Considering a tech fast? Here's what I'm learning during a month of no screens.
Like don't give up TV during peak winter.
I’m three weeks into a month-long tech fast. No social media, no podcasts, no video games, no TV on my own.
If what they say is true and it takes 21 days to form a habit, I’ve reached the point where I’m no longer confined by the shackles of screened entertainment. I’m unburdened, I’m alive, I’m better than you. I toss my breadcrumbs of advice to the peasants.
Ha-ha. Just jokes. Though I am sharing what I’ve learned so far, it’s not a prescription, merely observation. If you’re interested in taking a prolonged tech break, here are five things to consider:
1. Do a tech fast any time other than winter.
Why did I pick February to do this? Over the years, my rhythm of productivity starts to wane around Thanksgiving, and I snuggle into hibernation mode through January. February feels like a time to resume, to get life in order before the earth thaws and we’re meant to go outside, stretch and yawn, and act like normal humans again.
That said, winter is a brave time to complete a tech fast. There are fewer distractions from yourself when you’re stuck inside. This can reap great personal growth, but, like myself, if you’ve never before relinquished all shiny distractions for an extended time, it’s best to pick a season when you can enjoy the sunny outdoors with plentiful off-screen hobbies.
2. You will feel uncomfortable. Lean into it.
I am confronting BIG feelings this month. Boredom, listlessness, realizing I have much work to do on myself and my relationships. These feelings were previously so easy to numb with a social media scroll. It’s scary to think about how much time you’ve spent tuning out emotions because it’s easier to distract yourself than to have a come to Jesus moment.
If you feel discomfort during a tech fast, this is normal. If you can lean in, do. You might just hear something—a static buzz, a whisper. It’s your inner voice welcoming you back home.
3. You will have more time. Don’t waste it. Or do.
On a tech fast, your weekends gawp at you. Previously, a normal Saturday at home for me consisted of a couple hours of cozy gaming with YouTube yapping in the background, some social media scrolling, then a nap, and oh, it’s time to make dinner? The day would draw to a close without me pursuing the hobbies that make me feel alive: reading and writing. This month, however, I’ve approached my hobbies with more fervor, no longer allowing them to curdle on the back burner.
It’s also good to just…stare at the wall. This is not a waste of time, even if you live with someone and they express concern for you. You are communing with yourself, rediscovering that childhood feeling of not being occupied.
4. Secure regular social plans. Especially if you’re an introvert.
Hello, fellow introvert and homebody here. It is all too easy for me to avoid social plans, especially with a husband who is also introverted. We can just stay at home and hang out together! Alas.
I made sure to meet family and friends for lunch a couple times this month, and I attended my in-person writing critique group even when it was cold and dark out and I wanted to stay home. I feel refreshed after healthy social interaction, and it’s crucial to put extra focus on your real-life relationships during this period—try to maintain this energy after your fast, too.
5. Consider your return to screens.
As with many timed experiments—diets, exercise programs, contractual relationships—it’s easy to dust off your hands at the end and write a fat check mark next to the task. You completed the tech fast, time to celebrate by re-gluing a phone to your palm! There truly are no rules except the ones we impose upon ourselves.
It’s best, though, that if you experienced benefits during your time away, to take note and implement them into your regular routine. Do you like the idea of only accessing social media on your laptop, watching YouTube only on your TV, only listening to podcasts while doing one specific task?
Consider moderation. Consider using your phone strictly as a tool, not an entertainment device.
The Third Week
Early this week, I wanted to quit. Instead, I stopped struggling and finally gave into the process.
Not to say I didn’t feel the usual boredom and discomfort, but I’m learning that these emotions are OK. As long as they don’t overwhelm and define me, it is healthy to feel the spectrum of human emotion. These feelings are preferred over the worthlessness and guilt I felt after a daily social media scroll.
The most miraculous transformations this month have been:
How long time feels again—seriously, this month has felt like three
I understand time is relative and tends to flee from us as we age, but part of it is also how much time we waste staring at phones, waiting to experience any type of feeling. I am here to say: Stop waiting! You hold the power to reclaim your time, cherished hobbies, and time with loved ones. (For my next miraculous transformation, I will turn into a motivational speaker.)
A desire to tend to my hobbies instead of dreading them
I firmly believe a part of why I am here is to write. I also spend so much time avoiding writing. I can’t possibly write if I’m not motivated, if the words don’t translate perfectly from head to paper, if it’s too cloudy, too sunny, I’m hangry, it’s Tuesday. Guess what? These are excuses, slight discomforts that I used to numb with my phone. No more. I welcome my hobbies, seek them out in the pockets of my day.
Facing my own shortcomings
There are parts of my life that have long been subpar, that I’ve shoved aside with the notion that adulthood is bleak and I will only find comfort in distraction. I’ve been humbled many times this month: I am not where I want to be with my creative writing endeavors; I am not where I want to be as a wife, daughter, sister. It feels heartbreaking but also freeing. I am coming to terms with these needed improvements. I have the power and time now to change them.
I aim to embrace the final week of this experiment and consider how best to reincorporate screens into my life. I have a feeling it won’t be the same as before. But then, I don’t want it to be.
See you next week.
The Metrics
My daily average screen time is down by 10 percent from last week. Discord use decreased by 35 minutes this week to an acceptable (to me) 53 minutes. This week, I created some Spotify playlists for an upcoming road trip and conducted writing research via Google, hence their placement at spots two and three. Three hours per day still feels high, but I feel good (mostly) about how I’m using my phone.
My in-depth analysis: This user is finally learning to use her phone as a tool.
What I’m Reading
A Long Game: Notes on Writing Fiction by Elizabeth McCracken
Brief essays covering all aspects of the craft. McCracken’s voice is refreshing, humorous, relatable. If you’re a writer, this is a small book worth buying for your shelf. One of my favorite snippets: “I have never encountered a rule for fiction I believed in, at least in the long run, apart from Don’t use a gothic font to make your work feel spooky.”
You’re the best Marissa! I love reading your stories. 😘