The Mini Digital Detox

To disconnect from technology doesn’t require that you go on a week-long silent meditation retreat.

You can engage in a digital detox at whatever scale fits your needs and circumstances.

For example, yesterday I worked from home with only my sketchbook, a good book, and a few magazines.

A flat lay photograph on a dark wooden table showing a reading and visual note-taking setup. At center-left is the black hardcover book "How to Make Sense of Any Mess" by Abby Covert. It rests on an open Moleskine-style sketchbook filled with dense handwritten sketchnotes — visual notes capturing key concepts from the book, including small icons, diagrams, hand-lettered headings like "State Your Intent," "Face Reality," and phrases about language, stakeholders, and information architecture. A black pen sits across the open pages. In the upper left corner, a small planner or notebook is partially visible with handwritten entries. To the right, a copy of The New Yorker magazine is open to an illustrated article titled "Power Move" by Sam Knight, featuring a painted portrait. The overall scene suggests a practice of slow, deliberate reading paired with visual sense-making — sketching out ideas by hand to better understand and remember them.

My goals for the day were: 1) capture some rough sketchnotes of the book (which I had recently finished reading and underlining); and 2) read and highlight at least one of the two articles I’d flagged.

I alternated between those two tasks, sketchnoting at the desk in our guest room, and reading the article on our front porch (I find that fresh air is as good as caffeine sometimes).

And guess what? I finished that work in time to watch a few World Cup games, which is quickly becoming my favorite part of this summer.

Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that actions need to be big in order to be impactful.

Half a day with pen and paper and a few good books can go a long way.

Even an hour-long trip to the coffee shop with just your sketchbook might unlock the next breakthrough in your work.

Or maybe it’s a few hours in the forest to clear your head and reconnect with nature.

No matter what shape it takes, look for an opportunity to create your own mini digital detox in the coming days.

And if you enjoy it, try making it a regular part of your routine.

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