My Digital Detox Journey

Tech layoffs are tough... especially for tech addicts 📉😬

Getting laid off is never easy. I'd argue, even more so when you work from home in the tech industry, are addicted to your devices, and are struggling with your mental health.

Last year when I made this video, I was in a really rough spot. I was trying to capture the odd experience of having work devices -- Macs, iPads, iPhones, and Apple TVs -- instantly cut off from corporate access, and the weird feeling of returning them to my former employer's empty office. The somber silence of walking out alone without my best work friends by your side. For anyone, this could be hard. For me, it was terrible. I was unhealthily obsessed with work.

To bring in a box of my tech that represented my passion and productivity -- which connected me to peers, partners, and my community -- and suddenly just disconnect from it all? To digitally detox? To sign out for good?

It hit me like a ton of bricks. Embarrassing as it is, I honestly cried! After all, the solutions, workflows, and apps that our team created truly made a difference. They were some of my proudest professional accomplishments and provided me tremendous meaning and fulfillment. To close that chapter so abruptly was traumatic for me.

Pain points to progress 🌱

But as time passed, a new feeling started to emerge. While I couldn't see it right away, boxing up the work gadgets was actually a liberation in disguise. It opened my eyes to what had been staring at me, but I had missed… this thing called life! 👀🌎

Without the daily dings and pings of work, I realized just how much of my personal time involved the use of mobile technology. In particular, I became more conscious of the time I had been wasting scrolling social media and the negativity it perpetuated within me. I realized I needed to "detox from digital distractions" in my life, just as had been forced upon me with work.

I leaned further into this feeling… a desire to 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗽 𝗺𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 as much as possible. My journey for a "deeper do not disturb" became my new focus every day. I started building a new daily routine, with small changes laid in month by month.

Deleting social media apps from my devices to start, only accessing them from my Mac. On my iPhone, I started using various app-blocking apps (which extend Apple's Screen Time features) to monitor my screen time, set time limits for addictive apps, and more.

As I spent more time offline, I reconnected with nature; amped up my running, skiing, hiking, walking; started reading books again, developed my mindfulness and meditation practice, found a new psychologist… all with a focus to "reclaim my humanity." I realized all the hours spent staring at my screens – plugged in to the machine – I was missing out on all the beauty and joy around me.

A change gon' come ☀️

So what was the result of this digital detox experience? 𝗠𝘆 𝗺𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝟱-𝟳 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝟭-𝟮 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀. 𝗢𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀, 𝗜'𝗺 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿!

I'm doing my best to fight the social media algorithms and feeds that steal our attention and time, and repurposing it to other pursuits. I aim for intentional use whenever I pick up my phone. I have even started gamifying not using it at all. Going to out dinner "screen-free" is liberating... you should try it! :)

Am I perfect with this? Of course not, and that's not what it's about. I'm not anti-tech at all, and still rely on all my devices throughout the day. I will be an Apple fan for life, and use most devices across the ecosystem. But I can honestly say the change to limit my phone-based #screentime has been profound.

Why am I sharing all this? Well, little did I know last year, when it felt like things were upside down, that this difficult life transition would light a whole new fire within me.

When I first made the video in my "part 1," I thought it was to honor the tech solutions I was sad to leave behind. But now looking back, I see a new meaning. One about the human experiences I was soon to recover. One foreshadowing how my passion can be put into a new purpose, my grit to new goals.

And most importantly, one where I can help others in the world seeking #digitalbalance to do the same.

With any great challenge in life comes a door to new opportunities. Walking through that door not only helped me reshape my personal life – finding a healthier relationship with my phone – but it's also has inspired my next venture, too! More on that soon, but for now, I'll leave you with this~

Food for thought: What does a digital detox look like for you? 📵💡😊