What is digital detox, for me?
For me this means -
- On my phone, nothing but phone and email (using Slim Launcher to "enforce" this)
- No internet on my main laptop. I can use only what's on it. But since I've been de-googling and getting all my files local, this is actually quite a bit.
- No podcasts (for which I use a separate device, an old Kindle)
- I have a cheapo old laptop, used just for Youtube, Twitter, etc. I put this away.
Why do this?
The main thing I get out of it is a quietness in my mind. I realize that most of the time, I'm hooked to the constant infusion of newness - articles, very interesting at times but they all come to have a certain "sameness" about them. And they mostly don't really affect my life, or give me anything actionable to do.
I also notice things, during my digital detox. Things that need doing. For instance, I had a tangle of wires in my car, from various charging cables. How long have they been there? Probably at least a year, maybe more. Finally I did something about them, tidied them up, kept only the necessary ones, and put the others away. A stack of cardboard in the garage from various packages was similarly put away. The daily chores (dishes, etc) always got done no matter what, but anything that wasn't a "must do" often stayed undone.
It's interesting to delve into WHY I did things like these and many similar chores, during a digital detox. Part of it is that I'm feeling a little bit at loose ends. But also I think that when being online is an option, I'm constantly thinking about my next "hit" of news, information. No kidding, I do feel like an addict. And so I'm not calmly thinking of what would be the best use of my time, I'm not fixing the problems that come up. Instead I'm thinking about which website/podcast I'm going to check next, and what I might find there.
Here's a couple practical tips for setting up your own digital detox.
For temporarily turning off internet access on your laptop - this works well for me:
Run powershell (must be run as administrator) Run the below in a command prompt for turning off the internet Disable-NetAdapter -Name "Wi-Fi" -confirm:$false And to turn it on again Enable-NetAdapter -Name "Wi-Fi" -confirm:$false
I've previously done this other ways, such as turning connectivity off in the BIOS. If I could always get into the BIOS easily, this would be the best way. However, on my laptop it's very tricky to get to it, you have to get the timing of hitting certain keys absolutely right, so it's not a good option. Last time I did it, it took about 15 tries to get into the BIOS and turn it on again.
And turning on Airplane mode is just too easy to get to - I want a method that takes a few steps. Another option is disconnecting from your WIFI, and then setting it to "forget", so you have to re-enter the password to get in.
Get whatever files, etc, that you need, offline.
I used to keep all kinds of information in Workflowy.com, including to-do lists, checklists, everything. So every time I wanted to do a digital detox it was a hassle, because I needed to download all my files, checklists, etc, to my laptop. But now that I've gotten off of many services, including Google docs and Workflowy, I no longer need to do this.
Do physical things, to keep what you want to avoid away.
For instance, the device that I use for podcasts - it's wrapped in a towel, up on a high shelf. The "junk" laptop, that I use for mindless web surfing, is put along with my podcast device, away on a shelf.
Use an alternate launcher on your phone
I use Slim Launcher, to limit myself only to certain apps. Yes, it's pretty easy to over-ride, but I haven't so far, and it feels pretty solid. And just the fact that your screen looks very different is a reminder that you're doing something different today.
Battling internet addiction
Internet usage is a tricky thing. It's addictive, yes. But it's also necessary for a lot of things nowadays, and I can't avoid it. It's nothing like smoking, which you can completely quit. It's more like food, which you have to eat, but if you don't have limits, you can easily go far astray.
For food, I have had great strategies. Before going carnivore, I was a "no processed food" person. That limited things beautifully, I cooked for myself, and had almost zero processed food. Now I'm carnivore, and it's even easier - animal based is good, plant based is bad.
But with the internet, it's not as easily divided into good and bad. I've learned a ton from online videos, but I've also wasted a tremendous amount of time with them. I really value Stacker News, but I check it far too much. I've gone into certain Facebook groups to get great information on very useful topics, but also, somehow the algorithm seems to glue my eyes to the screen for far longer than I planned.
Also, with internet addiction - there's an ACTIVE party on the other side, trying to addict you. There's tens of thousands of program designers and software engineers, programmers, actively trying to get you online, and keep you online. It's not like, say, cigarettes and alcohol, where, yes, they have advertisements, but they don't have somebody on the other side of the screen that you're staring at constantly, trying to entrap you.
Next steps
I need to figure out how to do two things. First - I really need to regularly (weekly) do a digital detox like I did today. And then second is, on regular days, I need to not be so consumed with the dopamine-producing websites that I haunt so frequently.
I'd love to see more discussion on this topic, with people talking about the steps they're taking, strategies and tools, to avoid the all-consuming addiction of being constantly connected.
It's a battle out there. What are your battle tips?