Is Your Virtual World Taking Over? Keep a Foot on the Ground with This Schedule

Multiple people in white clothes staring at their smartphones

Are you living your life through a screen? If you’re hooked to the internet, it’s time to free yourself and take a look around. There’s a real world out there, humming with wonders and riches, and living, breathing human beings like you, so don’t miss out. Take regular breaks from the Internet to keep it in perspective, and imbue that precious here-and-now. With these guidelines, you can find the perfect balance.

Every day

Put all your IT screens, big and small, out of sight for at least an hour a day. Switch them off, turn them around or walk away and shut the door on them. Now you can give your undivided attention to friends and family, or if you’re alone, to practical activity. Perhaps see to the garden, cook a special meal or do some home-decorating. Whatever you do in that hour or so, you’ll feel better for the multi-sensory experience of real life. You may return to the Internet with fresh thoughts, too.

Every night

When you go to bed at night, do something that doesn’t involve your phone, tablet or laptop before you switch off the light. Maybe dip into a book – a thriller, joke book, whatever takes your fancy, or start a diary, jotting down the day’s events to look back on. A gaze through the window can also be soothing, especially if you open it and breathe in the fresh air. If you have a partner, a few minutes’ phone-free chatting, swapping thoughts and feelings, will be companionable for you both.

Every week

At least once a week, turn your back on the Internet and live life with all your senses. Do this for as long as you can, but at least a good couple of hours so that you can reap the benefits. Free from your screen, you’ll be able to focus on scents, flavors, sounds and physical feelings, not forgetting feelings of the emotional kind, too. If you’re outside, absorb the feel and fragrances of the air, listen to sounds far and near and rest your eyes on the horizon. If it’s not feasible to go outside, there’ll be other ways to catch the pulse of life, perhaps through a pastime or by meeting up with friends. You’ll feel invigorated by the experience when you get back to your screen.

Every month

Commit to untangle yourself from the web at least once a month for a whole day’s break or more. To get right away, why not go out or away, leaving all your IT equipment at home. If you need a map, you could try a traditional, paper one, but a local trip will be enough to bring you back into the here-and-now and recharge your earthly batteries. Keep to this monthly commitment, and you’ll keep your online activities in perspective, clarifying their purpose and meaning for you.

Every beautiful day

If there’s a blue sky outside, or a stunning full moon, don’t let it pass you by – stop clicking a minute and step out to enjoy it. If it’s pelting down with rain and everyone’s dashing about outside, that’s worth looking up for, too, as a drama of the moment – another magic moment you can’t quite catch online. As for family birthdays and other personal events, you’ll want to be 100 percent there for them, too. Now and again, messages have to wait.

Schedule these commitments into your diary, allowing plenty of leeway, so you’ll have no excuse for skipping them, and they’ll soon become routine. With one foot firmly on the ground, you’ll keep your virtual life in healthy perspective.

5 Ways Social Media Makes Users Unhappy

How to spend your free time without screens

The ultimate guide to reducing screen use