What I Learned in My First Digital Detox

Oct 11, 2021

I’ve done a “Digital Detox” for about 60 days and it has revealed a lot about myself, shown a lot of promise, and even revealed what I’m calling an “optimistic depression.”

The results of the experiment were so promising and revealing that I’m choosing to go another 30 days with a more intense format.

In this post, I’ll be sharing (clickable):

This Digital Detox has been a gateway to discovering the inner emptiness I’ve been feeling for some time, helping me uncover the workings of the inner critic, has helped with my ability to focus on work, and more.

What is a Digital Detox?

A Digital Detox is a temporary experiment of living without easy, abundant access to “optional technologies” related to digital devices (websites, applications, phones, computers).

A Digital Detox may also be referred to as “Digital Declutter,” “Digital Minimalism,” “Social Media Detox,” and so forth.

The emphasis of “temporary” needed to be stressed for me or I would have never tried it

Optional technologies are anything that we could “technically” live without. Often technologies (software and hardware) get added into our lives because there “might” be some benefit to them. The cost of those technologies might be greater (more detrimental) than the benefits we derive from them.

What’s classified as “optional” is personal and subjective. Some may classify Facebook as optional and others may classify it as essential. Same with Instagram, Youtube, Music, Video Games, Netflix, Texting, … and so forth.

The Digital Detox aims to help one explore a life without these resources – to see what is and isn’t essential, reveal your actual values, and identify which technologies support or enhance those values rather than detract from them.

On the other end of the detox, you proactively choose what technologies to ADD BACK into your life in an intentional manner by questioning what your own values/goals are and if each technology (software or hardware) is the BEST option to support that value/goal.

The idea of the experiment came from Cal Newport in two of his books: “Digital Minimalism” and “Deep Work.” He suggests 30 days for this experiment, so that’s what I went with at the start.

When I first wrote about my Digital Detox attempt, I articulated my desire for the experiment’s outcome:

“By stepping away from social, I believe (and hope) that the result will be that I will actually DO more of the work I’ve identified as important, I’ll connect more deeply and meaningfully with people, and that I’ll create immense space for my heart, soul, and truth to surface (and be recognized by my conscious self).”

Now more than 3 months after my first foray into the Digital Detox, I can happily say that I am living more on the side of those positive effects than on the side of “hoping for” those effects.

Therefor – the ultimate purpose of this Digital Detox is not about the changes to or emphasis of technology but rather how I am living my life, what I am aligned towards, how I am moving towards those goals, and so forth.

The Digital Detox is about identifying what’s important in life (and how technology can be used intentionally to support that) — not on focusing on what I’m giving up.

The Digital Detox is a “sprint,” rather than a life-long change. I’ve done at least 2 long “sprints” of this Detox already and am going to give it “one more go” of 30 days before setting it in my toolbox for another time.

If I give this experiment one solid final attempt, I can walk away with concrete decisions on how I want to utilize “optional” and “essential” technologies in tandem to support my personal and professional goals.

Why I Needed a Digital Detox

For most of my life I struggled with procrastination, anxiety, people pleasing, not being able to speak up, being my authentic self, sticking to routines, and … lots more. These have become even more pronounced during this “stay/work at home” era.

Distractions and “opportunities” are abundant when the internet is at your fingertips at every moment of the day. I had gotten to the point where I did not feel like I was in the drivers’ seat of my own life. Rather than having a subconscious that supported my goals, I had inadvertently trained it to default to unhealthy, disempowered behavior.

I struggled to stay on task, focus, be disciplined, and speak and act in an authentic manner. Getting myself to sit down and work, write, or even do things I enjoyed (dance, see people, be creative, etc) was difficult.

Why?

I filled every moment of boredom or discomfort [to do something difficult] with something quick, easy, and low-value. Occasionally these might be helpful for decompressing. However, those activities became the norm and it was scarily automatic and “thoughtless.”

I would often “catch myself” wasting time on Facebook/Youtube, close the tab, and immediately go to the SAME EXACT WEBSITE or flip-flop between the same distracting websites.

My mind was in a state of constant “doing” even though I was only spinning my wheels and not going anywhere. I was mentally trying to do so much at once and making no progress.

The concept of the Digital Detox was captivating to me, even though it challenged everything about my identity (the gamer, the “digital wizard,” the techy one, etc) to think about the possibility of NOT being that identity.

It captivated me because I wanted and needed to quiet the mind so that I could hear myself and I had a suspicion that how I was using the internet was creating overwhelming mental noise.

