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.

For my digital detox, I focused on one simple change: managing notifications. It might not seem like much, but it made a huge difference. Over Thanksgiving break, I spent less than five hours on social media—a big improvement for me. What really helped was keeping myself busy with other activities, so I didn’t have much free time to get distracted or mindlessly scroll through social media.

In the future, I plan to Declutter my Digital Space from unnecessary emails and notifications. As for “Do Not Disturb” mode, I’ve decided not to use it after once missing an important meeting while it was on. Instead, I’ll try to find a balance between staying accessible and staying focused. This detox showed me how small changes can make a big difference.

I decided to manage my notifications and use an app to limit my screen time. I blocked notifications for TikTok and Instagram because I often receive unimportant or distracting messages rather than useful ones. I realized I would click on these notifications almost automatically and end up spending hours on the apps. I also downloaded an app called StayFree, which provides a detailed breakdown of my screen time and alerts me whenever I spend more than 30 minutes on an app. These notifications usually make me leave the apps without needing to impose strict limits. The app also motivates me by showing statistics that track my daily progress.

I chose these methods because I often lose track of time while using social media. Overall, my experience has been positive, and I plan to continue. I didn’t experience withdrawal symptoms, instead, I felt fulfilled and encouraged to use my time more productively.

For my Digital Detox i used option 4 which is using “Do not disturb” at first I was ver hesitant on using Din not disturb as I had this thought that people who’s phone are on do not disturb are trying to be “cool”. I felt that Do not disturb was just for people who get alot of text messages but I was wrong. Over thanksgiving break I decided to put my phone on do not disturb and i realized it was very impactful on my daily activities, For example I would be walking somewhere and I hear my phone buzz then immediately use my phone for the remainder of the walk. But when I used do not disturb I started walking faster and arriving to places quicker than I used to.Now when I am doing something that requires me to focus I put my phone on do not disturb to prevent the buzz sound from notifications which was the main reason I opened my phone.

For my digital detox I chose to do 1. ‘Manage notifications’ and 2. ‘ Use Do Not Disturb mode” I felt like doing these two was a really good idea and something that I should do more often. I’ve found myself being on my devices too much lately and, with finals coming up, I thought I should practice being focused and having no distractions around me. While doing my digital detox, I did notice that I spent more time focusing on one idea instead of thinking of one thing, getting distracted by a notification, and then thinking of another thing. Also, I find myself being a bit more patient with my surroundings. I don’t know how that’s related, but I do think it’s an improvement. Last but not least, I spent a lot of time with people that mean a lot to me and got to cherish the time without many distractions.