Do You NEED a digital detox?

This story begins with me and my CFO eating lunch talking about the business like we do a couple of times a week. My CFO is a very experienced business owner and has been buying and selling businesses since he was in his 20’s (decades!). He told me that years ago he used to take time out to travel the world, both after selling a business but also during owning a business that was pretty much on auto-pilot. He could tell that I was under pressure at the time (which is unlike me) and advised I take some time out

Time out of the business?

What he meant was a complete switch off from the day to day of managing of a modern business. No phone, laptop, TV or connection to the internet. He was talking about a digital detox. He has some super successful entrepreneur friends that do this regularly and recommended I try it, I may be surprised at the results.

My immediate reaction was “No way, why would I need to do that?” Firstly what if I miss something important, like an urgent message regarding the business! Then I started to do a bit of research and think about what the advantages could be…

The thought of it made me feel very uncomfortable, but I could see some opportunities to learn and grow in doing it.

Here’s what Google thinks a digital detox could accomplish:

• Reduce Stress. Tech overload causes anxiety, stress, and generally isn't very good for your mental health.

• Increase productivity and creativity.

• Recharge your brain.

• Improved sleep quality.

• Better physical health.

• Improve relationships.

• Reduce depression and anxiety.

• Feel happier.

I had a holiday coming up in the next couple of weeks, so I decided putting myself outside of my comfort zone was an opportunity to undertake some entrepreneurial self-development and then share my results with you guys, fellow entrepreneurial thinkers.

So, a couple of weeks later, I arrived at a beautiful Spa Hotel in Fuerteventura in the Canaries (one of my favourite places in the world), turned my phone onto airplane mode, took off my Apple Watch and put them in a drawer.

What followed was 4.5 days of virtually no tech or connection to the internet (hence you didn’t get my email last week). I say virtually as I did make a small exception and checked my messages on my phone first thing every morning just in case there was something that just couldn’t wait.

So, what happened?

Well, I have to say, it wasn’t what I expected! I actually didn’t feel any anxiety or detox, no feeling of loss or that I was missing something in my pocket. In fact, it was at first more of a mild inconvenience of not being able to communicate with the family whilst on holiday. But with some quick minor adjustments, I was more than comfortable pretty much straight away!

The first thing I did was buy a small pocket notepad, a larger one too, and some pens. I carried them around with me so when the inspiration took hold I could write down my thoughts the old-fashioned way. And it felt great. By the time I hit day two, it felt perfectly normal to not have my phone on me. 

Here’s what I missed:

• Taking photos with my phone whilst on holiday

• Messaging people with me on holiday to co-ordinate where we were meeting etc

• Maps for directions

• Looking up websites for reference and information

Here’s what I didn’t miss:

• Constantly checking notifications

• Being tech support

• Carrying my laptop round

• Unscheduled phone calls

It soon became standard practice to get my family to take photographs, be more communicative about when and where to meet each other and use a paper map if directions were required (there are still loads of these around whilst in a holiday resort). I used my notepads a fair bit, actually read a fictional book and used the gym a lot!

Having been back a couple of days now, I’ve had time to reflect on what I’ve learned and digest what the pros and cons are of doing a digital detox. I actually got a lot out of it but didn’t experience any kind of epiphany, which I’d secretly hoped I might do, lol! I think that as I spent most of my life without a smartphone, going back to not having one wasn’t too much of a chore. If you are in your 20s it may come as more of a shock!

My conclusions are that it’s done me a lot of good in many subtle ways. Mostly it created headspace for me to do some very clear thinking on the direction my business is taking. My notepads are sat with me now and they are key to actioning the five key strategies I want to implement immediately in the business as a result of the clarity I gained.

So do I recommend you give it a go? Definitely, but plan ahead:

• Make sure everyone important to you and your business knows what yo are doing.

• Set up an autoresponder “I’m on a digital detox” on your email.

• If you are doing more than a couple of days make sure it spans the weekend if you are in a business where less happens during that time.

• Get a pocket notepad.

• Try and do it whilst you are away from your usual environment.

If you give it a go, I’d love to hear if you had a good or bad experience or any extra tips you can provide me with for my next digital detox!

To your success

Grant