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Digital Minimalism…….You ever stare at your phone and suddenly realize holy crap, two hours just disappeared? Like you open TikTok to watch a “quick funny dog video” and suddenly you know way too much about medieval bread-baking techniques and some dude named Kyle who lives in a van. Yeah—me too. And that’s exactly why I started flirting with digital minimalism (fancy phrase for “stop letting the internet eat your life”).

I didn’t even know what to call it at first. I just knew I was tired of my eyeballs burning at 2 a.m. because I couldn’t stop scrolling Reddit threads about toaster ovens. Like, why do I care about toaster ovens?? I don’t even own one. But there I was.

So yeah—this is me, figuring out how to unplug and not feel like I’m missing everything. Spoiler: I’m not a monk now. I still binge Netflix. I still text memes. But I clawed back actual hours of my life. Wanna know how? Keep reading.

Step One: Admit Your Phone Owns You (Because It Does)

I used to tell people, “Nah, I’m not addicted, I just use my phone a lot for work.” Liar. Big, fat liar. My screen time said 7 hours a day. That’s like a part-time job. And I wasn’t even getting paid.

One night, my friend looked at me (we were supposed to be hanging out but I kept checking Instagram) and she just said, “You seriously thought that would work? Splitting attention like that?” Ouch. But she was right.

So the first step? Admit it. Your phone owns you. Social media owns you. The dopamine hits are not free—they’re stealing your time.

Step Two: The Dumb But Effective “Delete Stuff” Trick

Sounds obvious, right? But I swear, the hardest part was just… deleting apps. My thumb literally hovered over TikTok for like 10 minutes. I felt like I was betraying a friend. That’s when I knew it was bad.

But once it was gone—magic. My brain started doing this wild thing called being bored. And boredom? Turns out it’s not deadly. You know what happened? I read a book. I actually sat there with paper and words and didn’t get distracted every 12 seconds.

(Pro tip: If you can’t bring yourself to delete, at least log out. You’ll be amazed how lazy you actually are when you have to type a password.)

Step Three: Replacing the Scroll

You can’t just stop. Trust me, I tried the whole “just willpower through it” method. Nope. Fail. Day one, I was back doomscrolling like it was the Olympics.

So I had to replace it. I picked up journaling—not like fancy leather notebook, more like scribbling random thoughts on a $2 Walmart spiral. Also, I started calling people. Like, actual phone calls. Wild, right? I forgot people’s voices sound different than their emojis.

Other stuff that worked:

  • Going on stupidly long walks (I’m basically on a first-name basis with every squirrel in my neighborhood now).
  • Cooking actual meals instead of ordering DoorDash at midnight.
  • Making playlists like it’s 2008 and I’m back on LimeWire.

Step Four: Digital Boundaries (So Grown-Up, I Know)

Here’s the part where you sound like a Responsible Adult™. I set rules. And shockingly, they worked.

  • No phone in bed. (Otherwise I’ll be up till 3 a.m. watching raccoon rescue videos.)
  • Do Not Disturb stays on. Sorry if you text me at midnight. I’ll get back when I can.
  • One-screen rule. If I’m watching TV, I can’t also be scrolling. Multitasking is a lie anyway.

At first it felt annoying, like I was babysitting myself. But then, after a while, I didn’t miss it. I actually enjoyed sitting in silence (never thought I’d say that).

The Weird Side Effects Nobody Tells You About

When I started cutting back on screen time, I thought it’d just be about having more hours. But dude—the side effects were unexpected.

  • My brain got louder. Not always in a bad way, just… thoughts. Random ideas, dumb jokes, memories I hadn’t thought about in years.
  • Time slowed down. Like, no joke, some days felt longer because I wasn’t filling every crack with noise.
  • I started noticing stuff. The way the light hits at 6 p.m. in my kitchen. The fact that my neighbor always wears Crocs. Important details, obviously.

And okay, yes—I got a little sentimental. One night I was sitting there drinking tea, no phone in sight, and I just thought, “So this is what peace feels like?” Then I laughed at myself for sounding like a Pinterest quote.

But Also… I’m Not Perfect

I should say this: I’m not living in some off-grid cabin. I still check my email. I still binge-watch an embarrassing amount of reality TV (don’t ask me about Love Island—I have Opinions™).

Digital minimalism for me isn’t about quitting the internet. It’s about not being swallowed by it. It’s balance, or at least trying. Some days I nail it. Some days I fail spectacularly and spend four hours on YouTube watching skateboarding fails from 2012. And that’s fine.

So, If You Wanna Try This…Digital Minimalism

Don’t overthink it. Don’t make a 27-step plan. Just start small:

  • Delete one app you hate-love-hate.
  • Put your phone in another room at night.
  • Notice what you actually like doing when you’re not scrolling.

It’s not about being perfect. It’s about stealing your time back from the machine.

The Part Where I Get a Little Cheesy about Digital Minimalism

I used to feel like life was slipping by in notifications. Like, everything was urgent, everything was “ping ping ping,” and I never really looked up. But now? Even just a little less screen time, and I feel… lighter. Like I actually own my time instead of loaning it to Instagram.

And honestly? That feels better than any meme scroll at 1 a.m.

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