The Digital Detox aims to orient us towards doing the harder, more meaningful work – and challenges us to think about the quality of our leisure time.

As I progressed through the Digital Detox, my awareness increased: particularly of when I was feeling anxious, tense, stressed. Over time I began to stop my typical “cycle of jumping from distraction-to-distraction” and would do something to alleviate that stress. Sometimes it meant “finally starting that work project” and other times it meant getting off the fucking computer and do something else that didn’t involve a screen or the internet.

It was, and is, far from perfect and the awareness has and continues to improve.

But there is a hidden dark side to this experience.

My awareness of these tendencies to avoid and distract myself revealed that I was afraid of what I wanted to do and who I wanted to be. Afraid I wouldn’t fit the bill, that I would fail spectacularly, that I’d never be able to become who I wanted or achieve what I set out to be.

Those fears stopped me from trying and I started living vicariously in my mind, imagining all the changes, all the grand work, all the people I could connect with or help.

But … you don’t go anywhere if all you’re doing is watching.

And I was watching. A lot.

So it was [ is! ] time to stop watching.

My Experiences, So Far

I’m choosing to break these down into two categories:

  • “Heavy-Weighted Experiences” that have a “significant” weighty feeling to them. These are NOT inherently bad.
  • “Expansive Experiences” that are more light-hearted with an uplifting energy to them.

I tried my best to trim these down to only the most notable.

The Heavy-Weighted Experiences

This category of experiences are not necessarily bad nor negative. They carry a more significant ‘weight’ to them that has had considerable impact on my way of being, my thoughts, and so forth.

As ‘heavy’ as they may be, there is an exciting, optimistic element underneath each.

⭐ Increase in depression and feelings of “losing myself.”

In the beginning, I was inconsistent with sticking with the experiment and had to regularly “reset” back into my intentions. The longer I went, the more I withdrew from familiar (and habitual) websites and activities.

The more consistent I became at staying “off” of optional websites/activities, a rift in my consciousness began to form because I was no longer running to distractions to numb myself.

More opportunities developed for inner dialogue as I was reducing how much of my conscious thoughts were filled by others’ ideas (via YouTube, Facebook, or even good-intentioned conversations with friends).

This rift revealed that…

“I don’t actually know a lot about myself in a way that feels genuine or authentic. I see myself through the lens of others or a critical inner voice and it’s hard for me to do something for my own sake/experience.”

As I was reducing the amount of times I was distracting myself with websites, video-games, podcasts, movies, etc., I began to feel the low-grade hum of depression.

The things I normally enjoyed weren’t as tantalizing. I couldn’t pull myself to do the work I wanted to do. Connecting to people began feeling like a chore and obligation. It was a drag to do simple work that needed to get done. Even some of the “distracting” things I would spend my time with wouldn’t grip me.

When I shared this with some friends, I came to the realization that “depression” might have been more prevalent in my life than I thought AND that it’s helpful to articulate what we’re going through because it can help to “reduce the size of” that experience and make it more manageable.

I know that depression is complicated, so I SAY some of this lightly while knowing that I shouldn’t TAKE it lightly. [And I certainly encourage others to chat with someone if you’re experiencing any kinds of depression symptoms. 💖]

But… I did mention that this felt like an “optimistic depression” at the beginning of this article. This Digital Detox removed a lot of the digital noise and mental clutter that permeates almost every waking moment of my life.

It revealed feelings and inner dialogue that was there, but I wasn’t often aware of:

  • Do I even like the things I like?
  • I struggle to define what I like.
  • I have immense self-doubt about my abilities.
  • I’m not even sure if I can take care of myself very well.
  • How I’m talking and interacting with the world is feeling… inauthentic and driven by fear.
  • I’m in fight or flight all fucking day.

My disinterest in certain things in life right now might be because of depression – or it might be because I’ve finally had enough calmness in my mind to acknowledge I actually DON’T want to do those things. That my being doesn’t align to certain activities, thoughts, forms of communication, etc.

This whole experience could be summed up as a ‘shedding of skin.’ Quieting the noise of the mind so that I can actually talk with myself, listen to my intuition, and make more authentic choices driven by intention – not automation.

It’s a difficult process to shed one’s skin, armor, identity – but so very liberating to begin anew and only take on what feels right.

Optimistically – this sensation is creating space for newfound strength, authenticity and truth to emerge.

⭐ Increased loneliness.

