This is wonderful! I'm in. I am looking forward to all the creative tasks I can do to replace reading blogs and listening to podcasts. And spending more time praying the Jesus prayer.
Exciting! My current phone decided to give out this week, so I decided to buy something small and cheap I won't be tempted to us as much, and I decided to start carrying a notebook to further reduce my need to pull it out. Love the ideas in this post for making a digital fast practical!
Thank you so much for doing this, Ruth! What a wonderful idea. I don't think I can commit to adding any more tech restriction during this particular Lent, as I have some really big writing and communication pushes I will need to do this spring. But I am looking forward to seeing the results of this communal fast. I will be continuing my usual weekend (I always check in Sunday nights) tech fast and trying to fit in some of the ideas you list here and there! I definitely need to get back to the daily walks I used to take -- they always made the day so much better.
Yes, when I miss my morning walk, the rest of the day just does not feel quite right. I think you already do have a very thoughtful way of negotiating tech in your family, especially your "www" (weekends without wifi) routine :)
I had a similar feeling reading this- not that I don’t want to detox, but that actually in the last several months I have been much more intentional about my tech usage, in large measure due to (ironically) joining Substack and these sorts of conversations led by @Ruth @Dixie @Tsh and others [not sure if these tags are working]. I’d like to continue that intentionality with occasional pauses for review.
Thanks for adding your thoughts here Kerri (tags do not work in comments:) I find the Lenten period a very helpful time to refocus my energies toward what I know is right. It is an opportunity "to strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble", or in my case "put the laptop away and focus on family and home". You comment prompted me to come up with an encouraging idea that I'll share in next week's post before readers embark on the fast. Thanks :)
I think this is an opportunity for folks who already have good strategies to review and recommit, but is mainly a great chance for those who need some motivation and community support to try to establish strategies to start with this Lent! So folks like you and me can be observers and cheerleaders and help that way, Kerri!
I am in, but would love to hear specific practical ideas and personal/family boundaries that might be successful. My husband's idea is to create a boundary in which we don't use our phones in the house. I.e., if you need to answer a text or phone call, you step outside--thus no couch scrolling. My idea is to set strict "office hours," and a handwritten list to keep track of emails and texts that need to be sent only during those hours. I am skeptical about our ability to keep these boundaries, however, and would love to hear other ideas.
I have found writing down a list on what I need to get done when I go online to be very very helpful. And it keeps me on track. I kind of like the idea of having to step outside to respond to a text message or anything like that. At least that’s way you’re breathing some fresh air.
Great to have you join Liz! Good questions you are raising - I'll plan to share some ideas in a follow-up post before the fast begins that will offer some additional practical considerations.
I was considering some kind of digital fast for Lent and now I’m in! Especially having a drawer for my phone that I only use in that specific location. The couch scrolling is killing me.
I will join again, although I fear failure in my attempt to keep the fast. I know where my weaknesses lie in this area. Ah well... Lent is a time for repentance!
I think sometimes pushing into those points we fail may be the very point. Where we practice and surrender there is found a new strength. ♥️ I hope it’s an enlightening fast for you!
I’m in! This is a wonderful idea. I can’t go on a complete fast because of work, but I intend to drastically reduce my other usage, especially the unconscious picking up of my phone in between my other priorities and mindlessly scrolling through my Google feed. I just ordered a ribbon for my early 1900’s Underwood typewriter, so that should be a great incentive to get back to basics!
Awesome! I am keen. Having a community also fasting will give me an extra incentive to ‘keep away’. I already use a flip phone, and manage fairly well in this modern world to keep myself at arms length from anything too damaging ... although if there was one thing I would love to read more. And one reason I am not reading as much is the bloody smart tv I have in my living room. YouTube comedy really gets me going you see. So I am going to brainstorm ways to limit my TV use, so I can read more (I use paper books already). Thanks for the incentive and encouragement,
Great to have you along! We don't have a TV in our living space (we use a laptop when we watch movies) and this most certainly helps. Putting your TV away for a dedicated portion of the week (or draping something in front of the screen) can do wonders in redirecting attention:)
I would think about dismounting it from the wall ... if I didn't have a flat mate who enjoyed watching his own stuff on it. Like most people, I use it most when I return from work or study. I was thinking about going to the library, which is 5 minutes from my house, to read for an hour so, before returning home. Any 'tv time' afterward would then serve as a reward. But we'll see. Though in the future, when I have my own home/people who don't want a television necessarily, I would seriously simply not having one.
