Unplugwell: How to Rebuild a World Beyond Your Screen

Did you know that your phone isn’t the only problem, the bigger problem might be that you’ve forgotten what to do when its not in your hand. Ofcourse we can't advice to delta every app, throw away your phone or even disappear for a month. 

See for the youngsters whose friendships, careers, entertainment and opportunities exist online, that suggestion will be highly unrealistic. As seen in “Scrolling Yourself Sick: The High Cost of Staying Connected article,”  being connected is no longer simply a lifestyle choice. It is knitted into how we live.

So perhaps the goal is not to escape the internet, but to build a life that does not depend on it for every moment of stimulation.

Start With Boredom

So funny how we’ve becomen uncomfortable with doing nothing. This is seen when one is waiting for an Uber, suddenly you scroll to “pass time”, when standing in that queue with only two items in your hand seems like you’ve been waiting for decades so you scroll on TikTok, when you dont want to eat alone instead you stalk that ex that moved on 2 months ago, even watching Big Brother Naija on TV can involve scrolling through every screen at the same time.

It's like whenever there's an empty space, we want to fill it by doing something. However boredom is not something that needs fixing. It creates room for thoughts to roam around, your ideas to develop and for attention to settle. The challenge here is allowing yourself to experience those quiet moments without immediately thinking of checking your favourite influencer’s recent life update on X.

How about you try to leave that phone in your bag when you’re having dinner, visit the park without feeling the urge to scroll on Facebook, take a short walk without wanting to create a vlog of it. Nothing dramatic needs to happen. That is the point.

Make Offline Plans

Another reason why being unplugged feels so difficult is that the online world has become your default source of entertainment. Most certainly if you remove your phone without replacing what it was providing, I could bet you’ll reach for it again. Learn to build life offline, read a physical book, join a dancing class, follow a recipe, visit an art gallery, go to that music concert, visit your friend without spending the entire evening doomscrolling senselessly on TikTok, find a hobby that wont require an audience. 

This is not to say you should become anti-technology, you just need to remember that there are things worth doing even when nobody is watching, there’s life outside of technology. 

Protect Your Attention

Make it a habit to establish digital boundaries, those will not only reduce screen time but they will also show what deserves your attention. This looks like you muting those accounts that leave you anxious, unfollowing content creators that make you constantly compare your life with someone else’s, turn off unneccesary notifications, move distracting apps away from your home screen. Understand that your feed (whether Instagram, your phone, YouTube, X, TikTok, Facebook) is an environment that you’re allowed to curate at any point as you please. A smaller, intentional digital world can sometimes be more useful than trying to consume everything the algorithm puts in front of you.

Create Phone-Free Rituals

Instead of waiting until you feel burnt out to take a break, how about you build small periods of disconnection into your already existing routine? Here’s an example, your mornings could begin without social media, meals are phone-free, then the last hour before bed belong to listen to a podcast or reading that book that has been collecting dust for the past 2 weeks rather than being on TikTok. These may seem like small unimportant rituals because they make being offline ordinary however they’ll also help you learn to be disciplined. 

Miss Out

FOMO over takes us when we believe we need to know everything as it happens. I promise you dont, it wont change the price of bread neither will it affect the decisions Tinubu makes. The algorithm will forever show another trend, conversation, meme, announcement or viral moment. Some opportunities seriously need you to stay informed, especially when your career depends on having an online presence, however not every update deserves your attention. It's perfectly fine if you find out tomorrow, miss the trend, sometimes you can bet on your friend to fill you in, the world will keep moving. 

Build Before You Disconnect

A digital detox becomes much easier when there is something meaningful waiting for you offline. This could mean friendships that are there beyond group chats, hobbies that don't deserve spotlight, that routine that structure your day or just becoming comfortable with being by yourself. Now this is what is meant by your digital wellbeing being more important that screen-time limits. It emphasises what your attention is making room for. As you’ve learnt, the goal isn’t to disappear, you just have to reach a point where logging off doesn’t feel like a punishment.