5 easy digital detox tips

At Time To Log Off we’re all about finding a balance between your life online and your life offline. UK adults spend an average of 8 hours 41 minutes a day on screens (more time than they are asleep) and our ‘always connected’ lifestyle means we can find it hard to relax and concentrate.

Spending time away from our digital devices is healthy. It boosts happiness and productivity, improves sleep and lowers stress. We do this regularly at Time To Log Off by totally switching off at our digital detox retreats but here are five easy tips to help you lower your tech usage at home;

Go greyscale

Turning your entire phone screen to greyscale is a great tip to help prevent you spending hours on your phone.

Greyscale has the effective of making your phone look less attractive and appealing and visually ‘mutes’ the impact of on-screen notifications and alerts which are the main visual culprits in making your phone look enticing. Simply go into your phone’s settings and change to greyscale.

Break the challenge down

Sometimes the thought of a cold-turkey digital detox can just be a bit much. Totally switching off all of your digital devices and having no internet connection can seem like a big step, especially if you’re new to it.

So why not try and break down the challenge into less daunting baby steps? Start by designating one 30-minute period a day to switch off your phone, wifi and internet connection. Then try an hour the next day and gradually build up. Before you know it you’ll be spending every weekend unplugged.

Turn a negative around

It can be really easy to look at a challenge like a digital detox in a negative light. Turn every aspect of your challenge into a positive!

In the same way that “I want to eat healthily” works better on the brain than “I mustn’t eat that doughnut”, turn “I can’t check my phone” into a positive statement such as – “I’m going to focus fully on where I am now, and the people I’m with”. It will help you focus on the reasons why you’re doing a digital detox in the first place, which will make it more likely you’ll accomplish it.

Boundaries around time

Set yourself sone clear boundaries around specific times of day, or times of the week, when you won’t be logged on.  Choose periods of times where it’s slightly easier not to be online such as after 8pm at night, or maybe at the weekend (or even just on Sundays). We encourage you to try and follow our 5:2 Digital Diet and keep the weekends free for totally logging off.

Boundaries around place

Just like boundaries around times, setting boundaries around specific places are really important. Making specific areas of your home tech free for everyone sets a challenge for the whole household that everyone can participate in together.

Make the kitchen a no tech zone to ensure all of your meals are fully enjoyed. We also encourage keeping mobile phones out of the bedroom completely as this can really improve your sleep.

Let us know how you got on with our tips – we hope you’ll find them useful, maybe we’ll see you on our next digital detox retreat?