How to do a digital detox at home

Next week we will be heading off to the beautiful, sunny Puglia for our first digital detox retreat of the year. We’ll be spending a week diving into mindful activities including yoga, and coastal hikes – all whilst completely logged off. From 21st-28th of May we’ll be unplugged from all digital devices, so we’ll be a little quiet on all digital platforms.

If you’re not coming on the retreat with us that doesn’t mean you can’t give yourself a digital detox too! We’ve got five tips to help you digitally detox whilst at home. We promise you’ll LOVE the results.

1. Remove email from your phone

We understand that if you’re not joining us on one of our retreats you will have to go to work and, in most cases, be sat in front of a computer all day. This doesn’t mean you can’t participate in a digital detox however, just try to keep your tech time to during work hours.

As soon as you leave the office make a pact to leave work behind. Although we think we’re getting more done by replying to work emails at home, we’re not. Research shows that when multi-tasking our productivity levels decrease. Most importantly removing email from your phone will allow you to kick start your digital detox at home.

2. Use an analogue alarm clock

A lot of us will finish each evening off by scrolling through social media in bed before setting our alarm for the next day – pretty normal right? The downside of this is that repeatedly hitting snooze on your smartphone is far too easy. Research shows that allowing ourselves to go back to sleep during ‘snooze time’ results in sleep inertia, which causes impaired alertness and performance on a range of daily tasks.

Leaving your phone outside of your bedroom and getting yourself an analogue alarm clock will lead to you feeling refreshed and alert each morning.

3. Leave your phone outside your bedroom at night

Stepping into our bedroom just before bed time with our phone in hand might seem harmless, but banning your phone from your bedroom has some great advantages.

Did you know that your smartphone is keeping you from sleeping? 95% of adults admit to using screen-based technology in the hour leading up to bed, and the artificial blue light emitted by devices is proven to suppress the realise of melatonin, making us more alert just before bed, and making us feel tired the next day.

4. Eat all meals in a different room from your tech

Whether you’re out for dinner with friends or at home with a meal for one we encourage making all meals no-tech. If you’re out with friends it can come across rude to use technology. 62% of people think it is not OK to use a phone during meal time. By simply swapping your phone for a conversation with your dinner guest you’ll feel more connected.

If you’re dining alone it’s easy to switch the TV on whilst eating your dinner from your lap but this is very distracting. You won’t appreciate your food if you’re constantly logged on. Make meal times peaceful and allow yourself to relax and unwind at the end of each day. You’ll enjoy your food more and feel great afterwards.

5. Swap screentime for mindful activities

A huge chunk of our evenings can get taken up by binge watching the latest Netflix release or catching up on social media on our phone. But try swapping your screen time for a mindful activity. Why not go for a family stroll in through the park, join a yoga class or even pick up a book?

When we’re having a complete detox next week why don’t you try out these tips at home? Although you won’t be logging off completely you’ll still experience some of the great benefits stepping back from tech can give. Take a look at our other digital detox retreats if you’re interested in attending one later in the year.