Set your digital detox times to manageable levels based on your work and personal life style.

Set a digital detox start-time (relative to your sleep time) i.e. detox starts 60 min prior your sleep time or even 15 min as a bare minimum.

Set a digital detox end-time, like detox ends 15 min or 60 min after brushing – preferable not to attach it to a waking up time, as this can be quite an abstract concept with many loop holes or gaps.

Set your detox times to smaller duration initially (especially if you struggle with it), then increase slowly by 15 minutes to 30 minutes on weekly or fortnightly basis.

It’s more important that you keep your word to yourself every day rather than keeping long detox times which looks or feels good.

Avoid changing your digital times and sleep times frequently. Review your schedule a week, fortnight or even a month in advance and then tweak your times accordingly.

Keep the timings of digital detox strict. One of the ways you will be tricked by the digital beast is that it will ask you to cross the limit/deadline by a only one minute or a few seconds perhaps and within a few days, the detox would be completely unravelled. Your body is an expert negotiator and will come up with many creative excuses.

In a few days you will be tempted to give it up completely and then your body’s mind will eventually coax you to give up all the other practices you’ve been doing so far. It doesn’t like working or being controlled by your inner-will/desires.

• It’s important not to get carried away by setting long durations and then failing to keep up with it everyday.
• Set a smaller duration, but it should be a limit that you will not cross at any rate. If you can do more detox that day, then that’s great.

Create your digital habits today and keep your word

The ‘word’ is more important than the duration. Small, slow and steady is the key to will-strengthening.

Keep your word, keep your word, keep your word.

Capt. Preetham Madhukar