How to Live a More Intentional Life by Doing a Digital Detox

For the Mother Who Wants to Reclaim Her Time, Attention, and Joy

If you’ve found your way here then it may be time for a digital detox. In fact, I would bet that it’s probably long overdue. Picture for a moment, if you will:

You’re rocking your baby to sleep, scrolling Instagram in the dark.
Your toddler is building a tower, eyes searching for yours, but you’re reading another Facebook post.
Dinner is bubbling on the stove while you check one more email, one more text, one more reel…

And then, the moment is gone.

Mama, if this feels all too familiar, you’re not alone.

Our phones were made to keep us connected…

But somewhere along the way, they started to disconnect us from the very people and moments that are right in front of us—our children, our homes, our beautiful, fleeting days.

This is such a huge deal and not enough people are talking about it. If you’ve found your way to this post, I know you feel the tug to get off the phone and back into the real world. Technology use has become so intoxicating for this generation, it’s like a drug that you simply cannot get away from. It is absolutely everywhere. 

This constant connectivity that we find ourselves embedded in has truly created an unprecedented negative impact on the daily lives of an entire generation of people! Most particularly, young people who likely don’t remember what life was like before the digital age. If you’ve been feeling the tug to get away from the web of tech devices surrounding you and maybe wanting to start moving your entire family into a new direction, this post is for you. 

You are not alone! Let’s take back our lives by getting off our phones! And free our children from the addiction of screens while we still have the chance to do so. 

Disclaimer: Please note this post may contain affiliate links. This means I may receive a small commission if clicked at no extra cost to you.

The Silent Message You Might Be Sending

Here’s a hard truth: Every time we choose our phone over eye contact, conversation, or play, we’re sending our children a message—loud and clear.

“This screen matters more than you do right now.”

We don’t mean to say that, of course. We love our children deeply. But to a little one, actions speak louder than intentions.

I need this reminder too sometimes. I’ve been there – you’re in the middle of reading an email (which has already been interrupted at least 4 times) and you really just NEED to get to the end of this dang paragraph so you can move on with your life! I get it. And I will say that I’m definitely guilty of this as much as the next mom is.

What you may not realize is just how often this actually occurs throughout the day. How much time you are spending with that little device in your hand instead of spending quality time with your loved ones?

Observe Your Personal Screen Usage

When living with young children, sometimes we just crave a few minutes here and there to turn our minds off and rest for a moment. And when we do finally get that moment – is your first instinct to pick up your phone and scroll? Our constant need to feel included in other people’s lives is such a new phenomenon. 

We are setting the example for how to live, how to love, and how to be present. Are we modeling distraction… or connection?

Understanding the Addiction

Phones aren’t just “fun.” They’re engineered to be addictive. This is why the idea of digital detoxing is so important these days. 
Social media sites give your brain little dopamine hits every time you scroll, tap, or get a notification. It’s like a slot machine for your soul. Every swipe teaches your brain to crave more—more stimulation, more distraction, more digital noise.

On top of this, the constant exposure to blue light actually changes the chemical compounds of your brain. It will impact and influence your circadian rhythm – which influences and impacts your hormones, your moods, your sleep quality, your dopamine and cortisol receptors. It will literally change your brain and bodily rhythms and receptors in a negative way.

This affects not just our mental health but our physical health as well. Did you realize it could impact you so much? That innocent looking cell phone in your hand right now can do some serious damage, not just to your relationships, but to your entire physiology. 

And just like any other addictive habit, it becomes hard to stop. But you can stop, and you are strong enough to do so!

For more into the tech addiction and how it’s affecting our kids’ generation, I highly recommend the books The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt and Until the Streetlights Come On: How a Return to Play Brightens Our Present and Prepares Kids for an Uncertain Future by Ginny Yurich.

A Wake-Up Call for the Heart

Let’s pause and ask the question that matters most:

What is your priority?
Is it your child’s voice or a stranger’s story?
Is it your home’s atmosphere or a Pinterest post?
Is it the life you’re living or the one you’re scrolling through?

What will make you feel more fulfilled; spending the next 30 minutes reading to your children or spending time reading the infinite amount of news article about some atrocity on the other side of the country?

Human beings were made for real connection.
Your children deserve to be seen, and played with, and respected. This time is fleeting, mama. Please don’t let it slip right through your fingers while you’re engrossed in something that will mean absolutely nothing to you 10 years from now. And your home? It longs for your full, unhurried presence.

