping you sleep better and helping you kickstart the challenge with four points.
Use an analogue alarm clock (1 point)
You’re braving a night without a phone in the room, great! Now you just need to use an analogue alarm clock. Our smartphones make it too easy to snooze and go back to sleep. Research shows that allowing ourselves to go back to sleep during ‘snooze time’ results in sleep inertia, which causes impaired alertness and poor performance on a range of daily tasks.
Don’t use social media all day (5 points)
Are you addicted to social media? The average user spends 1.72 hours a day just on social media, and although it doesn’t sound like a long time, just think of what else you could achieve in that time!
Perhaps a leisurely bike ride with friends or reading a new book? We challenge you to log off from social media for the whole of Sunday. Do you think you can do it? Five points if you do!
Eat all your meals in a different room from your digital devices (2 points)
Watching TV or just quickly texting a friend whilst eating is disconnecting your from your surroundings and 62% of people think it is not OK to use a phone during meal time. Try eating all meals in a tech-free environment today. You’ll feel more connected with the people you’re with, and you’ll be able to enjoy your food more! Plus it’s an easy two point win.
Don’t send any texts (4 points)
You don’t have to send a text to communicate with someone. You might actually feel more connected if you pick up the phone. We’re challenging you to log off for the day so if you manage to send no messages today you’ll bag yourself four points. If you’re desperate to chat with someone, just pick up the phone!
Don’t watch TV all day (5 points)
In the UK, children spend 6.5 hours a day on screens. This includes TV screens as well as computers and phones. Cutting down TV time will reduce this drastically.
We think you should unplug from TV as a family, for the day, and spend time outdoors exploring! Or if the good old British weather fails us, as it’s likely to, get out the board games instead and make a day of it at home. You’ll get five points at the end of it.
Keep your wifi off all day (5 points)
We bet half the time you spend on your phone, you’re spending it online. Whether that means scrolling through Instagram, reading a blog post or watching YouTube videos – you’re online. So why not try turning your wifi off all day and see how much this cuts down your time on your phone? An easy and simple step that helps reduce tech time and scores you five points.
Don’t use your phone AT ALL (10 points)
The average user checks their smartphone 150 times a day, it’s quite a lot when you see the facts isn’t it? An easy way to get ahead in the challenge, simply do not use your phone ALL DAY.
Lock your phone in a drawer and spend the time exploring and being outside with friends and family. You’ll feel more relaxed after a break from tech and best of all you’ll score 10 points.
Your digital detox results:
How did you do in the end? Tot up your points and let’s see who scored the highest.
31-36: Total pro!
Well done you! You’ve managed to reduce your digital time like a pro! We’re hoping you enjoyed the benefits so much you might even make every Sunday tech-free?
25-30: Well done!
Not bad but not perfect. We bet when you look back you realise you’ve enjoyed your time digital free and next time you’ll get 36/36. Keep us posted.
16-24: Good effort
Was it your first try? It was a great effort but it does need a bit of improving, maybe try again next week and just complete at least one more challenge.
9-15: Better luck next time!
We do love those who try, so well done. But we think you could do much better! Give the challenge another go next week now you’ve dipped your toes in and see how you do.
0-8: Did you even try?
Did you actually try or did you give up after having your phone out of the room for a night? Give a digital detox a chance guys, we promise you’ll love it!
Make sure you share your results after the challenge with us on Twitter using ‘#UnplugChallenge’. We can’t wait to see how you got on!
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