Wednesday, February 6, 2013

The Shavers Family's Digital Detox

It's official! The Shavers Family is on a digital detox. I wrote a blog post in January where I said that I was considering giving up my iPhone and leaving the Smart Phone world. Well… My husband decided to get rid of his smart phone and I could feel him silently challenging me. I'm not one to back down from a competition so, I jumped on board and here we are. Our detox has evolved since giving up our phones and these are the parameters:

  • No smart phones. Our phones can only be used for making calls and text. We have both sold our phones (Samsung Galaxy S3 and iPhone 5) and both have flip phones. The picture above is my husband's phone.
  • No cable. We cut off our cable and right now we don't even have local channels. We are currently trying to figure out what people did before all of this technology.
  • Designated "no technology" times. We both have jobs that demand that we use technology. Josh works in IT and I teach online and conduct research on social media. It's unrealistic that we will have no technology, but their are set times where we cannot use it.
We are three weeks into this challenge, but this is our first week without cable. We are committed to three months and may extend the time.  I hate to admit it, but my husband seems to having an easier transition than me. I miss my smart phone so much. I am definitely going through a withdrawal period. I am constantly thinking about the things I could be doing if I had my phone. It's a little surprising how much I rely on it. However, my digital detox has increased my awareness of how often we can become like zombies with our phones.

What do you think about our digital detox? Could you do it? Below is a video of some individuals who did it for two weeks. What do you think?
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4 comments:

  1. Dr. Shavers.....wow! That takes dedication and I admire what you and your husband are doing. I'm not convinced I could do tis....well, I'm sure I could but I guess at this time I don't have a desire to do so. I will admit though I'm cautious to not be playing on my phone when I'm having quality time with my so. He enjoys technology too, iPad, but we do that together most of the time.

    Good luck in your challenge.

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  2. I'm so proud you Marjorie! I totally think I could do it.

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  3. I appreciate the positive feedback. Some times I am not always so happy about it, but today is a good day!

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  4. Okay, so the thought often passes my mind to get rid of the cable and technology in our home but to actually do it...YIKES!! I'll be checking back with you to see how it is working for you and your husband. I can't imagine my husband giving up ESPN long enough to even agree with so a thought/idea.
    Good luck!!

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