Perhaps you wouldn’t want to scroll the beautiful homes of Pinterest as often if you focused a bit more on your own space. Stop consuming the content and start creating something beautiful in real life. You will feel more fulfilled, I can assure you of this. You’ll have more control over your thoughts. You’ll have more control over your life. You will be so much more radiant when you lift the weight of the world that your mobile device has put on your shoulders.

Remember that YOUR life is lived right in front of you! Your whole family will benefit from your decision to put your own life before strangers lives. They deserve that from you and you will reap so many beautiful benefits by doing this digital detox. 

How to Start a Digital Detox as a Mom

Change doesn’t have to be perfect. In fact, perfection is a ruse all in itself. However, bad habits can be broken! A little grit and determination can truly change your daily life in the best way! 

You just have to begin the process. Take the first steps. Give yourself the opportunity to see and feel the positive effects of stepping away from your digital life to be more present in the life you are meant to live. 

I’ve put together a list of easy to implement, gentle, but powerful steps to help you reclaim your life from the grip of your screen. Let’s get started!

1. Put Your Phone Out of Reach

Out of sight, out of mind. This old adage is definitely applicable here! Put that thing away, girl! 

First, put the ringer on loud and use ‘do not disturb’ mode like your life depends on it. You can assign certain contacts to still be able to get through to you even when using ‘do not disturb’. My husband and mom can both call me any time and I know that if they are indeed calling, it’s probably important. This way, I can leave the ringer on loud and the phone in another room but still hear if I am, in fact, needed. 
Next, give your phone a designated spot to call “home” for 90% of the day, especially during playtime, meals, or outside time. Removing the physical temptation to “just do a quick check” breaks the cycle. Putting the phone out of your line of sight will give you a much higher chance of succeeding in this screen time detox. 

Tip: Keep your phone out of arm’s reach at night too.

This way, you can’t start mindlessly scrolling while you’re still laying in bed first thing in the morning or just before you fall asleep at night. Give your mind time to process whatever happened today before you fall asleep.

Keep a book by the bed as an invitation instead. Conversely, allow yourself the luxury of waking slowly and processing any ideas or thoughts that happen upon waking. Use a traditional alarm clock instead of your smartphone. Give your mind the chance to slowly adjust to this beautiful new day in front of you without going straight to your phone. 

2. Give Yourself Time Limits

Start small—30 minutes while the kids nap and 30 minutes in the evening after bedtime. Notice I didn’t mention any phone time in the morning 😉. Other than a very quick glance to ensure no one’s house burned down in the night – stay off that thing at the start of the day! I’ve said it time and again but it’s actually been scientifically proven that how you start your day will have an impact on the entire 16 or so hours ahead of you until you fall back into bed in the evening.

Device usage first thing in the morning is setting yourself up for failure and we don’t want that! 

If needed, you can easily adjust your phone settings to let you know once you’ve reached a certain amount of time on any one app or just overall phone usage. You can also use a timer to help yourself stay accountable and on track. Be disciplined. Stick to it. And track your progress!

Just like when sticking to a new diet, you’ll want to have consistency and determination. The goal is to train your brain to stop craving that endless scroll. I feel like this is one of the most difficult tasks in the digital detox challenge as this is 100% about self discipline.

How much self control do you really have? You’re about to find out. 

3. Switch to a Flip Phone or Make Yours a “Dumb Phone”

Sound extreme? Maybe. But if your smartphone is harming your peace, why keep it? You can still text, call, and be available without the mental overload of apps and notifications.

If switching your device to a flip phone or other “dumb phone” is not an option for you, you can still take steps on your current device to “dumb it down”, per say.

Start by turning off all app notifications. No seriously, I promise it’s quite freeing. No notifications means that your phone won’t be lighting up a million times a day, beckoning to you to pick it up. You won’t be overloaded with notifications pulling your attention in too many directions the moment you allow yourself a bit of screen time either. Your time will become much more your own.

Have you ever picked up your phone and immediately forgotten why you needed it in the first place because Facebook just reminded you it’s your acquaintance from high school’s birthday today and you need to wish them a happy birthday?! Me too. And, no. You do not need to wish Jenna from high school a happy birthday. You don’t even know her.

4. Digital Decluttering

If you’ve been around me or this blog for any length of time, you probably knew this was coming. Time to declutter your digital life! (If you need help decluttering your real life, see this post here).

Do yourself a massive favor and delete as many people as possible from your social media friend lists. I know it sounds a bit harsh, but hang with me on this one. If you haven’t seen or spoken to someone in years, why are you following their lives on social media? Is it doing anything at all to serve you or your family? Probably not.

Action Item:

Spend 10 minutes today removing old acquaintances from your friends list. Do the same thing tomorrow and unfollow all of the accounts on Instagram or any other social media apps that you no longer align with.