Most of my life I would consider myself “physically lonely” but not “overall lonely.” A large portion of my days were filled with watching online content (seeing people), online gaming (connecting/socializing with people), virtual work (zoom calls with a team) or other forms of direct connection (dance).

By being less connected to the online world, I experience more of the “sad” feelings of physical loneliness. I’m on Messenger less, not watching as much YouTube (sorta), and getting far less of the “low quality” pings of connection (via Facebook).

Therefore, I feel like I am “less connected” but in reality I have only reduced the “low quality” connections that I filled my days with.

So, yes: more lonely, but it’s also what I need so that I can cultivate higher quality connections.

Now I have the opportunity to be intentional about the connections I make – and to strive for cultivating deeper, more meaningful conversations and relationships.

⭐ Discovery of the inner critic.

An inner critic comes in handy to keep ourselves in check or to push us to do better and to grow. My inner critic, however, runs rampant behind the scenes and causes a whole lot of destruction and chaos. It causes a lot of pain, stress, and inaction in life.

It prevents me from doing the work I want to do, complicates “simple” choices in my day, and makes me doubt myself.

The inner critic hides in and thrives on the “frantic, chaotic headspace” I often am in.

The more I quiet the noise of my mind and environment (by removing optional technologies and distractions), I start to become aware of the thoughts and feelings I’m having on a regular basis — and how often the inner critic is involved.

As I quiet my inner and outer world, it gets easier to notice the inner critic and be more deliberate with my thoughts and choices. I start to take control in the moments of the day, rather than letting the inner critic and fear operate my daily life.

⭐ I became more resentful of connection and conversation and “inspirational content.” ):

I’m still processing this observation.

I feel resistant to a lot of connection compared to just a couple years ago. It’s a strange dichotomy that I both want to improve communication AND want to connect with very few people.

I theorize that my resentment is because by default I say yes to opportunities and invitations, instead of being pointedly honest that “no, I’d rather just stay in and ____.”

Even my dance time has dropped dramatically – despite opportunities for dance being almost as abundant as they were pre-pandemic.

I’ve gotten more consistent at feeling into whether or not invitations and activities feel right or supportive – or if they are detrimental or simply “not what I want to do.”

I read Messenger less – and often wait until I can actually reply. I am doing better about staying focused on my projects and work or my personal time – instead of letting the ‘pings’ of Messenger derail me into feeling obligated to connect.

The resentment I’ve been having around opportunities for connection blooms specifically because it makes me realize, “This thing will take up hours of my day – and I haven’t been spending my time in a worthwhile manner to contribute towards my goals or personal well-being.” It then galvanizes me into wanting to dive into my personal/work projects, because if I go do that social thing, I now can’t spend that time on this personal/work thing.

That does NOT mean I DO NOT want to connect. I believe that as I continue to utilize my learnings from this Digital Detox experience, I’ll come out on the other side with a better (and improving) ability to be more intentional with my time (and utilize it more effectively) and feel fulfilled enough to go out and socialize/relax.

Lastly – I have become painfully aware of how much “advice” I seek from other people, or “life changing ideas” I take in from videos/articles, … and then never implement it.

Why is that? Two reasons:

  1. I’m taking in TOO MUCH at once and can’t realistically integrate 3 “life changing things” every fucking hour of the day. One thing at a time, man.
  2. Even if your advice might be perfect, even if it’s well intentioned … I usually don’t want your advice (see point 1, I won’t integrate it), I want your validation, I want the ‘feel good vibes’ of you thinking an idea is cool, or being recognized for making progress, blahblahblah.

So I am dialing back how much I’m sharing about what I’m doing (unless it’s what I have already done or am currently doing – not what I ‘am going to try and do’), as well as trying not to get feedback/opinion/advice from people, and reducing how many “personal development” types of videos I watch (reduction by 80-100% is the goal).

⭐ Awareness that my “invitations to do a group activity” is … not genuine.

The intention and vision might have some genuineness to it… but the truth from the subconscious is again: validation seeking, approval seeking, gimme those “feel good vibes” for wanting to do something.

More often than not, when I try to make a “group experience” around something it’s because I just need to do that for myself. I want someone else to say “YEP, that’s a good idea.”

It’s through this Digital Detox that I’m learning that I’m creating awareness and space for me to “step up to the plate” to do what I want to do — since I’m now no longer operating as automatically without self-control as I used to.

If I can get myself to “do the thing” and also create opportunity and collaboration, that’s beautiful. … But I need to be able to do the thing and validate and give permission to myself first.

