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Detox with journaling: reset through words and digital downtime

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Miguel from Unplugging
September 03, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes

I promised to explore journaling this week, and not just as a habit tracker. Journaling can be a form of digital detox – a chance to step away from screens and reconnect with your thoughts. Research shows that expressive writing reduces anxiety, obsessive thinking and even improves physical health. It’s a private space to notice patterns, process emotions and strengthen your ability to focus.

When you add journalling to a digital detox, you create a quiet feedback loop: less noise → more awareness → better choices → less noise again. This edition blends both themes, with practical habits, a short challenge and some personal reflections.

Signal vs. Noise

Why journaling works

  • It makes space for reflection. Writing about your thoughts and feelings helps you understand them and lowers stress.
    👉 Read more on Psychology Today

  • It boosts focus. Regular journaling improves your ability to concentrate across different areas of life. By clearing mental loops and catching unhelpful thoughts, you can refocus on what truly matters.

  • It restores balance. Short, intentional breaks – whether micro-breaks or journalling sessions – boost energy and reduce fatigue. These pauses reset your attention and make you more resilient.

Why digital detox helps your journal

  • Constant notifications raise anxiety, disrupt sleep and make us feel disconnected. Digital detox is an intentional break that resets your nervous system and improves attention.

  • Limiting blue light before bed promotes relaxation and encourages restorative activities like journaling. Even a single day without social media can boost self-esteem and give your mind a chance to reset.

New Habits

Practical tips and a challenge

  • The two-minute morning page. Before you look at any screen, write freely for two minutes. Note what you feel grateful for or what worries you.

    For a deeper dive into this practice, I recommend The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, a classic for anyone in creative fields like marketing or design.

  • One-line evening log. End the day with a single sentence: “What helped my focus today?” Keep it in the same notebook; over time, patterns emerge.

  • Micro-break journal. Step away from your device and jot down whatever comes up – ideas, frustrations, questions. These short pauses restore your energy.

  • The analogue plan. Once a week, map out your priorities on paper. Capture tasks and events with simple symbols and ask why each one matters.

Challenge: a digital sunset & pen-on-paper

Three times this week, set a “digital curfew” 60–90 minutes before bed. During that window, put your phone on aeroplane mode and write for 15–20 minutes. Use prompts like:

  • What did I discover today when I wasn’t online?

  • When was I tempted to check a screen? What was I feeling?

  • What tiny action could make tomorrow calmer?

Notice how the combination of journaling and a tech-free evening affects your sleep and focus the next day.

Community Spotlight

I’m opening a short survey form for anonymous tips, small wins, or patterns you’ve noticed—what’s helped you unplug, even a little? I’ll share a few next week so others can try them.

Get your FREE 30-day Digital Detox Journal (ONLY TO PRINT)

A printable 30-day digital detox journal to help you cut screen time, reflect daily, and build healthier habits for focus, calm, and clarity.

My Recommendations for This Week

The Bullet Journal Method 
by Ryder Carroll

This book isn’t just about to‑do lists; it’s a manifesto for intentional living. Carroll explains how the Bullet Journal helps you track the past, organise the present and plan the future.

Intelligent Change: The Five Minute Journal

With over 1.3 million journals sold worldwide, The Five Minute Journal is the original pioneer in guided journaling, helping people worldwide achieve a more harmonious state of mind.

A Moment Offline

My way of journaling

For years, I used my phone to absorb every idle minute. If there was a pause — a queue, a kettle boiling, a train pulling in — I filled it with scrolling. When I first tried journaling, I realised those spare minutes could be something else: small windows into my own head.

The first pages were messy. Lists of errands, scraps of reminders, half-thoughts. Then, slower things began to surface: how a conversation had left me feeling, the weight of something I was avoiding, moments I wanted to remember but would otherwise lose. Over time, those fragments turned into something more creative. My journalling often slips into a poem form — short bursts of imagery or rhythm, not polished, but alive. It reminded me that there isn’t one “right” way to journal. For some, it’s lists; for others, reflections, sketches, even collages. What matters is showing up on the page.

When I combined journaling with screen-free evenings, something shifted. I slept better. My thoughts untangled. Decisions felt clearer. My attention stopped fraying at the edges. The journal became less of a task and more of a compass. A way of tuning back into myself when the noise of digital life grew too loud.

Diving Deeper — For When You Want More

Shaping a better newsletter for you

I’m running a short 100% anonymous survey to learn what gets in the way of unplugging. Your answer will shape the tips, tools, and challenges I share here every week. It’s just one question and takes less than 20 seconds.

See you next week,
Miguel

P.S. If you’ve been enjoying these notes and want to help me keep writing and sharing them, you can always buy me a coffee here — it means a lot. Thank you for being part of this quiet little corner. 💙

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