How to Do a Digital Detox

March 7, 2026 3 Min Read

How to do a digital detox

We know that the Internet can harm our mental health. But how exactly can we prevent this? Here are some tips to help you take meaningful breaks from technology and improve your well-being.

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“I worked 11-hour days on weekdays and half days on Saturdays, and the rest of the time I was mentally occupied with work,” Blake Snow reveals in his new book. Disconnect: How to Stay Connected After Disconnecting.

Like my book, Outsmart Your Smartphone: Mindful Tech Habits to Find Happiness, Balance, and Connection in Real LifeLog Off also offers helpful tips on how to build a better relationship with technology. In particular, Blake attributes much of his work-life balance issues to the seductive lure of the Internet, particularly his smartphone. But after following the digital detox in a variety of ways, he now offers advice on how others can do the same.
Here are some tips from the book to help you with your digital detox.

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1. Remove distractions

Blake explains the four burner theory: Your four burners are family, friends, health and work. Anything not essential to your four burners should be removed. “This means no alerts, beeps, buzzes or notifications of any kind, perhaps with the exception of voice messages in case of emergency.” But Blake notes that “most emergencies are imaginary.” By adopting these practices and eliminating distractions, we can focus on what matters and make better use of our time.

2. Don’t glorify the activity

It seems ridiculous how much pride we take in being busy. Blake notes that explanations such as “I’m so busy!” are really just our attempts to avoid making difficult decisions about how we live our lives. Staying busy is easier than taking the time to pursue what would truly make us happy. Worse still, the Internet allows you to stay busy indefinitely. SO Be careful not to glorify the activity. This way you can start to think more clearly about how you want to spend your time.

3. Always ask “why” when you pick up the phone

Of course, our smartphones are handy tools for finding answers, staying in touch with friends, or even checking the time. But often, more often than we think, we use our phones to distract, avoid, or ignore what’s happening right in front of us.

“I firmly believe that keeping our phone in our pocket is one of the bravest things any of us can do,” Blake says in the book. Instead of Let’s eliminate our fear– perhaps when we are sitting alone or just feeling alone with a group of people – we can choose not to use our phone as a security blanket. Then we remember how to be present and grateful Currently.

4. Try the rule of thirds

Divide your life into thirds: 8 hours for work, 8 hours for sleep and 8 hours for leisure. Working more doesn’t really make us more productive. Work smart lets our minds wander in a way that makes work hours more efficient. In fact, research shows that regular workers see more than 40 hours reduced per week. productivity; for creatives, that’s over 20 hours a week. So if you’re using your smartphone as a heavy work tool, you’re not doing yourself any favors when it comes to productivity.

5. Regular and fast electronics

Yes, literally fast. Blake says his family will go an entire week – once in the spring and once in the fall – without electronic devices. Having tried this technique myself last year, I cannot stress enough the positive effects. Take a tech break. Although it may seem a little scary at first, an E-Fast forces you to connect with others and yourself, which turns out to be a pretty amazing experience.

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How to Do a Digital Detox