For the last several years, instead of making a goal or resolution in January, I’ve focused on one aspect of my life in the first month of the year. I’ve found whatever I learn from these experiments trickles into the rest of the year and gives me perspective. This year, my focus is on technology. I’m wondering how ignoring screens for a month can put technology back in its proper place in my life—as a tool, not a distraction.
DAY ONE
I woke up and immediately reached for my phone to check social media. This isn’t even a habit I do, but because I knew I couldn’t, I had the urge. But instead of letting the blue light wake my eyes, I rolled over and slept longer. We’re still on school break.
DAY TWO
Whenever I decide on a fast like this, I set up rules for myself. Since I’m still living my regular life, I can’t go completely offline. I still have orthodontist appointments to confirm and text messages from friends to return. However, I’ve decided my main concern is disappearing. One of the reasons I want to “put away” my phone is simple: It’s not nice to feel ignored. You can be in the same room with someone, and they’re captivated by the pull of something you can’t see on their phone. So through these next couple of weeks, I’m focusing on how to be present when I’m with people. I want to figure out how to do the other things needed to run life in this tech world somewhere else. Or, when and how to invite others into the technology I’m using. That’s my question.
Day two has me ready to leave everything behind, though. I almost left my phone at home when I went out today, but then I remembered my wallet was attached to my phone. I needed a library card. And a driver’s license.
Also, I called several people instead of texting them today because 1. It’s break and I have the time 2. I’m not checking up on them on social media.
DAY SEVEN
A week! The twitch came yesterday. I felt annoyed and would have watched a show nonstop if I weren’t on this pause. But here I am. Noticing my emotions and not reaching for a distraction.
DAY NINE
I went to the store yesterday and realized how often I rely on technology, from my credit card to the shopping cart I use to scan my groceries. My interactions with other people are minimal. And, I don’t touch money. It’s metaphorical as it zips over my head from my bank account to the store’s. This isn’t a no-spend month, but I wonder if our spending would change if we had actual cash in hand. And, would it be accepted at many of the stores we shop?
And more importantly, what of the human cost? I’m not forced to interact with strangers when the shopping cart rings up my groceries. In most places, I don’t even hand over my card anymore. I tap it on a machine. If I had cash, I’d count it, hand it to the cashier, look in his or her eyes, smile, and say, “Thank you.” Something is lost when I only glance at the screen.
I had another dilemma yesterday. It was my first day with the kids back in school. It was easier to go screenless with them around because I wanted to interact with them. But when it was back to just me, I thought about watching a church service on YouTube during lunch. This wouldn’t break my rules, but I paused. The decision felt different than hiding away from my family to be sucked into a show—I was all alone. Yet, I wondered what silence sounded like.
When my chores took me outside, again, I opted for silence. As I cleaned leaves, I found myself talking to the cat. We had a nice conversation.
In the early mornings, I’m still checking my email, getting on Substack, but I’m not scrolling on social media or streaming shows.
DAY ELEVEN
It has been warm for winter weather, so perhaps that has made it easier to be off screens. But today is colder. We’ll still venture outside, but the temptation to crawl under the covers and watch a show is there. I find I am most persuaded by screens when: 1. I’m tired or stressed or overwhelmed. 2. The screen is nearby.
I’ve felt this urgency lately of all the things I have to do. While my kids are at these magical ages when they can roam the neighborhood and play with other kids for hours on end, I have more freedom to do snippets of quiet, focused work during the day. While there are always chores of laundry, picking up, etc., I’ve found that when screens aren’t in the mix, I gravitate toward my writing work. Or reading. It’s almost as if my spirit is saying, “Sit. Rest. See the sun dancing through the window?” Could God be teaching me how to reorder my priorities?
I was struck the other day by how my kids would rather play with their friends than with me. This will keep growing as they become teens. This is another reason why I want to figure this out. I want to have a posture of presence with them by keeping my distractions at bay. When they want to talk, when they ask to play, I want to say yes. I know life’s demands don’t always afford this. But if I keep those times sacred, I can zoom in on them, not screens.
