Detox Series, Part 3: The Digital Detox

Welcome to the third installment of our detox series here on Raw Bites. If you notice, we don't just aim to give you a healthier snacking experience; we also want to make healthy living a practice and an intentional habit. A huge chunk of this means touching base on our use of connectivity and social media, because let's face it: We are addicts to the digital. 

Here are some ways we can detach from our mobile devices and do something proactive about our time.

1. Start the day detached.

How many of us actually do reach for our phones first thing in the morning? (Guilty, eep.) The world's top life coaches and peak performers recommend starting the day instead with "power habits," like those we've written about here in our Wellness articles. Develop a habit of doing a daily morning routine of (1) silence/meditation, (2) positive affirmations, (3) light reading, (4) exercise. By doing these steps religiously each morning for the first hour or half hour of your day, you will find yourself less and less dependent on that next social media update.

2. Use a real alarm clock, not your mobile phone.

Yes, smartphones were created to make life easier, and that's why they come with alarm clock functions. But then again, if we are going on a digital detox, doesn't it follow that we should also help ourselves and use a proper alarm clock, instead of our phones to wake us up?

Our recommendation? Go old school. Get an old-timey, old school-style alarm clock with a wind-up function. Or maybe get one of those minimalist analog flip clocks. Whatever the style, the point is to not use your phone to alert you first thing in the morning.

3. Use a notebook calendar.

Using pen and paper is still the most effective way to manage our days. Unlike apps and phone calendars, you can practice manually mapping out your days and unloading all of that information onto the pages of your agenda or planner. (I mean, get a pretty, good-looking planner that you love to use, too. It makes a difference.)

4. Install a "detox app" to limit your Facebook, IG and social media use. There are apps that you can install on your phone that will automatically block your access to your social media apps at certain times of the day. If you are a total social media whore, do yourself a favor and install a good app to be your digital detox nanny. You will thank yourself. Promise.

5. Set a time limit on your email time.

Email was everything a decade or two ago. But today, it's one of your biggest time-sucks. Really, seriously consider tracking how much time you spend on email ... and then cut back. Say, you spend 1 hour each day checking your email (or 6 hours a week). Scratch that, and instead compound your email checking and clearing to just three days a week, of an hour each. You would have saved three hours of your time to divert to something else, like extra hours for exercise. Think about this and create a new habit with the time you save checking email.