Introducing the Digital Detox
A digital detox isn't a vacation from your phone, it's a complete reset of your relationship with it. The Break Free from the Internet 35-Day Digital Detox: Rewire your Habits is a structured program designed to help adults break unhealthy phone habits for good, learn to use technology as a tool rather than a trap, and build a new baseline that actually sticks. This essay explains what the program involves, why traditional detoxes fail, and what makes this approach different.
I started this community in October after spending some time working on my relationship with technology and discovering that there weren’t a lot of spaces with likeminded people. It’s been a rewarding 2+ months getting to know you and growing this little corner of the Internet.
One thing that I found was that there were a lot of people asking “I know I want to make changes, but how do I do it?”
The problem is there’s no easy solve. You can’t simply download an app and suddenly your habits are rewired. There’s no simple check list you can tackle to eliminate the addiction. I wanted to create a tool that could help people to bridge the gap between their desires and their actions.
And so, I’ve spent the last couple months putting together a new guide that can help you to make real changes with your relationship with your phone.
Introducing Rewire your Habits
Rewire your Habits: a practical digital detox for modern life
The Rewire your Habits: A practical digital detox for modern life is a 35-day course that will help you detox from your unhealthy phone habits, take back control of your devices, and learn to use your phone as a tool. The program consists of 3 sections, listed below:
Setting the foundation | Prepare to change your phone habits.
Making changes |Start the real detox - no social media, no gaming, no entertainment, no fluff. Continue the detox and layer in more challenges, thenfinish the detox strong.
Creating a new baseline | Set new boundaries for your relationship with your devices.
As a participant, each week, you’ll have between 2-4 lessons guiding you on steps to take to reshape your relationship with technology. The first week will be spent preparing for the digital detox. Weeks 2-4 are the guts of the digital detox, and the last week is for easing back in and setting a new baseline.
The overall goal of the digital detox is to learn to use technology as a tool. The main focus will be reshaping your habits on your phone since that is the most common culprit of unhealthy behaviors. You’ll still be able to use technology that serves you, we are just eliminating the extra stuff.
Do digital detoxes really work?
I’ve seen the argument made that traditional digital detox detoxes don’t work, and I get it. If you’re participating in a digital detox detox and treating it like a “break” instead of a complete habit change, then no, the digital detox will not work.
The goal of Rewire your Habits, however, is to reset your baseline and begin using your phone as a tool. The intention is not to take a three week break, then go back to doing things the way you were before.
This digital detox will not work for you unless you’re ready to make real, lasting change.
This means:
Going into the digital detox with a growth mindset.
Preparing to commit yourself to the digital detox program.
Dedicating the time and energy to participating in the entirety of the course.
Planning to change your habits for the long-run.
I wrote recently about my mindset shift — viewing my phone as a tool. The first step is to adopt this mindset. This digital detox program takes that mindset and turns it into action.
I can’t wait to take the next step of this journey with you.