#36 Go 48 hours with no screen time


I spend far too much of my time staring at screens: PC, laptop, TV, phone.... Some of it is necessary for work or to communicate with friends but the majority is mindless, wasted time. It can't be healthy, either physically or mentally, to be so absorbed by the opinions of strangers on social media. It can't hurt to be lost in one's own thoughts occasionally either instead of checking a notification, scrolling through posts or playing a game. So I set myself the challenge of going 48 hours without using my phone, computer or television. Here's what I noticed.

Firstly, I discovered that I have so much more time available when I can't waste it online. Not only did I complete my to do list but I added more tasks to it. I had time to prepare lovely meals from scratch, to read a book from beginning to end, to potter in the garden, to work on a knitted cardigan for a baby who will probably have outgrown it before I finish and to take the dog somewhere lovely instead of the daily visit to the usual park.

Secondly, I felt naturally tired as it went dark and I slept well, waking up fairly early. Without the diversion of games and social media my brain wasn't over-stimulated until far too late at night. Instead I enjoyed reading a book in bed again.

Thirdly, I had time to daydream, to ponder, to lose myself in my own thoughts. Without my phone or TV to fill the silence I spent much more time thinking about things and talking about them with others. 

Lastly I spent time on myself. I indulged myself with a long bath and a face pack, I changed my bedclothes to enjoy that clean sheet feeling, I poured myself that afternoon drink, fussed the dog and bought myself an ice cream.

What did I learn? That I'm probably healthier, more productive and kinder to myself when I turn the gadgets off. When I turned everything back on last night, and my phone pinged with emails and notifications, I really hadn't missed much. It is an experience that is encouraging me to create some self-imposed limits on my screen time in future.


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