I did a digital detox for the first time last year, and it was one of the best decisions I’ve made in my entire life. I know, I know, that sounds extreme, but I’m not exaggerating. At the end of last year, I was tired, completely burnt out, and severely lacking in creativity, so I decided to temporarily pull the plug and reset.

Engaging in a digital detox challenge cleared my mind, allowed me to feel bored (which sparked creativity!), and improved my relationships with my loved ones. And those are just some of the digital detox benefits I enjoyed! Learn how to do a digital detox, including a full screen detox to improve the quality of your life in an age where entertainment is literally always at our fingertips.

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coziness is essential for a screen detox

Unplugging to spend some time enjoying nature, lounging around the house, fostering other creative hobbies, and spending time with my friends and family is exactly what I needed to start anew.

And, I can’t think of a better sustainable brand than tentree whose cozy pieces transition perfectly through all of those activities.

Beyond just being a quality, ethical, and sustainable clothing brand, tentree plants 10 trees for every purchase.

Their pieces are also VERY giftable. So if you’re looking for a last minute gift or two, not only can you get something perfect like this beanie or mittens, you can give back to mama earth too!

While I struggled through the first few days of boredom, being comfortable made a world of a difference! I felt like I was going crazy at first, so soft fabrics in cozy cuts helped bring some sanity.

tentree for the good of the planet

Tentree pieces come with a small coin so the recipient of the gift can log on to the tentree website and see where their trees were planted! How amazing is that!?

To date, tentree has planted more than 35 million trees!! Yes, you read that correctly 35 MILLION trees and counting.

These trees have been planted in Canada, the United States, Nepal, Madagascar, Haiti, Senegal, Indonesia, and Cambodia.

Not only are these trees providing clean air and absorbing carbon, they’re also helping to build local economies.

Over 80% of Madagascar had been deforested, so tentree wanted to help fix it.

Did you know mangroves are some of the richest carbon sinks in the world? In fact, mangroves can sequester four times more carbon than rainforests!

The loss of mangroves not only affects habitats and wildlife but also creates erosion problems and desertification.

Tentree started working with locals to reforest their mangroves, plus plant fruit trees to provide food for local villages.

The goal is to fully restore the mangroves to help avoid erosion and restore the coasts so wildlife can inhabit them once again. This is only one of their many projects.

Check out all of the other amazing ways tentree is working to plant trees and help communities.

I’m so inspired by the work tentree does and I’m extra excited to be working on this post with them, because getting outside and enjoying nature is one of the best ways for me to recharge. See tip 4 for more info!

my first digital detox:

Last year I realized that I have never — and I mean not even on my honeymoon NEVER — taken a break from creating content since I started GZW in 2015.

GZW was my creative outlet.

I exercised my creative muscles by writing, taking photos, etc. And because I love doing it so much, I didn’t think I could burn out.

How could I burn out on my creative outlet??

Well, in case you didn’t know, you can absolutely burn out doing something that you love.

So I decided to take a 3-week break last December. No emails, no blog posts, no videos, no Instagram.

And, while it was hard at first to break those habits, in the end, it was amazing. I had no idea how badly my brain needed a screen detox to reset and spend time the way humans are meant to.

While on my break, I was less worried about “HAVING TO CREATE” and going through the motions of doing it that I actually got to let my mind dream and play.

I found I had space and time to allow my creativity to flow.

During the break is when I got my idea for the oh-so-popular Good News Friday series I run on Instagram each week.

Now, even if you’re not a digital creator (my full-time job outside of GZW is managing social so I spend way too many hours on Instagram…) or a creative, there are still a lot of benefits in taking a week or a few weekends off from social media.

my digital detox challenge

My digital detox challenge was less strict than some others I’ve seen. Some call for no cell phone at all, whereas mine allowed me to stay in contact with loved ones via text, Skype, or phone calls. I’m also not about to put away my GPS, so that was allowed as well.

So how to do a digital detox? First, break down your own rules. You can follow mine (see below!), create your own, or find any number of models on the internet that may fit your needs. The key is to reduce your screen time, put down the mindless apps, connect with nature and your loved ones, and refuel your mind and body.

Once you feel the digital detox benefits, you won’t regret it!

how to do a digital detox the gzw way

Feel free to adapt these rules to make them work for you! But, this is what I do to keep my creativity flowing and to avoid burnout. I am honestly feeling SO great this year compared to last year.

1. Digital Detox at least one weekend every quarter
2. Take 2 weeks to fully recharge at the end of the year
3. Text, phone calls, GPS, and skyping with loved ones is A-OK
4. You can watch a few movies but don’t overdo it on the bingeing
5. Try and get outside once a day
6. Foster other creative hobbies
7. Read but for fun! No reading on work topics i.e. no books on business or the environment
8. No social media, no emails, no blog posts, nothin’

my digital detox looked like:

1. living without a lens:

When there’s a moment I want to capture, I start looking at the angles and shapes, framing the lighting… and I’m immediately taken out of the moment because I’m so focused on how to capture it that I’m not in it.

During a digital detox, you don’t have to think about any of those things! It’s so much easier to stay in the moment because you’re not thinking about it through a camera lens.

You’re not trying to show this moment to anyone, you just get to be in it and enjoy it.

It’s really interesting how photos affect our memory. This study found that if you truly want to remember something, you shouldn’t take a photo of it.

Instead, I try to take mental pictures — think Jim and Pam’s wedding day from The Office.

I just tell myself I want to remember this moment. I try and assess how I feel, what I feel, what the room smells like, and what everything around me looks like making it probably my most present moment of the day.

2. stronger connections:

My husband thinks I’m always on my phone. And, while I’m not ALWAYS on my phone, I am on my phone a lot.

