I did a digital diet for a week

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my general rules for my digital diet if you want to try it!
no phone if the TV is on (or laptop etc.)
no phone in the bed
no phone from 9pm-9am
eat one meal a day with no technology
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[@griffontaylor3963]

That moment when Pepe walked away was amazing especially with it being followed by you saying "thats okay I have two cats" 😂😂

[@juniperdovah]

Read while you eat. I used to flip through catalogs or read a magazine when I ate before phones lol

[@saraheerie]

I like to do a crossword or Sudoku while I eat. They have the crossword and Sudoku books at the Dollar Tree too. So it's really cheap. I have a crossword book in my bathroom too lol :)

[@megannoble98]

This is such a refreshing take on the 'Technology Diet'! Thank you for sharing your opinion and experience. 😌

[@JP-gd2di]

I am in a long distance relationship, my phone is the only thing connecting me to my loved one. Hate it so much when people point out that I'm using it too much

[@kelseylynnmac]

julia I was in one for 6 years before me husband and I got married, I know how you feel, but I feel like you gotta brush it off, being connected is what technology is really for.

[@saraheerie]

I think these little digital diets are more about getting off of apps like Instagram, KZbin, Facebook and Twitter and spending less time in front of a TV mindlessly watching something. Using your phone to talk to your long distances partner is what phones were made for :) They're here to connect us with people, not disconnect us from the world

[@abigailmatherne2283]

I was in the same boat. When I was dating my long distance boyfriend I needed my phone all the time just in case. I even made sure that my phone would wake me in case something happened to him in the middle of the night. Now that we aren't dating I'm much better with my phone. I really only watch KZbin on my phone and that's it. I could go without it but I like it as background noise

[@kassandrathomas6593]

Sameeee

[@jadeelizaishere]

Oh 100%. I never considered myself too attached to my phone, but when my boyfriend was deployed overseas it was in my hand all the time.

[@tylersversion]

the irony of me watching this while i’m eating a meal lmao. loved this video!

[@paigeofcups9238]

I’m in bed eating watching this 😭

[@sopheikemarie]

I watch this on TV while reading comments (and even writing one) on my phone while eating. I actually wonder right now, how I can do this with two hands and one brain...

[@jj-qr4ro]

This is so smart and I love it! In 2018, I went six months without using my phone at all. It was the best six months of my life. I’m not exaggerating, idk if it was just coincidental or what but I was so happy. Also love Pepe being such a cutie in this video

[@hyperhagz]

I got rid of my phone all together for 3 years from age 23-26. It was super challenging yet freeing. It definitely opened up my eyes especially seeing some of the effects on children in our society.

[@dgtlbby]

Cold as F outiside, finished my uni work, I just made some tea and I see a 30min video from Sarah. This is a pretty damn good weekend start.

[@sarahhawkinson]

❤️❤️❤️

[@melissathw]

I play KZbin videos while I do housework, cook, exercise, I listen to podcasts while I drive etc so my phone thinks I’m on my phone like 8 hrs a day 😭

[@sarahhawkinson]

that’s why I think it’s still important to look at the categories too because KZbin isn’t considered social media so it’s not as bad! lol

[@VeraPriymenko]

I think if you start learning a new language this habit will help you a lot. I like to listen to something too almost as much as you do but after some time I started to listen to everything in English: books, podcasts, videos etc. You can turn bad habits into good habits. Or for example you can change your content. I mean if you are watching some random things on KZbin (I don't know it's just a thought), you can start listening to classic books or something related to science for example: astronomy, psychology, geography, physics, etc.

[@spookyastronauts]

Love this more casual type video from you! I love everything you do Sarah, but nice to see a different side :)

[@Pictures002]

Love this. For awhile I avoided the screen time setting on my phone cause I knew I’d feel guilty. Eventually I started downtime and just this month started the limits on Insta, Fb and twitter. Even though you feel uncomfortable with the changes I think it’s a good goal !

