5 MIN READ
Do you feel like you have trouble focusing on important things for long periods of time? In our modern day and age, there are many things competing for our attention. Our phones, computers, and TVs, to name a few. Learn how you can take a break and do a digital detox to regain your focus.
Do you know how many times you check your phone throughout your day?
Research shows that the average person checks their phone over 150 times per day! Every time we go to check our phones is a moment that our focus gets lost from something else. And contrary to popular belief, multitasking is not a very efficient way of working.
Often the things that we are trying to focus on are more important than a random notification that we receive on our phones. So cultivating that unbroken focus is important for our work and our daily lives. Whether we need to write a report, read a challenging book or have an important conversation with a loved one we always need the ability to focus.
But we all know it’s hard to ignore that nagging feeling of wanting to check your phone. Sometimes we even find ourselves looking at our phones without having put a lot of conscious thought into doing it. If examples like these sound familiar to you, then you might benefit from doing a digital detox.
“What is a digital detox?” you might be wondering. It’s basically taking a break from all the things that are robbing you of your ability to focus on something for a long time. By taking a break, you give your mind the rest it needs to recover from all the things that are constantly trying to grab your attention.
In our modern world, the things that are competing for your attention the most strongly are digital products like your phone, computer or TV.
A digital detox helps you be more grounded. So that you can prove to yourself that you don’t need to be constantly checking your phone or your computer in order to go about your day.
Remember that you can start small and try doing a digital detox over the weekend. Feel free to experiment with doing longer detoxes whenever you feel like you have trouble focusing and you want to clear your mind
Here are some simple steps to help you get started:
1. PUT YOUR PHONE ON SILENT MODE
Unless you need to be constantly accessible for work or family reasons, you can simply put your phone on silent mode. This way you don’t hear or see notifications until – and only then – you decide to check your phone.
It’s a good idea to communicate beforehand with friends, family and co-workers that you will only be checking your phone a couple of times throughout the day. For example, once in the morning after your meditation and morning ritual, once during your lunch break and once in the evening. This way, others can set their expectations correctly on how they can contact you.
And your mind will thank you for the peace and calm you’ve created for yourself by putting your phone on silent mode.
2. PLACE YOUR PHONE WHERE YOU CAN’T SEE IT
The ancient wisdom comes to us with the saying “out of sight, out of mind”. It’s a good idea to place your phone away from where you can easily access it. Even if you’ve turned off your notifications, having your phone next to you will increase the chance that you will want to check it. The temptation will be there to see if you’ve received an email or text message.
By putting your phone in a drawer or behind some books, it will be easier ignore it. And you can easily focus on your other important tasks.
By taking a break from consuming visual media, it will be easier for you to focus on less visually interesting but important tasks in your life.
3. STOP WATCHING MOVIES, TV SHOWS OR OTHER VISUAL MEDIA
With the help of technology, we can easily entertain our minds with countless hours of media. This is all well and good until we start to have trouble focusing on reading a good book or doing something that isn’t so stimulating. It’s at this point we experience the negative effects of having access to so much entertainment at the tip of our fingertips, at all times.
By regularly taking a break from consuming media, we can recharge and reground ourselves. And once we are at the end of our digital detox, we will enjoy watching our favorite movie even more!
4. DO THINGS THAT REQUIRE A LOT OF FOCUS
Is there a book you’ve been meaning to read? How about completing a big jigsaw puzzle? Now is the time to sit down and give all of your focus to something that challenges you.
It could be learning how to paint. Or practicing yoga. Whatever it is that you choose, aim to dedicate at least 2 hours of uninterrupted focus to it. You will be amazed at how much progress you will make when you give something your all.
Unlocking the hidden potential of your mind will give you the confidence to tackle even harder challenges in your life. Free from outside distractions, you will feel more grounded and secure. We hope these tips will help you achieve a deeper focus in life.