I’m a social media manager for pete’s sake — my job literally entails A LOT of scrolling.

And, because the bulk of my job relies on my phone, that means the bulk of my work travels with me wherever I go.

So, whenever there’s a down moment, whether I’m on the bus or train or the person I’m with gets up and goes to the bathroom, what’s my default move?

Reaching for my phone and WORKING. I swear it’s a disease.

The inability to feel boredom disguised through the righteous act of “working”.

During my detox, I realized how dependent I am on my phone (security blanket) and how odd I felt in the world without it.

After the initial break, I am so much better in real life. I don’t feel the need to HAVE TO HAVE my phone.

Instead, I’m quite content to look out the window on the train or around the room when I’m alone at the breakfast table. I don’t feel the need to scroll.

If you’re constantly receiving information, how can you expect to dream, create, and think?

Most of my best ideas come to me when I allow my brain space rather than turning it off by mindlessly scrolling.

3. delete your apps:

Seriously. When you want to take a few days off, delete your email app, twitter, facebook, and instagram.

Poof. The temptation is gone. Even if you go to open it out of habit, it simply won’t be there, which will remind you to stay on track and why you’re doing this to begin with!

Can you re-download the app if you really need to?

Of course, but it’s far less tempting than just “sneaking a peek really fast…” which turns into 20+ minutes sucked into the social media void.

4. get outside:

One of my favorite quotes is “unplug to recharge,” and that’s exactly what a digital detox feels like.

It’s unplugging from the hustle and bustle of what society tells you you should be doing in order to recharge with the truly important things in life.

I feel at my best when I’m outside tuned into nature.

I’m convinced there’s a deep connection between wanting to save the environment and spending time enjoying and appreciating what it has to offer.

I think that’s why so many outdoor brands like tentree have such strong give back messages.

They appreciate nature so much and they know how badly we need to respect our home.

digital detox benefits

I knew I needed to digitally detox, but I was unprepared for the benefits I was going to enjoy from doing so!

The benefits I enjoyed from my digital detox challenge included:

• Better sleep. Instead of scrolling for ‘a few minutes’ — which always turns into an hour plus — I read for a few minutes at night and found it much easier to turn my brain off. Plus, there’s a ton of research on the blue light effects on your circadian rhythm.
• Increased focus. When it came time to sit down and plot out blog posts, brainstorm ideas, or even do chores, I focused so much better without my emails and social media notifications constantly chiming away at me.
• Mindfulness. Time away from the screen allowed me to evaluate when I’m using a screen productively (after all, I simply cannot run a blog without one!) and when I’m using one to simply fill the time and my mind and keep myself from ever feeling bored.
• Improved relationships. I mentioned above that my husband thinks I’m constantly on my phone — and doing so means I often have to ask him to repeat himself, only halfway participating in conversations, and missing out on activities we’re doing together. When I took away that little 6″ barrier between us, we had tons to talk about, had lots of laughs, and bonded like we haven’t in a long time. It was reminiscent of when we were dating and obsessed with each other!

my plans for the next digital detox

• Since we are coming up on my annual hiatus, I wanted to share a few of the plans I have in store.
• PLAYING THE NEW NANCY DREW GAME: I’ve waited 5 years for this game to come out so I will probably sit up in my loft snuggled tightly in this hoodie with the hood up! I love this hoodie because it plants trees right here in California to reforest areas that have been destroyed by wildfires.
• watch the Great British Baking Show Holiday Episodes
• Build the most epic gingerbread house and then eat it! We’ll see how well this goes… will definitely be watching the GBBS gingerbread episode for inspiration
• Journaling and sketching wearing my favorite ivy cardigan as photographed above.
• Making lots of tea and snuggling Nala
• Taking Nala on lots of walks! This button up made from organic cotton transitions so easily from cozy home wear to out-and-about!
• Playing the piano, singing, and lots of dancing in the kitchen. I will probably be wearing some
  thick and cozy socks so I can slide around like Tom Cruise in Risky Business.
• Deep cleaning
• Throwing a holiday party and wearing these fancy pants that feel like pajamas.
• Reading a few books. I’m thinking of re-reading some of the Sherlock Holmes canon. Speaking of which, is there a podcast that compares Sherlock, Elementary, and other SH shows and movies with the canon? Because I think there should be….
• And, did I mention PLAYING THE NEW NANCY DREW GAME!?

faqs about doing a digital detox

are there withdrawals when digitally detoxing?

Depending on if your digital habits are simply habit or addiction based, you may or may not notice withdrawal notices when you participate in a digital detox. Some people report crankiness, overwhelming boredom, and even headaches. For those who rely on technology to keep in touch with friends and family, others report crushing loneliness. It is for that reason that I allow calls and texts to friends and family!

can a digital detox improve your physical health?

It can, but many of the physical benefits are secondary side effects rather than a direct improvement. Aside from the obvious benefits of better sleep and more natural circadian rhythms, a digital detox does have its physical perks! When participating in a detox, participants’ posture improved thanks to not bending over a cellphone or laptop. This also reduced neck, back, and shoulder pain.

And, because the time was spent much more mindfully, many participants began prioritizing their health better and used the time previously spent scrolling to take walks or go to the gym.

how long should a digital detox challenge be?

I chose 3 weeks, but some sites suggest starting your screen detox with just a week or two. However, if you find you have habit in which you’re super entrenched that is causing harm to your quality of life, detoxing for up to a month may be what it takes to break your habit and see the benefits!

So, have I convinced you?? Are you ready to unplug for a weekend?

I want to thank tentree again for sponsoring this post! If you’re interested in getting any goodies you can use the code ‘GOINGZEROWASTE15’ which is valid from Dec 10-31st to get 15% off!