[@taylorchameleon]

wow i really need to do this, thank you sarah for bringing light to this! people don’t see it as a huge deal but if everyone just used their phones in moderation & actually took more time to do other hobbies, hang out with friends, & eat without scrolling at the same time, we’d all be better off! can definitely say there have been days where my number of hours on my phone has been in the double digits...so !!!!! i’m excited to challenge myself! i admire you so much for the things you share on here 🖤

[@charlottewardell601]

I really feel like you’re finding your groove at the moment, I’ve been following you for yearsssss and you’ve always been a favourite, and I know you’re not sure about your channels atm but I really feel like you’re vibin’ right now & it’s so great to see and also I low key almost don’t want you to get a different job cause i feel like you’re killin it atm lol (in a ‘I don’t want less content!’ Way but also you do what you wanna do haha) x

[@sarahhawkinson]

omg thank you I’ve been feeling so stagnant for YEARS and like people are just bored so I just have to throw my hands up and say well then I’ll just do what I want. Which is something I should have thought all along but since I have nothing to lose, why not just do a bunch of content that I feel like doing lol

[@charlottewardell601]

Sarah Hawkinson well I’m glad you’re here at this point cause it feels like you’re enjoying yourself more & it’s a joy to see 🥰

[@thesama02]

I love to replace screentime with music. Just laying on a sofa or doing chores while focusing on music is nice!

[@thesama02]

ALSO!! If I feel like scrolling on my phone, I go on a News app and read the days news. It feels more like time well spent, when it's not some stupid socialmedia crap and memes im scrolling for 😂

[@XxXAnnaAnestheticXxX]

I commend you for doing this! I've been trying to not just limit my use but making my internet use more productive. Instead of scrolling tumblr or Instagram I listen to podcasts instead. I've been feeling much better since I started this. :)

[@maschakarpova4836]

I think it's also important to mention, that all the time spend consuming some type of media is time spend consuming the thoughts, ideas and even feelings of others. But for our mental health and overall well-being, our productivity and success it is very important to take time to listen to ourselves. How can you expect to know yourself, if you never even listen? If all of your day you hear or watch or read others and for the most part it's even strangers. Also for the eating, i used to watch KZbin whenever I ate alone, but then tried out sitting in front of my window and just looking outside and I enjoyed it so much and got so used to it, that now I can't really eat with any distractions, because I feel like I can't taste my food properly and can't appreciate it :p I think this is definitely worth trying out and benifitial for everyone personally and for our relationships too :)

[@maschakarpova4836]

Also, if you take a step back.. It sound so ridiculous, that humans find living their life boring without watching something while they do..

[@marshmallowpie42]

This sounds a lot more reasonable and doable then the usual phone detox methods. Thank you, I will try this for a week and see how it affects me. Hopefully I'll get more reading and drawing done. It probably helps if you tell your friends about it and schedule meals/things to do with other people during the digital diet. Also I plan on leaving my phone home at times when out.

[@allthebrokenchildren]

Cool video with good ideas. We have been trying to reduce by having one hour of internet ---for mindless entertainment a day and i'm trying to stop mindlessly watching tv so i've planned to only watch it when i have my meals..haha. But i've notices like you i like to eat while watching something but then when the show is done i just click around the channels...so just mealtimes for tv is really good for me personally. Good jobb with reducing your hours of technology. :)

[@olivia1910]

Interesting take on the whole digital detox thing, I'm usually more of an all or nothing person because I find it hard to limit myself but not using your phone/living without technology in general is definitely harder than I'd like to admit ! I find that even just deleting social media apps but allowing myself to go on the actual website + logout every time makes me more mindful of how often I check them because it's not as automatic and quick as just clicking on the app, gives me a few seconds to think if I really need/want to scroll or if I could do something else with this time

[@bnylz5300]

*me watching this while brushing my teeth*

[@IzzyHendrix]

something i think a lot of people don't consider when it comes to phone addiction is that so many people don't watch movies or TV. my mom is always telling me i spend too much time on my phone, when her TV/movie time per day is nearly twice as much as my total phone time in addition to me almost *never* watching TV (excluding music), and that's something i notice from a lot of people.

