Omnipresent in our lives, the smartphone has become in just a few years as indispensable as it is toxic. Living without a phone? Impossible! And yet, from the most radical cures to the simplest gestures, discover how to enjoy airplane mode!
But why on earth should we do without our precious phone? First of all, to take stock of our addiction! Our smartphone has taken a crazy place in our lives. A doubt about a date? A quick look on Wikipedia. A sudden desire to buy, quickly a quick click on Amazon! An appointment with the ophthalmologist? We no longer know how to go there without consulting the Google Maps or City Mapper apps. It makes you wonder how we did it before!
Today , 1 in 5 French people say they are addicted to their cell phones !
The downside? Minor anxieties, difficulty sleeping or falling back asleep (especially after checking emails in the middle of the night!), reduced attention span and concentration... In short, in a society where we are asked to be on all fronts, it is important to treat ourselves to a digital detox from time to time, to reset the counters to zero.
Here are several paths to follow with varying degrees of difficulty and the benefits to be expected. Don't forget to make a little post in your Instagram stories to say that you are seriously starting your "screen-free" cure to get back to sleep and get more energy.
Leave your phone at the entrance… until the next day.
Difficulty level: medium .
Indeed, this is a new habit to adopt. If you decide that from 10pm onwards, the phone is a no-go, you will be able to pick up every evening and put your brain on pause mode for real. Instead of looking at the latest posts from your Instagram “friends”, you will be able to read and avoid the blue light from the screen exciting you before going to sleep!
Benefit: a better night, provided you invest in an alarm clock. Indeed, you will also avoid sleeping near the waves of your phone and, in the event of waking up at night, you will not go for a spin on social networks.
Establish one or more “free” days
Difficulty level: difficult
Alone or with your family, you can decide not to check your phone for the entire weekend. To do this, you can take it step by step. Weekend 1 detox, do not look at social networks (even if it means deleting the apps). The following month, weekend 2 detox no phone for the entire weekend. If you are anxious about not being reached, notify one of your loved ones who will act as a relay in case of emergency. In the same idea as the "off" weekend, you can, once a week, decree a day without a phone. Yes, it seems absurd like that, but you can absolutely live without your smartphone grafted to your wrist. At work, this can be a day dedicated to a creative or writing task. If, once again, you're freaking out about missing a super important call, you can of course notify your colleagues by email (sorry, I "forgot" my cell phone, which can be reached by email) or check the list of calls and text messages at noon and 6 p.m. That's already a first step. Even easier, just hang up for a few hours, long enough to finish a file without being interrupted.
Benefit: best way to take a real break, to refocus on your needs, to recharge your batteries while staying at home. As for the day off during the week, it is perfect when you have a task to accomplish that deserves your attention for several hours.
Going out without your phone
Difficulty level: difficult
The hardest part of a digital detox? Not being tempted to look at your phone or tablet, even mechanically. The solution? Put your phone down and go out without it. Yes, yes, it is possible. You can do it in stages. Thirty minutes at the start, time to do some shopping. And several hours afterwards, for example during a full dinner at a friend's house or an outing in nature. When you get home, also occupy your mind with a manual or intellectual activity (cooking, DIY, meditation, reading, etc.) this will stop you from sending SOS to your phone!
Benefit: being 100% connected in the here and now and favoring authentic relationships. It is also the best way to recreate a bond, for example by asking for directions or information instead of having the smartphone reflex directly!
Choose time slots
Difficulty level: super easy
In short, it's about deciding to no longer look at your work emails on weekends and in the evening, to devote a maximum of one hour to social networks, to check your profile and messages on a dating site twice a week, etc. Also remember to deactivate unnecessary notifications and say STOP to ads. And above all, put most WhatsApp discussions on mute so as not to be disturbed.
Benefit: regain control over your smartphone. You are the master!
Prioritize human contact
Difficulty level: super easy
It's Clémence's birthday? But why not call her instead of sending her a bland text message? The same goes for some people in your contact list with whom you rarely talk. Maybe it's time to clean out your contact list? Because contact, real contact, eye-to-eye contact, also deserves your full attention. Don't be rude, don't reply to a message while chatting with someone. This faux pas has a 2.0 name: "phubbing" (contraction of phone and snubbing) or the art of snubbing someone with your smartphone in your hand.
Benefit: a little human warmth on the other end of the line is worth all the smileys in the world!
And if none of these solutions suit you, know that there are also detox cures that are as radical as they are expensive. The idea? Have your device confiscated while you go to the spa, and get it back at the end of your stay. Not bad either!
