By Richelle Szypulski, InStyle
Some background: I recently crashed my family’s vacation to Atlantis
Paradise Island Resort. Before I left, my mom sent a text reminding me
to turn off my cellular data before the flight so I didn’t accidentally
use it in the Bahamas, outside of our plan. I figured there would be
Wi-Fi at the resort, but I figured wrong. There was a steep daily fee,
and we chose not to pay it.
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I did not panic. I did not mentally evaluate my monthly budget to
determine if I would be willing to pay $12 a day to be able to
constantly refresh my work email and send my boyfriend Pusheen emojis
(the only important things I do on my phone). I allowed myself two
minutes to pout internally about not being able to exploit my location
for Instagram likes, but then I spent the next five days blissfully
unaware of who was hanging out without me, the state of American
politics, and most importantly, hundreds and hundreds of incoming
emails. It was just so nice.
I felt my mood lighten, with credit also due to the blue water and
the perfect weather and quality time with people I love. When I did have
my phone with me, it was only used as a very thin, very inadequate
camera and occasionally as a bookmark.
If you are planning in advance to be more digitally disconnected on
your next trip, here are seven simple ways to do a digital detox. Before
logging off, make sure to set expectations with anyone you’re in
frequent contact with—your friends, family, and coworkers. And if you
come up with any tips for resurfacing, let me know.
1. Make a list of analog things you’d like to have time for.
I keep one in my Notes app for everyday reminders, but it works on
vacation, too. When I travel, it includes reading, sketching, taking
local yoga classes, and wandering around—somewhat aimlessly, somewhat on
the lookout for ice cream shops.
These are all things that contribute to a relaxed mental state, which
is the main goal of most vacations and the opposite of what phone time
creates. Any time you find yourself beginning a mindless scroll, open up
that list, pick something from it to do instead, and put the screen
away.
[post_ads_2]2. Declutter your digital space.
It takes a lot of time to unsubscribe from emails you don’t care
about, unfollow accounts that annoy you, and tailor your notification
settings. The quickest way to have the same effect? Deleting the entire
app. You know your problem apps; just uninstall them, even if it’s only
during your trip or for a few days at a time. Turning your phone back
into a phone is pretty liberating.
3. Turn off your push notifications.
You’ll be far less tempted to check in if there’s nothing new and
exciting calling to you. Or, if you have an iPhone, filter your email
using this brilliant hack.
4. Forget your charger on purpose.
Heading on a shorter trip like a day hike or a weekend at the lake
with friends? Leave your charger behind. Limited battery life forces you
to reevaluate what you use your device for. Keep it turned off or
tucked away in airplane mode and you’re guaranteed to reach for it less
often. Your phone may die, but you probably won’t.
[post_ads_2]5. Fake self-control with help from an app.
There are several apps on the market to help you track and limit your screen time, but I’ve found Moment
to be the easiest to use. The Premium version (a one-time $3.99
upgrade) will allow you to set a daily time allowance, and if you go
over, Moment can either send you a notification or kick you off entirely
until the time period resets. On average, Premium users are able to
shave off an hour per day from their phone usage time.
6. Try phone stacking when you’re with a group of people.
When you’re traveling with friends, family, or colleagues, it’s no
longer uncommon for people to occasionally pull out their phones and
check out of the group. The next time you’re all together—at dinner,
perhaps, or any other place where the focus can naturally shift to each
other—suggest that everyone places their phones in one stack, where
they’ll stay for the entirety of the meal.
Depending on the group, you can have fun with it. Raise the stakes
with rules: for example, the first one to reach for his or her phone has
to buy a round of drinks.
7. Set specific check-in times.
Maybe you’re just fine without Facebook and Twitter, but it’s your
work email inbox that’s causing your fingers to phantom scroll. If
ignoring it is going to stress you out far more than taking a few
minutes to check in, set aside a short time each day, but with a strict
time limit. I’ve found 15 minutes is usually enough to gauge whether or
not anything needs responding, and it’s smart for the time slot to fall
either before the workday starts or after it ends, so you don’t find
yourself stuck in an ongoing conversation.
