Remember when summer felt like freedom? Now it often feels… connected.
That constant buzz in your pocket. The endless scroll that steals hours from your day. I know the pull of the screen all too well. For years, I was lost in video games, wasting countless hours chasing digital achievements while my real life stood still. It was an addiction, and breaking free was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. But it taught me a powerful lesson: our attention is our most valuable asset.
This summer, let’s take some of that attention back. A digital detox isn’t about throwing your phone in a lake. It’s about setting boundaries so you can be present for your own life. It’s about trading screen time for real memories. Here are 12 practical tips to help you unplug and truly live this summer.
Reclaim Your Space and Time
The first step is to create physical and mental space away from your devices. This is about making conscious choices about where and when you connect.
-
Create "No-Phone" Zones. Designate specific areas in your home where phones simply aren't allowed. The dinner table is a great place to start. Make it a space for conversation and connection. The bedroom is another crucial zone. Your sleep will improve dramatically when your bed is for rest, not for one last scroll through social media.
-
Turn Off Non-Essential Notifications. You don't need to know every time someone likes your photo or posts a story. Those little red bubbles are designed to hijack your attention. Go into your settings and be ruthless. Keep notifications for calls and texts from people you care about. Everything else can wait. You decide when to check your apps, not the other way around.
-
Schedule Your Screen Time. Just like you schedule a meeting or a workout, schedule your time for scrolling. Maybe it’s 15 minutes after lunch or 30 minutes before you start making dinner. When the time is up, it’s up. This prevents mindless scrolling from taking over your entire evening.
-
Use a Real Alarm Clock. This is a small change with a huge impact. When your phone is your alarm, what’s the first thing you do in the morning? You grab it. You check emails, social media, and news before your feet even hit the floor. An old-school alarm clock lets you start your day on your own terms, with your own thoughts.
Swap Digital Habits for Real-Life Activities
The key to a successful detox is replacing the old habit with a new, better one. You can’t just leave a void. You have to fill it with something good.
-
Find an Analog Hobby. What did you love to do before screens took over? Read a physical book. Pick up a guitar. Start a small garden on your balcony. Go for a walk without headphones. When I was changing my life, I found that replacing old habits wasn't about willpower alone. It was about finding something better to do. Trading a controller for a walk outside or a good book made all the difference.
-
Delete the Worst Offenders. You know which apps are your biggest time-wasters. Be honest with yourself. For the summer, just delete them. The world will not end. You can always reinstall them later if you really need to, but you might find you enjoy the peace and quiet without them.
-
Plan Phone-Free Outings. Make a plan to go to the park, a museum, or the beach, and intentionally leave your phone in the car or at home. At first, it might feel strange, like you’re missing a limb. But soon, you’ll notice more. You’ll see the details of the world around you. You’ll have deeper conversations. You'll be fully present.
-
Tell Your People. Let your close friends and family know you’re trying to use your phone less. Just a simple, “Hey, I’m trying to be on my phone less this summer, so if you need me, a phone call is best!” This manages expectations and prevents people from thinking you’re ignoring them.
Change Your Mindset
A digital detox is as much an internal shift as it is an external one. It’s about changing how you think about technology and your relationship with it.
-
Embrace Boredom. We use our phones to escape even a moment of boredom. Waiting in line, sitting at a red light, a quiet moment at home—we immediately reach for the screen. Try not to. Let your mind wander. Boredom is where creativity is born. It’s where you process your thoughts and have new ideas. It’s in these quiet moments that we can also find space for prayer and reflection, strengthening our connection to what truly matters.
-
Go Grayscale. This is a fantastic trick. Go into your phone’s accessibility settings and turn the screen to grayscale. A black-and-white screen is boring. All those colorful, enticing apps suddenly look dull and unappealing. It short-circuits the reward system in your brain that gets a kick out of all the bright colors.
-
Practice Daily Gratitude. Social media often makes us focus on what we don’t have. A powerful antidote is gratitude. Each day, take just a minute to think about or write down a few things you’re thankful for. It could be as simple as the sun shining, a good cup of coffee, or a kind word from a friend. This small habit shifts your focus from scarcity to abundance, from envy to contentment. For me, a quiet prayer of thanks each morning and night centers my day on what God has given me, not what the world is showing me.
-
Celebrate Small Wins. You won’t be perfect at this, and that’s okay. The goal isn't perfection; it's progress. When I was losing over 110 pounds, I learned that celebrating small wins was everything. Did you make it through dinner without looking at your phone? That’s a win. Did you read a chapter of a book instead of scrolling? Celebrate it. Each small victory builds momentum and proves to you that you can do it.
This journey is about taking back control. It’s about choosing to invest your time and energy into the people, activities, and faith that bring you genuine joy and purpose. You don’t have to do all 12 of these things at once. Just pick one.
What’s one small step you can take today to reclaim a piece of your summer?
