I’m really happy I did it, it was so worth it. It has allowed me to see me as I am without any distractions.
15 hours 49 minutes
15 hours and 49 minutes out of 24 hours in a day was the time I spent glued to an 11-inch rectangular box with an illuminating screen.
I was nobody without this device; everything that made up my day was on my phone. My prayers, messages, work, entertainment, school, and sometimes even food.
And this box stayed glued to me — everywhere I went, it did.
I’ve read countless articles and watched thousands of videos of the dangers of blue light emanating from your screen and how staying addicted to your phone was bad for you, but still, knowing these dangers, I fall asleep with my phone in hand and wake up reaching for it— the only break I had was sleep.
And not only was it destroying my health, it was also destroying me — my life was connected to an Android machine.
Who was I without my phone? What's my hobby? What do I enjoy doing apart from being on my phone?
These questions lingered and pushed me to do something different, something I had never done.
A sort of reinvention for 20 weeks. A new week, a new me. 7 days full of activity (low budget of course)
Activities that didn't need me to stay glued to my phone and that needed me to use all my senses.
REINVENT — a week of me.
I had this idea, and I ran with it. I created a self-discovery series of trying something new every week to explore and reconnect with all versions of me— intellectually, emotionally, creatively, and physically.
And the first week started with me decluttering digitally—I was excited for this one as I just really wanted to get away from my phone and connect with something that nourished me, and that something was a book.
This is Week 1—Intellectual
Activity focus: Digital clutter plus deep reading
Books read:
Books: Rewire Your Mind: Neuroplasticity techniques for lasting change and growth by Donald Lewis
The Awakening by Kate Chopin
I intend to do a book synopsis or review of each of these reads, and I would attach them here.
My intention
I'm trying to awaken myself and explore what hobbies or what I like to do outside of my phone. My phone has been a big integral part of my everyday life, and I can't imagine living outside of it. So detoxing from my phone was just the next best thing to do—disconnecting me from a rectangular box, plus combining this with reading, I hoped to achieve or unlock some intellectual parts of me, deeply absorbing and understanding the books that I read and applying them (where necessary) into my everyday life to better myself.
Always one for introspection, of course I had some reflections
What surprised me during this activity? What did I learn about myself
The most surprising part about this week was how I don't actually need my phone. I just use my phone mostly for entertainment/dopamine. I actually need my phone 25% of the time, which is for work or for school — either I'm researching my seminar topic or reading about an article. But other than that, I don't actually need my phone. The 75% of the time I use my phone is mostly for doomscrolling and mostly to get dopamine or to be excited or to be entertained — but never out of necessity.
Cutting back that time spent on these apps or spent on my phone has shown me that I could do stuff outside of my phone. Like, for example, take walks —I've been walking for 30 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes per day. I could take walks without my phone, I could read a book without my phone, and I could journal without my phone. I don't actually need my phone.
Did this awaken a part of me I’ve been neglecting
Yes, it's awakened a part of me I’ve been neglecting—my creative side. I wouldn’t say I was intentionally neglecting it, but I hadn’t really tapped into it as of late. Reading two books in a week has really enriched my mind, and I’ve come across some interesting facts and tips that could help me further along in my intentionality journey.
“The Awakening” by Kate Chopin has opened my mind to the Victorian era of literature. I'm now interested in exploring more books from that period because I love their expressive language and beautiful use of adjectives. It’s such an immersive experience to read a Victorian-era book.
Would I continue this activity or try it again? Why or why not?
I would 100% continue this activity. As a matter of fact, I genuinely want to curtail my screen time to the barest minimum, and I’m currently looking for books I can read—ideally, one per week if possible.
What would I do differently if I did this again?
I wouldn’t say I’d do anything differently, because everything I needed to succeed in this activity, I actually did. I recorded each day, and it made me feel present. I’ve been using some of the books I’ve read not only as a way to express myself but also to help me grow. I’ve been visualizing, practicing mindfulness, journaling my thoughts, and trying to heal my inner child.
Did this week feel aligned with intentionality?
Yes, it definitely aligned with my intentionality, because I was intentional each day—trying not to use my phone, reading my books, clearing my mind, and trying to be as expressive as possible.
One sentence that sums up this week:
I’m really happy I did it; it was so worth it. It has allowed me to see me as I am without any distractions.
P.S. This template is available for you to recreate; check here.
My closing remark was, or is, that I achieved what I wanted to do— which was to stop the mindless scrolling and the binging of content and actually focus on me and what I wanted to do—and who I was outside of my phone.
~ a new low, even for me, literally!
