Elissa SolomonA digital detox provides more than a few benefits, especially to mental health. It lets you sit back and unwind without the pressures of social media and other areas.
It also lets you focus on the areas that actually matter in your daily life. To actually see these benefits, though, you’ll need to know how to plan a digital detox that works for you. While this gets easier the more you do it, it can seem daunting when you first try. Making sure it goes the way it should shouldn’t be difficult, though.
Taking seven steps makes sure that happens, and it’ll make planning your digital detox and enjoying the process a lot easier.
Plan a Digital Detox: 7 Steps to Take
1. Get Inspired
When you initially start planning a digital detox, it should be one of the more exciting parts of the process. Then comes the reality of actually planning it out.
It could seem a little overwhelming trying to figure out how you should plan everything out and what you should do. This shouldn’t have to be too much of a problem, and there are a few ways to make it easier for yourself. It could just be a matter of getting inspired when you’re planning things out.
There are countless stories online about peoples’ personal experiences with detoxes. See what they did and figure out if it’ll work for you.
2. Set Your Timeline
One of the more important factors you’ll have to focus on with your digital detox is how long it’ll be for. Figure this out before starting and actually stick to it.
When you’re doing this, make sure you’re being realistic. While going on a digital detox for an entire week can be appealing, it mightn’t actually be feasible. Once you’ve factored work and similar essentials during your daily life, then it could be more difficult.
Strike a balance between what you want and what’s actually realistic. You’ll make a much easier time of it once you’ve figured this out.
3. Set Your Boundaries
While you’ll want to plan a digital detox, it doesn’t mean everyone else in your house will. That doesn’t have to be a bad thing.
You could feel like family members could interfere with the detox, but that doesn’t have to happen. Instead, it’s just a matter of setting boundaries so you can focus on what you’re doing. Let people know these ahead of time so they can respect your boundaries. It could even be worth posting these boundaries on social media.
It makes sure people know you’re going through the detox, and they’re not going to constantly contact you online.
4. Schedule Quality Time
Once your digital detox starts, you’ll end up having more free time on your hands. You’re not endlessly scrolling through Facebook and other websites.
The key to this is not to just waste that extra time you have. Instead, it’s a matter of scheduling some quality time when you’re doing this. There are more than a few ways you can figure this out. Focus on what actually works for you, with reading and going for a walk being great.
Once you’re actually spending time on this, the digital detox should start paying off quite a bit.
5. Get Out
When you’re going through your digital detox, you’ll end up with a noticeable amount of free time on your hands. You wouldn’t be wasting anymore time scrolling through social media.
The trick to this part is to have something else to spend your time on. Staying away from computers and the television are parts of this, but what should you do? Getting outdoors more can be one of the better recommended options. It’s a healthy approach to take, and it gives you time to focus on yourself.
The fresh air and extra exercise can make you feel better, and you’ll notice an almost immediate difference in how you feel.
6. Focus on the Present
One of the main reasons people want to plan a digital detox is getting away from too much time away from what’s actually important. Social media is a large part of this.
What many people overlook is not a lot of social media and other areas are actually important for daily life. It also prevents people from focusing on the present and what’s actually important. Make sure you do this when you’re going through your digital detox.
The more you put into this, the more your digital detox should actually help you. You’ll see more and more of its benefits because of that.
7. Learn From Experience
Once you’ve gone though your first digital detox, you could be feeling a lot better than you were before. You could already want to start planning your first one.
That’s a great idea to have, but it’s worth reflecting on your first digital detox first. Consider whether it went the way you wanted it to, and if there were any hiccups. Take it as a learning opportunity so you can do it better in the future. It wouldn’t just help you make sure your next detox goes a lot better, but it’ll take a lot of time and effort out of the planning process.
There’s no reason why your next one, and all of the ones after that, go better and better.
Plan a Digital Detox: Wrapping Up
There are multiple reasons to plan a digital detox. It lets you focus on your mental health while taking the time to look after yourself.
You could put yourself under less unnecessary social pressure, avoid overly negative news all of the, and much more. You should even improve your sleeping habits. There’s no reason not to do it, but the first time can often seem a little tricky. You might find it hard to stick to your digital detox.
Thankfully, this gets easier and easier the more you do it. By taking the right steps from the start, you’ll be seeing the benefits of a digital detox before you know it.