[@moonireads]

I think this was a cool experiment! My husband and I made the decision when we moved to our current place to not buy a TV and it made meal times so nice. I haven't really had a meal in front of a t.v. in two years and it's wonderful to actually focus on EATING.

[@hugogonzalez6148]

Such a cool idea! Awesome video!!!

[@blue_boulevard4429]

Amazing video, this was so refreshing and interesting! Also « what do you want? » « and when do you want it? » 😂😂 I’m living for this

[@myselfme767]

Very interesting video. I love when you show us your life. Greetings from Bulgaria.

[@Kyrinax]

As my cell Phone subscription was paid by my former employee, when i changed Jobs last week i was all of a sudden without subscription and it would take a week before i would be able to apply for a new one. So i had to go an entire week without being connected at work. I really thought i would have a hard time, but actually it has been really nice and without that much of a struggle. The only time i really would miss it, is the convenience part of not having to plan ahead (for instance look up directions or bus times before i have to leave). However, i am still happy the week is over, and i will again be able to chat with people when i am at work again, but at least it was a nice reminder that i really can live without being connected all the time.

[@le4372]

i finally had the time to watch this video and i wanted to thank you for it! ive been thinking of doing something similar and i think this was the push that i needed. i also was not aware of this downtown system in the iphone but now ive put it for 12 hours like you (about the time i go to bed to just a little after i wake up) and i hope it helps me not spend a lot of hours on it. i usually scroll a lot in the morning ;;; anyway ill be trying something similar and see how that goes! i spend on average 1h30 on twitter alone and thats not something im proud of hhhhh so im hoping this changes this habit a little. gonna kick FOMOs ass lol. great video!!!!! thank you again x

[@laurac7752]

Oooh i need to do this too😆 i have books half read and diy things i want to do. And i do the same thing with netflix + phone😅

[@barilian]

I've never heard of this but I wanna try it! Wish me good luck! :D

[@lauraelisee]

I’m totally putting my phone into downtime for social media apps but allowing KZbin always 🤣🤣🤣

[@TheemILYvm]

This whole video I kept glancing at my phone in shock at my screen time... lmao I’m way worse than you! I’m really into gaming so I usually don’t touch my phone for like 6 hours of the day but I’m on my computer instead. The rest of the day I’m usually playing a mobile game while I do other things 😂 oh also I was eating breakfast while watching this haha I never eat without being in front of a screen either tho i don’t think I would have trouble doing it if I tried. My biggest issue would be not using it in bed, I always get on my phone before bed and when I wake up. But maybe I’ll try to cut back some.

[@alaynaleblanc2175]

I did this but a little differently and I felt almost the same emotions! The 3rd day was the hardest for me.

[@evelina2803]

First several times my boyfriend and I found ourselves eating at the table with no screens to look at, I became concerned that we totally have nothing to talk about. That was scary. But then after a while I just came to realized I don't really like talking while I eat!

[@stinklkb]

Literally about to update my phone to get that downtime feature cause I can tell I’m not being productive and spending much more time than I want on my phone

[@ecaterinageorgescu8445]

Oy can u do a video on how you managed to get through without a phone until 18? ❤️

[@mimmikibilly]

after something bad went down with a friend, I started getting Facebook anxiety. I did not log in for months. and it still bugs me a bit today. I stayed a month out of social media, no computer unless I had to send an email for a job or look up a password. I did not want to get back but I did at full force in the wrong sense. I want to build a brand, get some traction, but I can't do so without an online presence. I mean, I could, but I started a blog in like October and I want to keep it, but I haven't written anything new yet since February. there was some shit going down with a client, my father, my mental health... being off of the internet was a true healing process in a way.

[@valiumk.9489]

My phone is a crappy piece of a wannabe tech, so I don't want to use it anyway. My tablet though... mmm. As an "old lady" I can actually live without technology (or just limited) for days. I actually spent three days exhibiting at a comic convention in a different city without any internet access and lived to tell the tale again, so yeah, it can be done.