The library sounds like a great idea! We find there is really no need for a tv, as a laptop can serve to watch movies and is less tempting as it can be easily put away :)
Count me in. I’ll look forward to hearing how others counter their FOMO as I purposely abstain from Jeff Childer’s substack for one. I will miss George Bothamly’s Art Every Day but it will be a good chance to grow in ‘Multum non Multa’ and really look at the art books we already have.
Wish I could receive snail mail but it’s just not happening here in 🇲🇽. However if anyone’s vacationing here (PV environs), let’s meet up - I’ll give you a tour surpassing any YT channel!
Thank you! I would like to join in. I have been reading Digital Minimalism by Newport and have really enjoyed it. His section on solitude was very helpful in particular.
Playing instruments is good if you can, but other nonline ways to listen to music include lp records, and even CDs, which are made digitally but are still more like records, not being interrupted by commercials and allowing you to choose and limit listening materials rather than having access to “millions” of songs that don’t belong to you and can potentially be easily taken away, and which for me is like having no songs that are “friends” in the way physical records are.
Lovely that I stumbled onto your post. Been a fan of your content for a while but admittedly ecstatic to start my first digital fast.
I’m lucky enough to live somewhere where walking is easy and, despite existing in a major city, trees are abundant. Big plans to make bread, write more, subsist on less sugary entertainment.
Long I’ve had a dream to throw my phone out my window one day in a fit of righteous indignation - maybe this will set me closer to this goal 😂
Great to have you along! Will love to hear about your experience at the end of the fast (and learn whether you indeed threw your phone out the window...:)
Well, this is quite annoying. Encouragement to do things that are good for me even when I have a lot of “reasons” not to 😂
Who wants to join in? We can [not] text each other for accountability!
Ha - yes, who could resist? I could snail-mail you encouragement....:)
This is wonderful! I'm in. I am looking forward to all the creative tasks I can do to replace reading blogs and listening to podcasts. And spending more time praying the Jesus prayer.
Excellent - happy to have you along!
Exciting! My current phone decided to give out this week, so I decided to buy something small and cheap I won't be tempted to us as much, and I decided to start carrying a notebook to further reduce my need to pull it out. Love the ideas in this post for making a digital fast practical!
Wonderful - sounds like you are off to a good start :)
I will take part in this communal digital fast. I am Orthodox however and will probably begin when our Great Lent begins on March 18 😊
Wonderful to have you join! And yes, please adjust the timing for the Orthodox Lent (as several other readers also will:)
I am thinking about digital detoxing for the Orthodox Lent!
Wonderful - would love to have you along :)
Thank you so much for doing this, Ruth! What a wonderful idea. I don't think I can commit to adding any more tech restriction during this particular Lent, as I have some really big writing and communication pushes I will need to do this spring. But I am looking forward to seeing the results of this communal fast. I will be continuing my usual weekend (I always check in Sunday nights) tech fast and trying to fit in some of the ideas you list here and there! I definitely need to get back to the daily walks I used to take -- they always made the day so much better.
Yes, when I miss my morning walk, the rest of the day just does not feel quite right. I think you already do have a very thoughtful way of negotiating tech in your family, especially your "www" (weekends without wifi) routine :)
I had a similar feeling reading this- not that I don’t want to detox, but that actually in the last several months I have been much more intentional about my tech usage, in large measure due to (ironically) joining Substack and these sorts of conversations led by @Ruth @Dixie @Tsh and others [not sure if these tags are working]. I’d like to continue that intentionality with occasional pauses for review.
Thanks for adding your thoughts here Kerri (tags do not work in comments:) I find the Lenten period a very helpful time to refocus my energies toward what I know is right. It is an opportunity "to strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble", or in my case "put the laptop away and focus on family and home". You comment prompted me to come up with an encouraging idea that I'll share in next week's post before readers embark on the fast. Thanks :)
I look forward to reading!
I think this is an opportunity for folks who already have good strategies to review and recommit, but is mainly a great chance for those who need some motivation and community support to try to establish strategies to start with this Lent! So folks like you and me can be observers and cheerleaders and help that way, Kerri!
I am in, but would love to hear specific practical ideas and personal/family boundaries that might be successful. My husband's idea is to create a boundary in which we don't use our phones in the house. I.e., if you need to answer a text or phone call, you step outside--thus no couch scrolling. My idea is to set strict "office hours," and a handwritten list to keep track of emails and texts that need to be sent only during those hours. I am skeptical about our ability to keep these boundaries, however, and would love to hear other ideas.