“Stop creating a middle-man. Just do what you want to do.”

⭐ Fight-or-flight has been at an all-time high. Distractions are killing me.

I know that I live in fight or flight pretty often and more than is healthy. I experience elevated heart-rates, shortness of breath, tunnel vision at various times throughout my day. Particularly when I’m pushing through Resistance to do important work, when I’m talking to most people, and when I’m out in public. It’s not normal, nor healthy.

With the current state of my “digital world,” I feel like this fight-or-flight response is cultivated through my behavior with technology: all the distractions, the pulls to do something else, the subconscious awareness of “boredom” or “discomfort” causing me to do something unhelpful, etc… it’s cultivating a nervous system where I’m frantically bouncing from thing to thing.

By reducing the distractions, withdrawing from all the “quick and easy” alternatives — I experience a calmer state of being.

From this calmer state I can be more aware, take intentional action, and respond more truthfully.

The Expansive Experiences

These experiences are far more ‘light hearted’ compared to those above with more ‘as expected’ outcomes from this experiment or are otherwise more expansive.

⭐ The nervous system is getting calmer, awareness is increasing, and healthier choices are becoming common.

The more time I’m spending outside of “frantic, fight-or-flight” mindsets and physiologies, the more I am spending time in calmer states and breathing more optimally.

Awareness is the name of the game – through all these increased “time gaps” between activities or distractions, there are now more moments where I can question whether or not something I’m about to do is in alignment with myself or my goals.

As a result, I’m making healthier and cleaner choices more often – from food to content I consume (or don’t) to activities I partake in to socialization and to other habits I’m integrating (like meditation, walking, reading, going without internet, etc).

I can more easily identify my frantic states and pause – and be more deliberate in my choices instead of staying in that anxious energy or the behavior that is causing it.

For example, when I feel “I’m hungry” it’s the difference between “I should make something food real quick” versus “I’m anxious and feeling resistance – let me pause, take a few breaths, and lean into what’s meaningful [or step away from what’s not meaningful].”

⭐ Improvement to work ethic, using routines/schedules, and value and duration of “work sessions.”

I have seen noteworthy improvements compared to where I was just months ago.

The Digital Detox, combined with concepts from other recently read books helped me to create a much stronger work ethic. I’m able to focus on projects for longer, avoid ruthless task-switching (i.e., multi-tasking), and [in my opinion] can create much higher quality work-outcomes or creations in less time.

⭐ I can “hear myself” more.

I have dialogue with myself more often because not every waking moment is filled with a Youtube video, a podcast, some article, or some game. I find myself sitting on the couch, in a chair, out on the porch and just … being. Just thinking. Pondering.

Those moments are creating space where I can actually feel/hear myself, become aware of how I’m feeling, and then make a conscious choice to change what I’m thinking/asking myself or what I’m doing — as opposed to simply going about my day, bouncing from thing to thing, and having this “heavy weight” lingering inside of me ALL day.

As a result, the aforementioned “inner critic” gets quieter and quieter – because now I am looking AT the critic, not simply in mindless quarrels with it.

Self-agency improves the moment I become aware and incorporate more empowering, intentional inner dialogue.

I make quicker choices without having to consult that inner critic. Confidence goes up because I’m now experiencing myself doing something, not thinking about doing it.

⭐ Inspiring oneself.

By not watching as much online content, I have caught myself watching content I’ve created, posts I’ve written, or videos I’ve recorded and not published.

There’s a profound level of satisfaction out of it, because I’m not used to observing that I’m doing way better than my inner critic wants me to think.

I’m in a stage of life now that I need to be radically experiential. Trusting that I can learn what I need to learn, that I have the answers inside of me, and will have the fortitude to survive setbacks.

It’s time to reduce what I take in from the outside AND increase the volume dial on my own expression.

⭐ Minimizing, simplification, and prioritization.

Anytime I would get into a “down” mental state I would inevitably watch or read inspirational content and feel “motivated to change my life.”

Every time the themes would be almost entirely the same – from dance to video creation to minimizing to reducing clutter, and so on.

Along that trend, however, would soon follow the “failure to follow through.”

Through this Digital Detox I continue to trim out non-essential, reduce ‘tabs’ and ‘saves’ and ‘bookmarks’ and and and …

By reducing peripheral distractions and the tempting projects, I create more space to focus on what really matters. (This is very much a work in progress.)

⭐ Reading more – and integrating what I learn.