[@aiwxo]

I enjoy my morning with youtube as my OH leaves earlier than I for work. Granted, i think i need to give this ago

[@LauraAbbd]

You asked to share our stats and experience so here goes. I check those stats regularly and I usually spend between 35 and 45 hours a week on my phone. Today was a phone heavy day with a whopping 8 hours. For a bit of context I’m on a 'gap year' type of transition time since October, when I finished my masters and spend my days at home for the most part. I spend around an hour a day on social media and around 4-5 hours on 'entertainment' apps aka KZbin. Also good to note I never touch my computer, but have the tv on pretty much all day. I think I struggle the most with not turning on the tv for background noise. I know I don’t need it but it is such a habit and I cant shake it. I usually listen to audiobooks before bed which I’m fine with, but hate that I go on my phone in the morning to wake myself up. I try to limit myself but since I don’t have a job or a productive thing that takes most of my day I gravitate toward KZbin so damn much. Hopefully those stats will go down when I start studying/working again!

[@sopheikemarie]

„Excuse me, I don‘t have time to be busy.“

[@sopheikemarie]

Also Jack is pretty confused by Pepe‘s talking 😂

[@BasicallyTheres]

I Love your videos so much.. you are so inspiring i cant :D ♡

[@itscinna5540]

How nice it must be to have cats that behave on a balcony/patio haha I wish I could let my kids sit out there with me

[@LoquepiensaMich]

My "screen time" is really high because I can't live without KZbin or a podcast on the background while I do anything so I ended up with like a 9 hour mark 😬😬😬 since I don't use any type of computer. But at least my social media is about 20 or Les minute per app (Twitter, Reddit, Pinterest) except for Instagram most days

[@LadyShihita]

I spend about 2.5 hours a day on my phone and I thought that was a lot. This video made me feel better about myself lol Not trying to judge you though, I assume that I spend more time on my computer instead.

[@sopheikemarie]

Total Triss I‘m also often relieved but then I remember - youtubers (and instagramers) work on their phone aswell. So my mindless scrolling is not the same as theirs. Of course I don‘t know how you use your phone so no bad vibes here! As you said I also spend at least six hours for work in front of the computer. Hope this doesn‘t come around mean or anything, English is not my native language 🙈

[@saraheerie]

I don't have a traditional phone plan situation (I don't have a phone plan at all lol and I haven't in about 7 years) so I don't really spend as much time on my phone as I thought I did. I only use it to connect to the WiFi in my apartment (it's actually just an oldish phone LOL) because I can't upload to Instagram (for my online business) from my laptop. And I like to use it to play Sudoku when I'm bored :) I use it for the camera feature pretty often (specially for work purposes like product photos, pattern guides and promotional marketing stuff) but that's just because my digital camera is like 10 years old and takes crap photos lol. So when I'm out and about (away from home) I am rarely, if ever, on my phone. Unless where I am has WiFi I can connect to but even then I'm just so used to note checking it that I just don't check it lol. I'm basically disconnected until I get home. It's kinda funny because when I'm out with friends they're all glued to their screens on Instagram, FB, Twitter, YT or whatever else and I'm just looking around observing my surroundings lol. I'm working on actually getting a new phone (pre paid) and getting an unlimited plan for a month, just to see if my digital habits change or if I still stick to my sparse use of it. Time will tell :)

[@ChaiL4tt3]

my numbers are so bad spend almost 3 days a week on my phone :^( my total hours for this week are way lower than they have been during the semester at college but its still almost 17 hours in a week ughhhh

[@Zumerjud]

Thanks this was inspiring

[@reaganfranks4579]

I don’t think anyone can beat my daily average of 11h 53m I play KZbin videos to fall asleep though so that’s a huge contributing factor.

