How Taking a Technology Detox Has Changed My Life
When Amanda shared that she wanted to set up a 7 Day Technology Detox and have bloggers join her, I knew I wanted to be part of it. I have always wanted to do a technology detox knowing that I needed a change in this area of my life. I’ve tried doing it on my own before but never followed through. What made the difference this time? I had to be accountable to others.
At first, I was not sure if it would be the best time for me to take the challenge. Why, you may ask? Well, apart from the everyday chores of family and home, including homeschooling, I was actually in the middle of trying to set up my blog and launch it the same week that I was doing the detox. Even though I knew I had a lot going on, this was the perfect time to do the technology detox; especially now that I will be adding blogging to my “To Do” list.
Setting Healthy Boundaries for a Technology Detox
Now, this is hard to admit but I realized that I didn’t have healthy boundaries like I thought I did. My problem wasn’t that I was spending too much time on the TV or my phone; it was spending too much time on social media via my computer and iPad. Social media can definitely be a time waster if you don’t watch it!
Facebook is the social media platform that I waste most of my time on. I would log on Facebook to do something in particular and then get distracted with the notifications and the newsfeed. This would cause me to forget why I logged into Facebook in the first place. That, my friends, is the problem!
What I Took Away From This Challenge
Even though the time I spent online was on and off throughout the day, it was still precious time that I was wasting. It’s time that I am taking away from my husband, children, homeschooling, my home and even myself. I noticed how stressed out and rushed I felt when I would get off the computer, which would sometimes affect my mood and/or my attitude.
You see, the time that I was spending online I could have been working on other important things. I could have been working on projects that needed to be completed around the house, I could have caught up on my reading, done more activities with my boys and the list can go on. I realized that if I want to be intentional in all I do, I need to manage my screen time.
Taking the Technology Detox was a blessing and I will never regret doing it. It caused me to be aware of the areas I needed to change and work towards improving. The day I thought would have been the hardest to complete was actually the one I enjoyed the most. Can you guess which one it was? Believe it or not, it was the sixth day when I had to go “cold turkey” and have no screen time at all.
Taking the Technology Detox Has Changed My Life
Why did I enjoy it so much? I felt so free, unrushed, not stressed and I had time to do everything that I needed to do and then some. I was able to rest, visit a friend, and catch up on some needed time with my family. Everything I had to do was done early and I had the rest of the day free to do whatever I wanted to do. What an amazing and wonderful feeling I felt on that day!!
I can say I have learned a lot about myself and how I was managing my screen time. I know that by sticking to the boundaries that I have set for myself during this detox I am better equipped to continue on this journey. I encourage you to take the 7 Day Detox and see what it will reveal to you. You never know it can be a life changing experience like it was for me!
Did you take the Detox? What came up for you? Let me know in the comments!
