Tech Detox Guide
Quest for Eternal Sunshine’s Tech Detox guide was created to share tools to help you cultivate a more conscious, intentional relationship with your technological devices so that you can control them, rather than them controlling you. A regular and intentional routine of time offline reminds you that recharging yourself is more important than recharging your phone, and helps to establish a foundation of calm and peace you can return to with increasing ease.
Here are some of the benefits of taking time away from technology:
You will become more aware of your relationship with technology and strengthen your ability to resist its lure.
When you set your own pace—free from the seemingly urgent notifications, texts, and tempting offers—your mind can settle, and you have time to rest, play and explore.
Being offline for an extended period of time increases your ability to focus and be fully present with loved ones, pets, and the natural world. It frees you from low-grade burnout and spurs creativity.
This is your invitation to experience your own technology detox with a beginner’s mind, and see what you discover for yourself!
Prepare for a Successful Tech Detox
Taking a break from technology is rewarding AND it can be challenging! We’ve created this resource to help set you up for success. You can use your journal to reflect and write about the prompts below, or if you prefer, download our fillable PDF form where you can type in your responses, and make sure to save the form so that you can return to it later.
Before Your Tech Detox:
Know your “why.”
There are many reasons to take a break from technology. If you’re reading this, you probably have at least some idea why you need one, but for more motivation, learn about the dark side of tech. When looking for your “why,” consider how tech is affecting your relationships, your mood and emotions, and if you feel like you have enough time available for rest, play, and other priorities for a healthy life.
✏️ Write down your reason(s) for doing a tech detox.
Make a plan.
Commit to a specific day or period of time to stay completely off screens. We created a guide for a full 24 hours, but you might decide to commit to 4 hours instead. It may feel daunting at first, but keep coming back to your why and then decide on your when. To set yourself up for success, it’s really useful to make a plan, and make sure to consider what could get in the way.
✏️ Write down a specific period of time when you will not engage with technology, make a list of what could get in the way, and brainstorm how you will deal with each obstacle.
Make the most of your time.
Time way from technology is a great opportunity to deeply relax, reset your nervous system, process emotions you’ve been ignoring, and rediscover joys and creative pursuits you may not have been making time for. We’ve got tons of ideas and resources for activities and an exploration on how to be deeply present, even when it feels uncomfortable, because many of us unconsciously turn to tech to escape feeling all of our feelings.
✏️ Make a list of the fun and nurturing activities you’d be interested in trying during your Tech Detox.
After Your Tech Detox:
Take time to reflect.
What did this time feel like? How was it emotionally? What was the hardest part, and the most enjoyable part? What do you want more of in your life? What did you learn about sitting with discomfort?
✏️ Spend some time journaling about your time away from tech.
Keep going!
After your tech detox, you may want to reassess your relationship with screens. Handling phone cravings, setting boundaries, using tools embedded in technology, and creating rituals for engaging and re-engaging with tech can all be incredibly useful.
✏️ Write down the ideas and commitments to yourself that will help you to create a more beneficial relationship to technology.
Share your experience.
Taking time away from tech is the only way to see with clear eyes the effects of spending so much time in a virtual world. Talk about it with your friends and family. Invite others to join you by sending them this link: questforeternalsunshine.com/tech-detox-day
✏️ Who do you want to invite to a tech detox?
Download the fillable PDF worksheet
Take a Moment
Tiny pauses to be right here, right now can have big results. Our series of micro-meditations—all under two minutes long—invite you to access the calm that is always within you.
Start Your Mindfulness Practice
Practicing mindfulness can help us to focus, be in the present moment, deal with stress skillfully, and develop compassion.
Mindfulness in Nature
When we’re outdoors, it is often easier to slow down and let our attention be captivated by the richness of the present moment.
Myra’s Essays on Tech Detoxing