I have found writing down a list on what I need to get done when I go online to be very very helpful. And it keeps me on track. I kind of like the idea of having to step outside to respond to a text message or anything like that. At least that’s way you’re breathing some fresh air.
Great to have you join Liz! Good questions you are raising - I'll plan to share some ideas in a follow-up post before the fast begins that will offer some additional practical considerations.
I was considering some kind of digital fast for Lent and now I’m in! Especially having a drawer for my phone that I only use in that specific location. The couch scrolling is killing me.
Wonderful to have you along Nicole!
I will join again, although I fear failure in my attempt to keep the fast. I know where my weaknesses lie in this area. Ah well... Lent is a time for repentance!
I think sometimes pushing into those points we fail may be the very point. Where we practice and surrender there is found a new strength. ♥️ I hope it’s an enlightening fast for you!
Excellent to have you join again Diana!
I’m in! This is a wonderful idea. I can’t go on a complete fast because of work, but I intend to drastically reduce my other usage, especially the unconscious picking up of my phone in between my other priorities and mindlessly scrolling through my Google feed. I just ordered a ribbon for my early 1900’s Underwood typewriter, so that should be a great incentive to get back to basics!
Wonderful to have you along Jill!
Awesome! I am keen. Having a community also fasting will give me an extra incentive to ‘keep away’. I already use a flip phone, and manage fairly well in this modern world to keep myself at arms length from anything too damaging ... although if there was one thing I would love to read more. And one reason I am not reading as much is the bloody smart tv I have in my living room. YouTube comedy really gets me going you see. So I am going to brainstorm ways to limit my TV use, so I can read more (I use paper books already). Thanks for the incentive and encouragement,
The Delinquent Academic
Great to have you along! We don't have a TV in our living space (we use a laptop when we watch movies) and this most certainly helps. Putting your TV away for a dedicated portion of the week (or draping something in front of the screen) can do wonders in redirecting attention:)
I would think about dismounting it from the wall ... if I didn't have a flat mate who enjoyed watching his own stuff on it. Like most people, I use it most when I return from work or study. I was thinking about going to the library, which is 5 minutes from my house, to read for an hour so, before returning home. Any 'tv time' afterward would then serve as a reward. But we'll see. Though in the future, when I have my own home/people who don't want a television necessarily, I would seriously simply not having one.
The library sounds like a great idea! We find there is really no need for a tv, as a laptop can serve to watch movies and is less tempting as it can be easily put away :)
Count me in. I’ll look forward to hearing how others counter their FOMO as I purposely abstain from Jeff Childer’s substack for one. I will miss George Bothamly’s Art Every Day but it will be a good chance to grow in ‘Multum non Multa’ and really look at the art books we already have.
Wish I could receive snail mail but it’s just not happening here in 🇲🇽. However if anyone’s vacationing here (PV environs), let’s meet up - I’ll give you a tour surpassing any YT channel!
Excellent - great to have you along!
Thank you! I would like to join in. I have been reading Digital Minimalism by Newport and have really enjoyed it. His section on solitude was very helpful in particular.
Excellent - happy to have you along :)
Playing instruments is good if you can, but other nonline ways to listen to music include lp records, and even CDs, which are made digitally but are still more like records, not being interrupted by commercials and allowing you to choose and limit listening materials rather than having access to “millions” of songs that don’t belong to you and can potentially be easily taken away, and which for me is like having no songs that are “friends” in the way physical records are.
Yes, good points Matthew - especially about the benefit of limitation! We actually just bought a portable CD player for our youngest son's birthday :)
This is great, cool to see so many folks interested in doing this! I'm in too : )
Wonderful - great to have you along!
Hiya Ruth (and Peco),
Lovely that I stumbled onto your post. Been a fan of your content for a while but admittedly ecstatic to start my first digital fast.
I’m lucky enough to live somewhere where walking is easy and, despite existing in a major city, trees are abundant. Big plans to make bread, write more, subsist on less sugary entertainment.
Long I’ve had a dream to throw my phone out my window one day in a fit of righteous indignation - maybe this will set me closer to this goal 😂
Great to have you along! Will love to hear about your experience at the end of the fast (and learn whether you indeed threw your phone out the window...:)