Disconnected on Weekends \ stacker news ~HealthAndFitness

Almost two months ago, I decided to try a little personal experiment (because I love doing that kind of thing): on weekends, I put my phone away. No notifications, no checking it "just for a second," no mindless scrolling.

At first, I thought it would be difficult (and it was). I had that silly anxiety of "what if someone texts me something important?" or "let me check the chat about this or that." But little by little, I realized something: absolutely nothing serious is happening. The world keeps turning, and you begin to reconnect with what really matters.

During these "offline" weekends, I managed to do a ton of things I'd been putting off for months:

I painted the house, which my wife had been complaining about for, I think, about 5 months.
I fixed a door that wouldn't close properly. I went out and got some oil and poured it on all the doors. They no longer make that "squeal" sound when they open.
I fixed some lights in the closet that were flickering, and the light switch was also giving me problems.
I finally taught my son to ride a bike (that moment is priceless!).
I changed the water filter.
I built some homemade equipment so my wife could do physical therapy with my son, who has Down syndrome.
We cooked together several times.
I cleaned the windows, which are both awkward and dangerous to clean (yes, the ones you always put off "for later, because the rain washes them away").
And above all, I did more things together with my kids.

None of this is epic, but each completed task gave me real satisfaction. I feel like the weekend has "substance" again, instead of being a blur of time wasted between apps and notifications.

After those weekends offline, even during the week I check my phone less.

And the strangest thing is that not only am I more productive, but I also feel calmer. I no longer feel "trapped" checking things every 20 minutes. My brain relaxes, conversations at home become longer, and time seems to stretch a little more.

This may not be for everyone, but if you're reading this and lately feel like the days are slipping away while you scroll, I encourage you to try it. Turn off your phone for a weekend. Do something with your hands. Finish that unfinished task.

When you do, you'll be surprised at how much you can recover just by disconnecting and reconnecting.

0 sats \ 1 reply \ @Scoresby 4h

This is pretty good. I admire your efforts here. It is so strange to me that twenty years ago, the only time I spent online was via a desktop. Thirty years ago, I didn't spent any time online at all. Now: I'm constantly online. It's so strange to think about all those hours.

I admire your efforts here. I know that I should probably try something similar myself...but I've always got a reason not to.

What tipped you over into making the decision?

102 sats \ 0 replies \ @guerratotal OP 4h

I realized I was constantly reaching for my phone without thinking, like a reflex. You know, that notification you get on your phone?, about 5 months ago I got: "You've used your phone 2 hours more than last week." I'd get that notification before, but I hadn't paid attention to it, so I decided to try to use it less. The next week it was only 30 minutes less, and I was like, what?????

I started to get annoyed by the amount of time I was wasting on things that didn't really matter, watching the news, arguing with someone in a chat, or just scrolling. So one weekend I decided to put it away and see what happened. And, honestly... I felt like I could breathe again.