Our Presence Not Presents  campaign challenged twelve bloggers to put down their phones for two days pre-Christmas, to experience logging-off and focusing on family and friends. We hope that their stories about their experiences will inspire you to consider a digital detox of your own. First in the series is …

A Moment With Franca

Franca is no stranger to logging-off after doing a similar thing last year. Because of this, she recognises how important doing a digital detox can be; “there are some moments where we should disconnect from everything and try to focus on what is important.” So how would she find it this time around?

“I need my phone for everything, especially for my work”

When approached with the idea of a digital detox, often what people are most afraid of is the thought of being completely cut-off from the world. However, for this particular challenge the bloggers were supplied with a Punkt phone. The MP01 phone only allows calls and texts and is designed so that moving your SIM from your smartphone is easy. Often described as an ‘anti-smartphone’, it is great for detoxing, without losing out on the essential aspects of modern life.

However, being without a smartphone proved very challenging for Franca; “I really felt the need to use my phone constantly and I wanted to tweet all the time.” But would she recognise the benefits of being away from digital? “I must say that being with my family and enjoying the time together was the most important thing for me.”

“When the afternoon arrived, I was getting anxious again”

Avoiding the internet – even for just two days – proved very, very difficult for Franca; “I am not going to lie, I had to check a few things online in order to fulfill some commitments.” Despite her falling short of going the full two days without using digital at all, we wouldn’t consider this a failure! The main aim of this challenge is to inspire people this Christmas to spend a bit more time away from digital in order to spend more time with family and friends. Franca succeeded in this; “I spent a lot of time away from the internet and enjoyed some quality time with my family and that for me is a success! I will be doing this again around Christmas for sure.”

Even if you can’t commit to coming on a digital detox retreat give our Christmas digital detox challenge a go. It’s only two days and it’s the perfect time to be focusing fully on family and friends.