DAY TWELVE
Checking. That’s what I get hung up on. I don’t scroll, I check. Check my email, check my messages, check my social media. But when I check, my mind becomes spaghetti. While I’m checking on one thing, another thing pops up, and I follow the strand onto another and another and another thing.
Ironically, that’s why I’ve put my phone on silent. But then, because it’s on quiet mode, I’d check it all the more.
As I think through better solutions, I wonder how to block my time. Will I be able to stay present in the in-between? With the delayed gratification, I know whatever I’m waiting for will wait until then, and I can focus on the rest of life. I’m sure, at first, it will be hard to get something off my mind, but with practice, I can train my mind to focus on what is in front of me.
Have you seen those movies where they show what’s on the character’s phone by displaying it in a bubble above their head? If only this were reality. Part of the reason I feel so slighted by people on their phones is that what is on their phone is invisible to everyone else. When they check their phones, I cannot see what they are looking at. They are interacting with something invisible to everyone else. That’s why I relate it to being ignored. If I could see what the person was doing, perhaps I would have more compassion. But, to me, it’s just a wall. And, yes, I do this too. At one point, I would announce what I was doing on my phone to whoever I was with. But, I’m not sure this is a great solution either.
I like using the early morning, before everyone else in my household is awake, to do all my checking. I have a time limit. Even if I spaghetti into something else, I can’t get caught in it. By 7 a.m., if I’m not in the kitchen, my kids will be late for school.
DAY THIRTEEN
Yesterday, my husband and kids went to basketball practice for three-plus hours. The days bustle along, but by evening, I’m tired. A movie would have been my go-to any other time. But, instead, I ate a whole sleeve of cookies, finished reading a book I had stalled in, called my mom, took a shower, listened to an audiobook, then went to bed.
Maybe I should have just gone to bed.
DAY FOURTEEN
As I think about using technology as a tool, not a distraction, I’ve asked my husband to redownload a messaging app so I can send delayed texts. If I’m blocking time in the early morning to do catch-up work, it’s too early to text people. However, with this app, I can write all my texts at one time and have them sent at more appropriate times. Also, with this approach, I can respond when I am able, not when the phone dings.
DAY FIFTEEN
In the most ironic twist, my computer died today. I had been using it to check email, read Substack, and write. Now, with a black screen that will not respond to anything, I immediately wonder how I’ll do my writing. Will I need to use a pen and paper? My husband is out of town for three days. He’ll probably take his laptop, so I will be up a creek without a computer. It feels vulnerable to be without technology. Let’s hope my phone holds, because even though I’m on a technology fast, I don’t want to go without. I want it to enhance my life, not keep me from life.
DAY SIXTEEN
Computer is back. That was rather anticlimactic, but what a relief! My computer is going on eight years. (Is that old for a laptop?) To preserve it a little longer, I’ve started to shut it off every time I’m done with it. Before, I just shut the lid. I’d pop it open several times a day. But if I need to wait for it to turn on, I’ll consider whether I really want to use it. Remember how long we’d wait for those old-school dial-ups to connect to the internet? What if I had to go downstairs and turn on the router every time I wanted to use the internet? Would I hop on as much?
The panic I felt when my computer wouldn’t turn on, that’s how I know I’m focusing on the right thing for January. It’s unhealthy for technology to hold that much control over your life. Everything I do is backed up. When I couldn’t turn my computer on, why was I so upset?
DAY SEVENTEEN
I guess I’m over halfway through. I’ve had a couple of times where I’ve needed to contact someone, and I thought I’d have to get on social media to do it. But each time, I’ve thought of an alternative.
DAY TWENTY-TWO
Keeping screens in their right place is hardest when I’m tired or upset. It’s easy to have mindless consumption as a go-to. Our minds need breaks. They need boredom. But I’m not sure those types of activities are best for my brain. Instead, this month, I’ve found myself reaching for a notebook, picking up a poetry book, or just considering the objects in the room.