Shoutout to Derek Sivers and Yes Theory as major influences for setting me down this ‘experimental path.’

I’ve already read more during this experiment alone than I have all of last year combined.

I had reached out to Derek Sivers about 5 years ago when I was struggling with the very things I’m working through right now. (This means that I didn’t make much headway in those 5 years – because I didn’t actually try his advice until now.)

One of his suggestions was to get “Willpower Instinct” (by Kelly M), which has been a nice companion to other impactful books, “Digital Minimalism” and “Deep Work” both by Cal Newport.

I stumbled on Digital Minimalism after watching this Yes Theory video (multiple times at this point – it’s a favorite, and a reminder of life outside of screens – and that we can still use these apps/websites for growth).

I took some notes as I read – and the key piece of advice that Derek gave me was to “make a to do list” of books I read, and to take action on those immediately. (Still working on that part, buuut – it’s a start.) 

Beyond that, “make some huge fucking drastic change” was in that advice as well. That’s what I’m doing with all of this effort to minimize my online time and to spend that time doing more meaningful things (dance, alone time, reading good books + creating to do lists from those books, connecting with others).

⭐ Time on my phone has decreased dramatically.

After implementing new strategies with my phone, I spent dramatically less time on it and it serves very specific purposes.

Most notably:

  • App & Website Blocking
  • Keeping my phone out of my bedroom at night
  • Turning off all notifications (yes, ALL of them)
  • Turning on Silent Mode & DND

The only exceptions I have to notifications & DND modes are when I’m expecting a call or know I need to be accessible for someone.

I primarily only use my phone for:

  • Messenger
  • Spotify
  • Camera
  • Google Maps
  • Google Keep
  • Texts
  • Phone Calls (whaaaat)

Notice this doesn’t even include Youtube, Facebook, or Instagram at all. None of those apps exist on my phone. Even on an internet browser I can’t access any of those websites. (When I’m being good. 👀)

I’ve gotten better at giving myself grace for slipping into old habits – and gently easing myself back into the intention I started with.

As a result, my phone now legitimately feels like a tool (music, quick searches, Zoom calls, responding to messages when I’m away from the computer) and not a source of distraction anymore. Of course with any challenging endeavor, I go in phases of effectiveness.

Digital Detoxing Challenges, Fears, and Tips

As I embark on the next stage of my Digital Detox, I want to reflect on the challenges I’ve had, fears I have about continuing (to go deeper), and tips that will be helpful for me to review (and for you to consider if you consider an endeavor like this). These are from my personal experience and may or may not apply for you. Use your own judgement!

The bolded text is the inner fear or challenge. The unbolded is my ‘higher self’ countering that thought.

⭐ I need to do this 30 Day Experiment as perfectly as I can and in the ways that Cal Newport instructed. – “No no, do it messy first. Set your intentions for what you want it to be, even if it’s different and give it a go. Make changes (more extreme, less extreme) as you go. Dust yourself off when you stumble and keep showing up. It doesn’t matter if you had 20 days of “meh” and the rest of it goes splendidly. IT STILL COUNTS. Progress forward in REALITY is far better than it being perfect in theory, but never acted on. Remember the reason why you were pulled towards this in the first place.”

⭐ I experienced more feelings of loneliness. – “You’re the same amount of “lonely” as you were before this endeavor. The difference is that you were getting artificial feelings of connection because of Youtube or quick comments on Facebook. Those aren’t inherently bad, but they weren’t as “highly valued” as your brain thought they were. You’ve already experienced a desire for higher quality connections and conversations. Call people, meet people for coffee, talk meaningful over Zoom. — While you’re at it, remember that the time with yourself is one of the highest quality time you can have. Don’t dilute it with distractions.”

⭐ I’m feeling pangs of what I’m giving up. – “Focus NOT on ‘what you are giving up.’ Instead, focus on WHY you are doing this in the first place. What’s the PURPOSE of this Digital Detox? What is the BENEFIT on the other side? When you DO focus on what you’re giving up (Netflix, gaming, Youtube, etc.), just remember it’s an experiment (to reveal things to yourself) not a life sentence. You only have… how many days left? You can make it that far, then you can do whatever you want. [Although, you and I know that it’s unlikely you’ll want to go back to the way things were once this is over.]”

When I stumble into a “distracted state,” the feelings are more intense. – “Give yourself a little grace – you are trying to integrate some intense changes! It’s normal to feel immense Resistance when you’re disrupting your normal behaviors.

