Smartphones are our constant companions. Whether at home during dinner, boarding a bus or in the car at a red traffic light: at the most impossible times, we need to chat, check e-mails or browse the web to keep ourselves occupied. Most people check their smartphones and tablets between 50 and 100 times a day. With 8 hours of sleep, that makes between 3 and 6 times per hour! That’s a constant distraction and pure stress. Such non-stop use of digital media is already like an addiction for many people. Many have recognized the problem and that\u2019s why there is a growing trend towards digital detox.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Digital detox is an attempt to limit the time spent using smartphones, cell phones and tablets (or digital devices and media as a whole) as much as possible. But doing without them is often anything but easy. Here are a few tips on how the digital detox can really succeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Actually, the cell phone was once intended for making phone calls. But many people use their phones as alarm clocks, watches, flashlights or even compasses. Anyone who wants to reduce smartphone consumption should buy a wristwatch, a real alarm clock, etc. That way, there will be no need to check e-mails every time you check the time. You won\u2019t get the urge to check your e-mails every time you look at the time, or read the latest posts on Facebook just before you go to bed, or turn off your alarm clock. This is a valuable first step in making the digital detox a success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It happens all the time: with every e-mail, every WhatsApp or text message, every new status post on social media and, depending on the settings, also with every update of most other apps, your smartphone or tablet flashes, vibrates and lights up. If you turn off push notifications or set your smartphone to silent, you won’t notice any of these, so that there\u2019s less temptation to keep checking your phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Anyone who wants to spend less time staring at their smartphone can do so with the help of the smartphone itself. Digital Detox apps are there to show the user how long he or she used the device and how often the screen was unlocked at the end of each day. For most people, this is probably the first time they realize how much time the smartphone “steals” from us every day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A message saying “time wasted thanks to smartphone: 185 minutes” \u2026 anyone who reads this every day is certainly highly motivated to quickly change the situation. After all, at around 3 hours per day, you waste almost a whole day per week – and very quickly you’re talking about several months or even years in your life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Creating digital-free spaces is one of the most important points for digital detox to succeed. No smartphone or no accessibility via smartphone after 20:00 in the evening, no tablet or laptop in the bedroom, no use of digital media at the dining table or when playing with the children: these rules are easy enoguh to follow. Once this has been achieved, the free spaces and zones can be expanded, such as in the following manner:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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