I’m doing just one more thing because I’m not rushing to get to what is waiting for me on a screen. This month hasn’t been completely screenless. As I wrote earlier, I continued to work on writing, emails, and texts. But I found a new way to do it. After my work was done, I turned the computer off. If I wasn’t expecting a phone call or text, I kept my phone on silent, in a drawer. If I was expecting something, I kept the volume up, just out of reach, so I could hear the message come through, but wouldn’t check it a million times. I also rediscovered the joy of composing delayed texts in batches.
My family and I watched a couple shows, but we did it together, talking the whole time. It was a shared experience, not individual screen time. I’m not anti-technology. I’m pro-learning how to put technology in its right place, as a tool to enhance our lives, not take over it.
I understand how a quick text does a better job of communicating logistics with local friends. But I’ve enjoyed calling long-distance friends this month. When I think of someone I don’t regularly see, does it make sense to text them a hello? If I catch them right, wouldn’t I rather hear their voice and listen to what is happening in their life? Even the Voxer app doesn’t communicate in the same way as a phone call does. How do I make this a regular thing?
DAY TWENTY-SIX
It’s freezing cold out. My hardest day of this month was yesterday, when I was exhausted from the weekend’s activities. Instead of watching something all by myself, I went to bed and slept. It was much more rejuvenating than having a tired body fight against an active mind that wants to watch an intriguing plot on a screen.
I wonder, though, how breaking the fast will feel?
Usually, when I do these sorts of focused months, I write at the end that the fast isn’t a sustainable way to live. But, really, what did I miss this month? Some social media updates. Some mindless streaming. Social media may have its place. I love sharing my words and connecting with old friends. But without social media access, I linked up with people IRL much more often than usual. What if social media makes us feel connected without actually connecting us? I wonder whether the way I used technology this month could benefit me in the long term?
I asked people on Substack if they have any rules around social media/screens. A few commentators said they keep their phones free of social media apps and only use an internet browser to access social media. I do the same.
Children’s author Reem Faruqi commented that she checks her mood while she’s scrolling. I found this interesting. I’ve learned from reading The Anxious Generation and other sources how social media was created to keep the brain addicted to the novelty of the next. The next reel. The next picture. You train the algorithms on what you like based on your pauses, likes, and comments. But instead of joy, sometimes scrolling can conjure negative feelings.
We cycle through moods and emotions all day. We can’t control our emotions, but we can control our actions. How are some of our actions dictating our moods? Especially when it comes to our online devices.
DAY THIRTY-ONE
Technology is a word that encompasses so much. We often think of technology as the latest and greatest, but really, even the electricity running to our house is a form of technology that has only become widely available in the last 80 years. A lot has changed from generation to generation to make our lives more convenient. But what has been lost? I’m sure I’ll continue to wrestle with these questions as long as I live: what technology will I use? What will I avoid? And when it comes to my children, how do we help them to be responsible with screens?
Going forward, I think the biggest question for me continues to be how I use technology to connect, not isolate. How does this unite, not divide? My unplugged January is over, but I imagine I’ll wrestle with that for a while.
What are your thoughts on screens, social media, technology, and unplugging? Do you have specific rules for yourself? I’d love to hear more.
Other focused Januaries I’ve written about: My first No-Spend Month, Last year’s No-Spend Month challenge, A No-Sugar Month I did with a friend, and 31 days of Getting Out of the House.
Copyright © 2026 Ashley C. Shannon, All rights reserved.
I can relate to most of the challenges you face with technology. We can't do without it entirely anymore, but we need to use it wisely----to connect, rather than to isolate. And we have to be self-disciplined, so we don't let it distract us from in-person relationships.
Thank you for sharing! I am reading a book called “12 ways your phone is changing you”. It’s very applicable even though it was written in 2016. I feel like everything the author says is even more true in 2026.