“Even when you experience those intense feelings during distracted states, remind yourself that the “relapse” is very short and you’ll bounce back a LOT faster than you used to. Brush yourself off, start again now and tomorrow morning.”

⭐ My environment makes it hard to make these changes and I still get distracted. – “Modify your environment as much as you can and broaden your definition of “environment.” You think of environment as your room, where you’re working, the outside, and so forth. Yes, and… Your phone has an environment, your computer has an environment, your work flow is an environment, and so on. Add extensions, programs, services, etc. that can help to modify your digital environments. Create some rule-sets for yourself and try to stick to it. Change your physical layout as much as you can so that you are less likely to be distracted AND to be as calm and inviting towards “the one thing” you want to work on. Do your best to be intentional about being online. ‘Once you’re online, then you’re fair game to distractions’ if you’re not being conscious.”

⭐ Other tips I’ve found helpful:

  • Stay logged out of as many services as possible – specifically the ones that are the troublemaker. (Mine is Facebook, Youtube, and sometimes Discord.)
  • Utilize apps/services to block “habitual access” to platforms, preferably those with a “schedule” or have a “quick kill switch” to block everything distracting to cultivate focus and awareness.
  • Outsmart your own loopholes. I changed my FB password to be over 50 characters long + forgot any “saved” passwords. I have to type it out everytime (I log out every time I’m done doing my task on FB).
  • The ‘Trifecta’ of books: Digital Minimalism, Deep Work, and Willpower Instinct.
  • Get yourself an accountability buddy, somehow. Shoutout to Kristina Marie for being my anchor and helping to challenge my perspective around work and that you can blend approaches to change (grace + tough-love).
  • This process feels chaotic for a while. It’s normal. You’re instigating extreme change. After a period of a couple weeks, my brain felt like it “went over a hill” and started to feel calmer, less anxious, more aware, less addiction-reactive, etc.
  • Use Airplane mode, disable wifi, and/or pull out ethernet cords when possible. Experiment with “enforced disconnection.”

⭐ Helpful things that I’m still working on:

  • Scheduling both internet time and no-internet time: defaulting to “being offline” and choosing when I’m going to access the internet (for messages, work, etc) [too intricate to extrapolate here].
  • Have clear start and end times for work defined.
  • Use an “Iterative Schedule” every day.
  • Question everything – your own tendencies, what you want to do, what you believe in, whether you actually want to game/Netflix/Youtube/etc. Or is this just what I’ve always done and it feels comfortable (even though it’s distracting me or makes me feel weak and not in control)?
  • Find/modify/create an environment and schedule that aligns for me, where I’m at, and what will support my work/endeavors.
  • Practice batching and day themes. Don’t try to do a little bit of everything. Task switching is a bitch.
  • This work requires balancing and riding waves. You will have good and bad days. Go with it. Do your best. Don’t shame yourself when you have off days.
  • Be as honest to yourself as you can be. You don’t need to admit anything to anyone; you are safe to admit things to yourself. That’s where change starts.
  • Be wary of giving up or “reducing” activities that are genuine joys (e.g., games, movies, TV shows), especially if experiencing a “depression dip.” Some of these activities are fun and can help in decompression. – The point here is to be mindful of “blindly following advice to cut out XYZ thing from life” and to ask if a change really resonates in your being.

What’s next?

The Digital Detox process has been immensely revealing and helpful for myself. I know I’m not done with it. I’m giving myself one last ‘hoorah!’ to go deeper into it.

I don’t want to get into the full depth of “how” I am embarking on this “final” experiment with the Digital Detox. My goal is to do it as closely as I can muster with the format proposed in Digital Minimalism.

Ultimately, this final attempt has a few specific goals:

  • Not being “online” unless I have a very specific intention (work or personal).
  • Narrowed priorities and simplified living.
  • Being more present and experiential in my life, rather than a passive observer within it.

Once I am done with this Digital Detox, I will set this experiment in my toolbox and bring it to a “closing point” so that it’s not on my mind anymore.

I’ll walk away with new strategies, rules, and intentions of where I’m going in life + how technology will support, not detract from those intentions.

If you’re deeply curious about this process, grab a copy of Digital Minimalism or reach out to me!

To follow along or get involved in this journey:

Thaaaanks.

💜 Austin

Answering My Top Top Questions of 2022

Answering My Top Top Questions of 2022

12 months ago I came up with the “top questions” that guide my life. This time I’m reflecting on those questions after living with them for a year.