Forced to spend the better part of a good day away from home . . . without my cellphone? Well, that certainly got my attention.

I recently found myself out the door and off on a Family Adventure Day™ with the cellular appendage left inexplicably behind and tethered to a charger (instead of to me).

Throughout the day, I tried to note just how often I itched to check the thing, and I came up with only one conclusion: a much-needed digital fast/detox over the holidays was long overdue:

TERMS OF (NON)SERVICE

What I Will Be Doing:

• setting up software to allow only email and texting during prime social hours
• avoiding news feeds until the new year
• putting away the phone while visiting/dining
• instituting a lights out rule
• not using any screen an hour before sleep
• working on mindfulness habits like conscious eating and continuing to note each phone craving
• paying a lot more attention to my wonderous wife and child
• playing a lot more music in place of screentime
• saving up online time as a reward after work had been done
• making all of the time reclaimed a gift to myself and to my family
• enjoying more time outside
• enjoying time inside more
• naturally, reporting back here with the results!

By now, this detox idea and it’s necessity are old news. I hear many of us joke about being too dependent on our cellphones as a species. And that doesn’t even address health concerns over exposure to all of those signals.

Unfortunately, I don’t seem to be benefiting from the boosted energy; I’m tired of feeling mine radiating off into space after scrolling social media and/or news.

I resisted moving up the tech ladder for a long time because I was wary of the distraction. Also started using a signal-blocking storage pouch while driving. There’s no way I could go completely without a phone, though. Anyone with children (or living in this decade, for that matter) might sympathize. 

So this next round of experimentation will be about control, on the road toward some eventual digital life balance. 

I don’t know what that will ultimately mean to this spouse/parent/WREADITOR, but I’m hopeful I’ll be clearer-headed when I get there.

Have you ever intentionally dialed back your mobile phone habits? What did you learn?