I Did A Digital Detox.. And I

Self-confessed phone addict Morgan Reardon unplugs for seven days. Here’s how she went…

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I LOVE MY PHONE. I REALLY DO. WITH THE PUSH OF A FEW BUTTONS, I’M TRANSPORTED TO A BAR IN LONDON WITH MY FRIENDS VIA FACETIME, IT LETS ME ORDER A CUTE NEW DRESS FOR A SATURDAY NIGHT OUT, pre-order a poke bowl to arrive just when I get home from work, swipe right for a cute guy, it even lets me know when my bus is running five minutes late, allowing me those few extra moments to cram a piece of avo toast in my gob. But even I have to admit, I’ve become seriously addicted to it. Whether it’s listening to podcasts during my morning workout or scrolling through news sites while waiting for tardy mates to turn up to lunch – I’m constantly on my phone.

But even I was shocked when I realised just how much. For one week I installed the app Movement (free) on my phone which tracks your usage down to the minute, including how many times you pick up your phone. The results were shocking. On average, I spent three and a half hours on my phone every. single. Day, picking it up every 11 minutes. If I keep this up, the app estimated that I would spend 10.8 years of my life on it. How embarrassing! What’s worse, I’m not alone. According to a study, nearly half of millennials look at their phone more than 50 times a day, while 25% spend more than five hours on them daily*.

So in an effort to curb my bad behaviour and claw back some of my life, I’ve decided a detox is in order. The rules are simple – for one whole week I must:

Delete all social media apps.

Leave phone in bag/out of sight for all meetings/meals/ get-togethers.

Keep phone out of sight during commute.

Don’t check work emails on my phone or don’t carry it around with me.

Texts and phone calls are to be keep to the bare minimum.

Monday