Unless the person/account is inspiring, or there are sentimental reasons attached – remove them from your digital life. Declutter your news feeds. Reduce the overwhelm in your scroll. The path to less screen time is about efficiency and intentionality. If you don’t deeply care about the person then why are you bothering to keep up with their latest weekend outing or career announcements?

Keeping people you don’t care about around in your digital life will not add any value to your own life. If anything, it will weigh you down with the nuances and petty goings on of others who aren’t even in your circle. Let them go.

5. Get a Home Phone – Just Like the Good Old Days

Being reachable doesn’t mean being attached. A simple landline or VOIP phone allows you to be available for emergencies, without dragging the internet into every corner of your day. I recently mentioned this to my husband and we had the conversation about going “old school”. If it is something that can serve your family, then why not go for it!

Having a home phone for your children to access can be magical too. They can pick up the phone and call grandparents any time they wish. School aged kids can call their friends and have an actual conversation in real time. What an anomaly for this digital age!

It’s also great for when your older children are able to stay home for short periods of time without an adult present or when your kids get off the school bus, they can call you. Cell phones are NOT the only option for communication! Avoid giving your kids cell phones for as long as possible. The home phone can certainly help delay that particular milestone.

6. Replace the Habit with Something Real

When you reach for your phone, pause. Instead, reach for:

• A book
• A prayer
• A notepad to jot your ideas down
• Your child’s hand
• A chore you’ve been putting off
• Step outside and observe the real world around you
• Take a quiet moment just to breathe

Over time, these things become what you crave instead. What a lovely thought. What a lovely life that would be. You can get there. It is 100% possible to be that ideal version of yourself.

7. Create No-Phone Zones

Declare certain parts of your home sacred:

• No phones in the bedroom
• No phones at the table
• No phones during story time
• No phones during outside time
• No phones during family walks

Protect your peace like you’d protect your child. Remind yourself that this challenge is about being present with your loved ones. Being present with your kids. You are setting the example for them. You are showing them what matters most to you. Actions speak louder than words, we all know this to be true. Now, put that phone away.

Let This Be Your Turning Point

Mama, this isn’t about shame—it’s about freedom!

You have the right to unplug. You should be proud to live in the present. I would say it is almost a rebellious act to say “no” to obsessing over the online world. Be the change. Start the revolution that leads to simplicity, intentionality, and less stress.

You are allowed to say, “Enough is enough,” and mean it. And you are allowed to be happy, no matter what atrocities are happening in the world today. Do not let the weight of everything else hold you down or separate you from what is right in front of you. A life well lived is one in which you are fully present.

Your kids won’t remember what you posted.
They will remember your laugh. Your hugs. Your full attention. How they felt when they were around you.
They will remember that you made them feel seen. That you made them feel loved. That you showed them how important they were. Words will be forgotten, actions and feelings are what will remain, for better or worse.

A Life of Intention Starts Now

Living more intentionally begins with one brave step: giving your time and energy to what truly matters. Make your list of priorities and write it down. Put it somewhere that you will see it every single day. Does your phone even make the list? I would bet it doesn’t.

The digital world can wait.
Your real world—the one with chubby toddler fingers, wild hair, messy counters, and soft baby snores—cannot.

So today, let’s do this together.

Put the phone down.
Lift your eyes.
Choose real life.

Your children are watching.
Let’s show them what being fully present looks like.

The Little Things

Take note of the beautiful things happening in your life each day such as the moon in the evening sky, or the light dancing on the walls in your home, or the sounds of a thunderstorm. Let the kids pick their favorite book for story time. Bake some cookies with them. Play tag. Throw down a picnic blanket and watch the clouds. Catch lightening bugs. The real world is waiting for you!

You don’t need a screen to live a beautiful life.
You need to be present in the one that is right in front of you.

If you need help with creating a beautiful life or are unhappy with the one you’re in, might I suggest my Guide to Romanticizing Your Everyday Here I share quick tips to enhance your daily life. You could also check out my Pinterest board for Motherhood or Homemaking for inspiration on ways you can enhance your daily life. (Utilize this tool sparingly of course, make notes of things to implement in your own life and then step away from the phone and go DO them! Otherwise, it’s all for naught.)

It’s the little things that make the biggest difference. You can have a beautiful life. You can create that life for yourself and for your family. But, I promise you, it will not come from your phone or electronic devices. Improve your digital habits, and you will improve your life. 

I hope you have found value in this and maybe a few action items to implement today, right now, to get you started on a lower tech lifestyle. Your path to living intentionally begins now.

Until next time friend!

Olivia

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