How To Disconnect: A Checklist (No Screen Version)
How To Disconnect: A Checklist (No Screen Version)
Going one day without any screens. No phone, no laptop, no TV.
Going one day without any screens. No phone, no laptop, no TV.
The Checklist
Print out this checklist.
Check your calendar for the day when you will do this. Print it out.
Let your closest friends and family know you’re doing this, to avoid them worrying if they can’t reach you, but also to avoid them doing something that would break your “screen fast” (like turning on the TV, etc.)
Turn off laptop, phone and TV the night before. If you struggle with temptation, put the remote, the phone and the laptop somewhere else (or better ask someone else to hide them).
Prepare to drive less and go to fewer places. You may need your phone there, but you won’t have it. Not a hard rule, but best to avoid.
Plan roughly what the day will consist of. Will you go to the gym? Will you catch up on reading? Will you meet with friends? Those plans will determine if you need to look up anything beforehand (you won’t have Google to help you). Make a short list of things you might need and prepare to have them.
If going to the gym, what exercises will you do? Make a list. If you’re tracking the workouts, make a spreadsheet so you could fill out the details.
If you’re meeting someone, make sure you have the time and the place right. Remind them you won’t be easy to reach so they can’t postpone or cancel!
Don’t make plans to write unless you’re comfortable writing on paper.
Don’t make plans to write code or study for anything pressing (test, interview) — you won’t have all the necessary means to do it. It’s just one day: re-arrange your plans or disconnect next week when you can fully commit to it.
If taking notes for anything, prepare one or two notepads & good pens.
Enjoy your day! Take mental notes on what worked and what didn’t.
What I expected:
I would get immediately more creative and focused (I didn’t).
I would do & read much more (I didn’t do as much as I thought, but definitely more).
I would miss music (I did, but then I found 2 ways to hack it).
I would find it hard to take notes (it was difficult, but maybe a matter of poor preparation).
I couldn’t do much writing (writing with a pen is hard!).
What I didn’t expect:
Not having music would be such a pain.
I would miss an appointment because I wouldn’t have my calendar.
I would feel strangely happier in a subtle way.
Adjustments
NOTE: some of the issues are specific to me.
Notes
I take notes for every book I read, in Evernote.
I also have tons of books from the library or from Amazon. I highlight in the book if I own it, but if the book is from the library, I have no other options.
On that day, I took notes in a notepad. Subtle difference, but it didn’t feel right.
I’ll move the notes to my Evernote anyway. Extra overhead, but I’m saving on buying them. (I could scan the notes but they won’t be searchable.)
Music
I love music and listen to it all the time. For the first part of the day, it was a struggle.
What were the 2 hacks I mentioned earlier?
Both require devices, but both devices are screen-less.
Amazon Alexa can use Spotify without any other device. Great! Finding the right tracks with a voice interface is a bit challenging, but Alexa is pretty amazing at voice recognition.
This almost sparked a new business venture. Question: How do you listen to Spotify without your phone? It’s not that easy! I got excited about building something but thankfully, there’s a product for it already. I ordered the latest Mighty player today, and you can order it too (affiliate link).
On Feeling Happier
Happiness is such a beat up term and I don’t want to say that one day of digital fasting will fix all your life’s issues and make you happy. No.
My life is good and stress-free in general, and only becomes stressful when I make it so.
I was already on a positive trajectory. My feeling of slightly increased happiness was probably due to the fact that I wasn’t multitasking as much. I was more mindful of what I did. And I did a bit more.
And that’s all it was.
Try it the next coming weekend and let me know!
You can reach me here or on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nurijanian