The term "digital detox" is gaining in popularity in many circles but what exactly is it?
It's the idea of giving up your phone (or other device) for a period of time to clear your head, focus your heart, pull the plug on screen addiction, protect your body from electromagnetic frequency (EMF)…you get the picture.
But the very thought of a “digital detox” induces fear and frustration in all of us. We know that it would be helpful but most of us (unless we’re on a camping trip on the top of a mountain) cannot even fathom living “unplugged” for any number of days at a time. Let’s face it, even on that camping trip you will probably want to have cell reception in case of an emergency.
And this is the end of the digital detox story for most people. After one brief thought of “wow that would be nice” we move to “but so impractical and so inconvenient” and pretty soon we’re imagining some horrible scenario in which we’re stranded on the side of the freeway with a flat tire and no cell phone and we bid the concept of the detox a brief but permanent farewell.
This was exactly me, but I am also a Suzuki violin teacher, which means that I spend my whole career breaking impossible tasks into bite-size chunks and presenting them in an entertaining way until students succeed at the “impossible”. And when I finally came to the realization that I could do that with a digital detox (small step-by-step strategies, giving up a little bit here and there) I set out to create a “guide” for the busy individual in today’s modern world.
One small but important disclaimer before we get down to business: I will never be suggesting that you leave your phone at home when you’re driving; turn it off while your teen is out at a party; or stop communicating with clients and business partners in a timely manner. But I will suggest that you foster a healthy relationship with technology and do so through small and strategic steps that you will find in all my subsequent articles.
So let’s start exploring some practical steps towards our great divorce.
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