Last week, during our family holiday, I embarked on a personal journey.
I made a conscious decision to disconnect from the digital world for six days, leaving behind my iPhone, laptop, and any form of internet.
(I can’t even remember when I wasn’t online for so long in the last ten years.)
So, the first day we arrived, I switched off my phone and put it in the hotel safe, and I just took it out on the last day before we left.
𝑯𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 (𝒊𝒏 𝒏𝒐 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒂𝒓 𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒆𝒓):
– I immediately felt a sense of relief and inner peace.
– My kids checked the phone daily to see if it was still switched off (what great accountability partners).
– My eight-year-old daughter, Mia, was the first to notice the change. She gave me a thumbs-up for my experiment and later remarked that I was spending more quality time with her. This feedback was heartwarming and reinforced the positive impact of my digital detox on our family relationships.
– My Phantom vibration syndrome disappeared. (When you think that your phone is making a vibration, you go to check it, and actually, there isn’t anything.)
– I started to be more consistent with my meditation practice.
– I re-started to spend time with “A Course in Miracles” book.
– Being more present with my family also heightened my awareness of our surroundings. I began to notice the beauty in the simple moments, and even the challenges seemed more manageable.
– I didn’t know the time and couldn’t take any photos. Luckily, I could use my wife’s phone for it.
– I missed 2 phone calls, 6 WhatsApp messages, 24 LinkedIn notifications, and 80 Emails. None of them needed immediate action.
𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒂𝒎 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒚 𝒇𝒖𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒅𝒂𝒊𝒍𝒚 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒇𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆:
– Starting to be online (checking my iPhone and computer) only after I brought my kids to school/Kindergarten at around 8:30 am.
– I will not use screens after 5 pm. This will allow me to be more present with my family at home and not become a role model for a dad who is always stuck to his phone. I will put my iPhone in a drawer in the kitchen so I can still hear the ringing of a phone call if my parents or friends call.
– No iPhone in the bedroom. The bedroom is for two things only: sleep & s**.
Final conclusion: shutting off your phone will not prevent you from sunburn lying on the beach 🏖️
1 question for the Weekend
Do you dare to do this experiment for yourself? It will be eye-opening!