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How To Break Up With Your Devices

It's time to end that unhealthy love affair

June 06, 2020 | 3 min. read

Everybody who’s ever been in love knows that overwhelming feeling. You want to be close to your new love all day, every day. We even get a bit anxious when separated, so we take them everywhere we go.  

That’s right, we’re talking about our electronic devices. 

The relationship has only intensified because we all live online now. Whether it’s loved ones or our sport instructor, we interact with them through screens.  

And although it’s great to chat with friends on WhatsApp or colleagues on Zoom, too much screen time is very unhealthy.  

You need to go screen-free. And because it will be very hard to reason with a phone or a computer, you will need these breakup tips.   

Keep some distance
Put your phone out of reach for at least two hours every day. It takes some getting used to, but remember – the world won’t stop turning if you’re offline for a couple of hours 

Schedule downtime  
Do you have a tendency to cheat? Block off periods of time to not use specific apps.Downtime’ for Apple and ‘Focus Mode’ for Android act as great reminders to put your phone away.  

Give someone a call 
Instead of checking your friends’ Insta stories, why not try the old-fashioned way and actually give them a call? No video, just audio.    

Ditch online games 
About thirty million people play online games, which shows how addictive they are. What about a physical one instead? Hosting a board game night is a great way of catching up with your family over a friendly (or not so friendly) game of Scrabble.    

 

Get crafty 
Sending text messages is a great way to let somebody know you think about them. But that also adds more screen time to your daily routine. A better – and more lasting – way to show you care is with a postcard. Or write a letter on some nice stationery. 

Draft on paper
When we want to create presentation we immediately turn to our trusted computer. Why not create your first draft on paper? It’ll help you focus instantly and your devices can stay switched off. With a bit of effort, you can even use the paper in your actual presentation (just take a few pictures and place them in PowerPoint). Hand-crafted always stands out.  

Read a (real) book 
We all love a good page-turner. The trouble is we’ve all gotten so used to reading on our phones or tablets that we’ve forgotten the pleasure of holding a book in our handsSo next time print an article before you read it (it’s ok to print stuff from time to time). If you’re more of a bookworm, buy a physical book or listen to it on audio.

Breakups are hard, but this one is for the best. Enjoy your new-found freedom! 

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