Off: Your Digital Detox for a Better Life

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• Publisher: Abrams Image
• Year: 2018
• ISBN:
  9781683352990
• Topic: Personal Development
• Subtopic: Self Improvement

Walk down any street, stroll through any park, step into a bar or restaurant, and everyone is glued to their mobile devices. Many of us struggle with the near-constant urge to check our phones-the average person interacts with their device more than 2, 600 times a day-and this dependence is affecting our relationships, our work, and our quality of life. It seems the technology that was supposed to connect us has tipped us in the other direction, creating unnecessary stress and distance in our lives. Off: Your Digital Detox for a Better Life isn't about reverting to a tech-free way of life-it's about balance. Digital entrepreneur Tanya Goodin offers a guide that will free up hours of your time and lead you back to the pastimes (and people) you love. Learn to cultivate a healthier relationship with your digital devices by adopting simple practices that encourage mindfulness, deeper connection to others, more restful sleep, and increased creativity. Illustrated with serene and inspiring photography, Off will help you free yourself from technology and be more present in your own life.

One study estimates that we tap, swipe, and click on our devices an average of 2,617 times a day. Yet another, that we consume more than five times as much information a day than we did in 1986.

The result of this constant connectivity and deluge of information is rising rates of burnout and stress, and rapidly deteriorating concentration. One piece of research even claims our human concentration span is now less than that of a goldfish!

The ideal activities to recharge and restore your screen-addled brain are those in which you can enter a state of “flow”—a meditative state in which your breathing and heart rate slow down considerably.

Flow occurs when you become totally absorbed in what you’re doing such that your brain simply can’t be distracted by anything else. Time just seems to fly by and you may even lose track of it completely.

To find the perfect “unplugged” pursuit, try out a range of activities that require all your focus, and preferably both your hands—so you can’t juggle your phone while doing it. This section has a few suggestions.

1. Mindful Coloring

Why are coloring books so popular? Probably because coloring in an intricate and detailed pattern has been found to be one of the best activities to relax with.

Unlike more physical activities that get you into a state of flow, such as surfing or yoga, coloring requires very little skill, so we can all do it. It also harks back to our childhoods, so it’s evocative and nostalgic—and it’s incredibly satisfying when you complete a difficult design.

A creative outlet is important when your brain is moving at break-neck speed for most of the day. Coloring in beautiful illustrations not only takes you on a trip down memory lane but also gives your brain a well-earned rest.

Coloring is particularly good if you find it hard to relax and switch off; altering the brainwaves from alpha to beta (which occurs when you’re in flow) facilitates deep sleep, so it’s great to do to unwind before bed for a good night’s sleep.

But coloring is fantastic for clearing the head at any time of day, even if done in just 10- or 15-minute bursts. With repeated coloring sessions you’ll soon find you can focus for longer when doing other activities too.

2. Turn the Page

When was the last time you got lost in a book? Really deeply immersed, turning the pages hypnotically and lifting your head only to find with surprise that most of the day has gone?

One of the casualties of our over-dependence on screens is our relationship with reading. When we’re used to snatching sound bites of news and entertainment here and there from online news sites and social media, it’s hard to stay focused on reading long enough to get drawn into a good book.

If reading for long periods of time is something that you’re struggling with, start by setting a small challenge of reading for just six minutes a day. Read before bed and it’ll help with sleep too.

3. Complete a Puzzle

Smartphones are constant distractions. Their intrusive notifications and hard-to-ignore alert sounds mean that we’re developing what’s known as “monkey brain”—rapid mental darting from one thing to another, between what’s happening on our screens and what’s actually going on in our lives—and it’s completely eroding our concentration and focus.

Remember the joy of jigsaw puzzles from your childhood? They’re the perfect activity to get lost in to recharge your brain.

Choose a puzzle that has a complex design, preferably with more than one thousand pieces. The idea is to become completely absorbed in finding and fitting all the tiny pieces. Time will fly by.

4. Keep a Journal

Scientists are discovering that there appears to be a special relationship between the brain and the hand: writing by hand stimulates a unique neural circuit that simply isn’t activated by typing. Some research even suggests that the act of writing by hand may help us to learn better and be able to commit something to memory much more easily than by typing it.

However, writing in a journal offers more than just the benefits associated with writing by hand. Setting down your thoughts and reflecting on your day encourages you to be more mindful and notice what’s going on in your life.

Journaling can be as brief or as time intensive as you want it to be—a five-minute exercise in closing the day by jotting down a few thoughts to help you drift off to sleep, or a longer “voyage to the interior.” Either way, journaling delivers the most benefits when you commit to it as a daily practice. Start by journaling every day for a week and see how you do.

5. Sew Something

In, out, in, out, in, out . . .

The steady movement of a sewing needle piercing its way through fabric can be a hypnotic and meditative experience.

Find a button that’s fallen off, a hem that needs fixing, or an item that needs a name tag and settle down in a quiet corner with a needle and thread.

A mere five minutes of sewing will slow down your breathing and reduce your stress levels.

As a bonus, sewing over time will improve your hand-eye coordination and smarten up your wardrobe! Knitting and crocheting are also good activities to try, with similar repetitive movements to help you enter a state of flow.

6. Cook

1. Dig out an old recipe that you love. Make sure it involves something that will really absorb you, where you can dig in and use your hands—rolling out pastry, cutting biscuits, and making pasta dough from scratch are good examples of this.

2. Clear the kitchen of digital devices and distractions, and lay out all the ingredients and utensils.

3. Focus as you measure out the ingredients.

4. Read the instructions...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Copyright Page
• Title Page
• Contents
• How to Use this Book
• Set Your Boundaries
• Go with the Flow
• Get Back to Nature
• Tame Your Triggers
• Choose Analog
• Reconnect
• Acknowledgments