Digital Detox Checklist

Track your actual screen time for three days before changing anything

You can't cut back on a number you haven't seen

Decide what "detox" means for you: no social media, no phone after a set time, or a full offline week

Tell people who might need to reach you, and how

Turn off non-essential notifications first, before deleting anything

Move distracting apps off your home screen, or delete them for the detox period

Charge your phone outside the bedroom

Set specific times to check messages instead of checking whenever it buzzes

Use grayscale mode or a screen-time limit as a physical reminder

Tell one person to hold you accountable

Plan one offline activity for each evening you would normally scroll

Keep a book or notebook within reach of where your phone used to sit

Go outside once a day without your phone

Reconnect with a hobby you dropped when screen time crept up

Reintroduce apps one at a time, not all at once

Turn notifications back on selectively, not by default

Notice which apps you did not miss, and consider leaving them off

Repeat the detox on a schedule rather than treating it as a one-time fix