[@xVicari0usx]

I average between 5 and 6 hours a day. :O it’s always less when I work cause we can’t have our phones at work. I love this idea though!! I have a friend who doesn’t have any social media except Snapchat and she tried to get me to cut all social media out but I just can’t. 😭

[@PriscaL]

I used to have a timer set to shut off my Instagram after a certain amount but I struggle with it because I have a few friends (mainly my little brother and one of my best friends) who end up using DMs like texting! So my number will be way off and sometime I would hit the timer but not because I was scrolling. And I would say "oh can you FB messenger me or text?" but sometimes that extra added friction to the ease of them messaging is a deterrent ya know? But I have been trying to limit my overall insta browsing

[@kelb7350]

Watching this as I eat breakfast. 😂

[@maricor6]

I am watching this video while eating 😂

[@tikaedits]

i saw "diet" and was so triggered lol then i realized

[@wynngwynn]

The word diet isn't a bad thing as it encompasses so many things. Even changing what you eat to a healthy version is considered a diet and 10/10 would recommend. Because your diet is just what you consume digital or food and how much you allow yourself or what you allow yourself.

[@tikaedits]

@@wynngwynn i'm aware of that but i feel uncomfortable listening to people talk about food and calories and fitness. that's what i was referring to.

[@tikaedits]

and honestly, most people use it to talk about weight loss, which is triggering (:

[@frankiebaxter2590]

@@wynngwynn diet when referring to food, is very much a bad thing, in terms of our culture etc etc (but you are right x)

[@sophiebach2834]

Same

[@skylarhoney2775]

ive been trying to limit my phone time too! i think a detox doesnt help ultimately and neither does being bored without a phone honestly so i started reading more. since i multitask so often i like to paint while watching movies/youtube but i still cant eat without a screen unless im with my boyfriend. we can sit and eat without phones with each other which makes me feel like im addicted to phones because i hate being alone lol

[@xLiLlyx98]

Sadly, eating is not very interesting. Neither is doing chores, and I will always put on long chatty videos in the background while I do those, and the phone will pick all of it up which is why I uninstalled my tracking app again lol... also I watch a lot of ASMR - both for sleep and just relaxation. Often I will also put my phone upside down for that purpose and just listen to the audio. I dunno. I'm just glad I never got in the habit to use social media in the first place - KZbin is probably my only bad habit in that way...

[@saraheerie]

I do crosswords while eating (or Sudoku) and usually while I'm doing chores I either listen to an audio book / podcast or I call my mom and talk to her lol. I also live with my boyfriend and we like to do chores together, so we sometimes just talk to each other while we're cleaning. I have to go to the laundromat to wash clothes (or my boyfriend's parents place) so I bring a book and read :) Sometimes I'll play a few boards on Candy Crush but it gives me a headache after like 10 minutes lol.

[@lauraelisee]

Do your cats roam outside?! They’re so cute!

[@sarahhawkinson]

they’re only allowed on the patio and only when we’re out there to supervise! :)

[@lauraelisee]

Sarah Hawkinson that’s so cute! I was wondering because I live in an apartment complex too. But our patio just has a metal rail. Sooo my cat would easily get away lol

[@VeraPriymenko]

One week? I have not had internet for 2 MONTHS this year Ahahaha that's what I call DIET. After that I realized how much time I was spending on stupid things on Internet which I don't actually need. So one week - no, you won't feel it that deep. Try a few months and this will really change something inside of you.

[@ForrestClump]

I can't eat at home without a screen either 😬

[@vald2971]

Oh if you could only see my screen time weekly report... i think you would be mortified

[@BookyFaliza]

have you watched @bestdressed video on this?

[@meredithleonor5035]

That's awesome I'm going to try it out But all my books are at my phone Sad thing

[@neon32]

You could try mindful eating.

[@joanamonteiiro]

I love your chonk ;_; (aka your chunky cat)

[@IwillloveU4ever10]

cute cat🌟

[@marieglad]

🐈🐾😂❤

[@Anna-pd6dc]

Have you tried not exfoliating your nose?