A Digital Detox Test: The 7 Day Digital Diet

~ Live & Learn

Digital-detox-social-media

And, could I do it? Read the outcome of Patrick Leger’s test @ A Digital Detox Test: Unplug Twitter and Facebook. Put Off Email and Smartphone.

“So for one week in January… I unplugged…I disconnected during a regular workweek and, in lieu of tropical seclusion, enjoyed the subfreezing and proximal isle of Manhattan…I determined I would spend no more than 15 minutes in it each session and sign in just once over the weekend. I’d use the phone only from home and would wait until noon to turn it on. I would not initiate any text exchanges, and if I received a message, I would respond as tersely as possible or call the person back. I could not go on the Internet at all unless it was crucial, and certainly not on social media. No streaming or live TV, only DVDs. Handwritten calendar. And music only at home…”

14 thoughts on “A Digital Detox Test: The 7 Day Digital Diet”

  1. I have to admit this would be hard. The other day I left my cell phone at home and when I realized it at work I just about had a panic attack. How crazy is that? I made it through the morning fine and in fact was more attentive to my work 🙂

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    1. And, I’m with you. Prof Shirky (NYC) in the article states:

      But going cold turkey is probably not the best option for most people, Professor Shirky said. “Like dieting, people are going to find that daily moderation is going to work better than reverse-bingeing,” he said. “But that’s not a particularly American method. Americans want solutions.”

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  2. I am trying to disconnect over the weekends; checking in twice a day – and that’s it. And I have to admit, that holding a book, listening to music, or just listening to silence is a gift that keeps on giving.

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  3. i enjoy the quiet pursuits and i try to use the super hero approach of using tech powers for ‘good instead of evil’, such as listening to beautiful music, watching a short film, reading or writing. all things i enjoy. i tend to stay away from the gossip, over-sharing, work related e-mail, and feeling obligated to respond to my phone. it’s all about balance for me.

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  4. Great post! I guess I’ve been doing my own detox little by little, changing and weening myself off of what I can. You post certainly makes me want to do more. I’m happy to say these days I read, write,exercise more than I have in a long time. thanks!

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  5. When I go home to visit my Mom (in SK) she’s so far off the grid you’d have to have contacted me last week for me to get the message 🙂 It’s a great way to extricate myself from the digital demands. Going again in May, and I’m looking forward to the visit and the wind and the sound of … cows.

    MJ

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