star January challenge
Set yourself today’s task: two hours of digital detox
With the star-January Challenge you can do something good for yourself in the New Year. The challenge: ten tasks on ten consecutive days. Are you there?
More time for family and friends, feeling better about your body, living healthier: There are many reasons to break old habits – and establish new ones. It provides ideas and motivation star-January Challenge: For ten consecutive days in January you can dedicate yourself to a task set by us every day. And who knows – maybe the daily challenge will become a new, beloved habit that you can use to do something good for yourself in the new year.
Are you there? We would be happy about that. Today’s task is especially for permanent Smartphone-Users not that easy: two hours of digital detox.
How many hours do you spend on your cell phone every day? No matter what you say now, there are probably more. According to a study, on average we spend time on digital devices.
No wonder we often feel like we are dependent on our cell phones. The constant availability is annoying. We would rather switch off in the evenings instead of answering work emails. But how do we do that?
Give yourself a bit of freedom today and take part in our smartphone detox challenge. Today’s goal: two hours without a cell phone. With a little preparation you can do it. We promise.
Step 1: Prepare slowly
Take a piece of paper and a pen and write down 20 things that you enjoy doing, that you rarely find time for in your everyday life, and that take between five minutes and two hours. Take a walk, clean out your closet, paint, play music, read a book, cook something delicious… Don’t think about it for long, just start writing.
Step 2: Now it’s getting serious
Pick two or three things from them. Choose a time of day when you would like to go without your smartphone for two hours. Inform your family that you will not be available during this time. If you are expecting important calls, you can designate someone to tell the caller that you will call back later.
Put your smartphone somewhere you won’t see it or leave it at home when you go out for detox time.
Step 4: Enjoy your challenge
Dedicate yourself wholeheartedly to the activity you have chosen. Consciously immerse yourself in what you are doing. When you go for a walk, pay conscious attention to the sounds, smells and sights around you. Once you decide to clean, cook, or paint, do it with all your senses.
After this experience, take a few notes about your feelings. This increases the impact of the challenge.
This is why conscious smartphone use and digital detox are worthwhile:
- Apps are programmed to addict us. Do you really want to be manipulated by a programmer?
- Instagram and Facebook have great appeal because they promise us contact and closeness. But every small talk with your neighbor makes you happier in the long term than ten hearts on Insta.
- Even short interruptions of a few seconds – for example when you look at the message that pops up on your smartphone – throw us off course. After that it takes ten minutes, so smartphone breaks give us a lot of time.
- Studies show that we sleep better when we put our smartphones away about 30 minutes before bedtime. There is also evidence that our creativity increases and our stress levels decrease when we ensure that we have regular times when our smartphones do not distract us.
Rituals help you to live without your cell phone more often. For example, going for a walk without a phone or checking your emails in the morning after breakfast. At work, leave your cell phone in the drawer during periods of concentration or in the office during lunch. What ritual would you like to establish in 2025?
Source: Stern
I’m Caroline, a journalist and author for 24 Hours Worlds. I specialize in health-related news and stories, bringing real-world impact to readers across the globe. With my experience in journalism and writing in both print and online formats, I strive to provide reliable information that resonates with audiences from all walks of life.
