30-Day Digital Detox Challenge Report
My intention this month & 30-day Digital Detox Challenge was no social media & to spend less time “connected” overall via text, email, news, notifications, etc. I can’t even tell you how many times I went to pick up my phone for no apparent reason other than to scroll thru my IG feed. But awareness is the first step towards making any positive, intentional change.
But I did it. My business didn’t suffer while on my self-imposed break for 30 days. And overall I find myself in a 10x better place mentally than before – I’m in a much more peaceful state of mind, so much more engaged with my family & SO inspired to live my best life. I got into a daily cycle of posting/checking in that I was scared to break out of for fear of losing business or missing out. We spent the past month traveling as a family to Australia & New Zealand so I felt like it was a perfect month to attempt this as we were already having to “let go” of some work and break free from our regular routines.
I must admit the first few days of my digital detox were challenging but by day 3 I couldn’t get over how good it felt to not be shackled by my phone. There were 2 days where I had to pop on FB to approve an ad and to check in on a local story/go fund me account link (but went right to it and didn’t scroll thru anything else). It was such a great reset and provided the motivation to add in healthy habits back into my regular routine with that spare time. I’ll admit that the evenings in particular it was hard to not pick up the phone and just check in. My initial instinct during any down time (especially at airports) was to grab my phone and stare at its screen, scrolling, scrolling and scrolling. Instead I am learning to sit with my feelings – good, bad, bored, anxious, distracted….Because I re-learning (& shouldn’t we all) to use my time intentionally, I don’t want to look back regretting how time escaped me. I had so much more time for card games & snuggle with my kids, reading, yoga & cooking. I felt like it honestly freed up HOURS/day to play, create, rest & connect.
Now after a month away, I’m dipping my toe back into social media…that means decreasing the number of accounts I am following and creating some boundaries around social media use both personally & professionally.
I want to quickly note that while we were in New Zealand we were so pleasantly surprised to see that people were not on their phones. Not at restaurants, not walking down the street. There was such an absence of phones and it was so amazing to see.
So how does this digital detox effect Commit30? I’ve been thinking about that a lot. We’ll continue to share inspirations, updates & behind the scenes content via Instagram ~3-4 days a week (we’re not going to spend much time worrying about the other SM platforms – shocker). 🙂
We’ll continue to share exclusive content with our email list & private Goal-getters facebook group – thank you for inviting us into your inboxes! You can sign up for our newsletter here.
We’ll continue to streamline systems & schedules that will allow us to continue to thrive as a small business and most importantly as a family.
We’ll release a digital e-course & some digital products to help people make the most of their planners & live your best lives – email subscribers will hear about them first.
We’ll continue to minimally grow our product line with tools that help people live happier, healthier lives & reach their dreams.
We’ll make Sundays scroll free Sundays and spend time outside and being present with one another. #scrollfreeSundays
And we’ll continue to take at least one weekend a month away from screens and a longer digital break each season. #scrollfreeweekend
And I am asking myself – IS NOW A GOOD TIME TO CHECK INSTAGRAM?
Bottom line? I feel like I’m fully awake and alive. I can tell you that you have absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain by unplugging temporarily.
“Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.” – Ovid
ps. this is a photo of an art exhibit from The Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney that we visited recently. 🙂
