I started my digital detox during Thanksgiving since I knew I would be busy helping cook dinner and spending time with my family. I turned my phone on Do Not Disturb and made sure to leave it in my room when I went to help prepare and cook Thanksgiving dinner. It allowed me to stay undistracted and catch up with my mother and sister, instead of doom-scrolling while I waited for the food to cook. I also made sure not to look at my phone as soon as I woke up and instead get ready for the day. This allowed me to start my day well-off, making sure I had everything done in time — like finish any packing/unpacking or cleaning before the rest of my family arrives

Overall, this detox allowed me to fully enjoy the time spent with my family during the holiday. It was also easier for me to not think about checking my phone since I was busy socializing and doing tasks for most of the day.

Here’s the link to my final project on YouTube

I spent most of last week with my girlfriend and her family in AZ, and I noticed that I was rarely using my phone and was just enjoying either silence or her company. I felt much more rested overall and time seemed to almost pass slower for me.

For my digital detox I chose the third option which was putting my phone on do not to disturb during important moments. For example, when I would start a homework assignment, I would turn it off so that I would not get notifications that distract me during my work time. Other times I would turn it off during special family dinners or when I was driving.  

I think that it really helped with getting my homework done quicker with less distractions. But overall, I did not see a huge difference because I usually know when or when not to be on my phone at certain moments.  

I think that having my phone on do not disturb helps me interact with the real world more and spend more time with people I not see often. 

For my digital detox, I followed Option 2: Designate tech-free times. For the first 30 minutes after waking up and the last hour before bed, I made sure not to use my phone. To help me with this, I implemented some practical daily shifts—like leaving my phone in a different room overnight and setting my physical clock far from my bed, so I had to actually get up to turn it off.

This small change really helped! I also made time for activities that fulfill me, such as meditation, yoga, and reading my favorite book first thing in the morning. At night, it was a bit challenging not to scroll on my phone, but I resisted the temptation by picking up a book I’d been wanting to read for a while. This made it easier to unwind and stay off my phone before bed.

For my digital detox I set my phone more often on do not disturb. especially during sleeping hours and the two hours before it. I also set a limit for social media apps like X (twitter) because I knew that those apps don’t help me always. They spread negativity which I don’t like.

The detox wasn’t always easy for me and I noticed that when I was on do not disturb mode, I still checked my messages often. The other thing I noticed was that I did more other things on my phone, like watching movies, Netflix series and playing videogames.

In the future I will definitely decrease my use of social media apps and just do something else on my phone. Something more productive or fun.