#128: 📵 48 Hours Unplugged

My Weekend Phone Detox Experiment

Hey Friends,

Two weekends ago I made a decision that felt both radical and oddly frightening.

I put my phone in a drawer and committed to leaving it there for 48 hours.

No checking notifications, no scrolling through social media, no quick Google searches.

Just me, reconnecting with the world without my phone.

Here’s how it went.

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💬 In this note:

• 📵 48 Hours Unplugged

• 📚 The Winemaker’s Wife

• ⚡️ Mushroom Language

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#129: 📵 48 Hours Unplugged

Photo by author

The average person checks their phone 96 times a day.

That's once every 10 minutes.

Our attention spans are shrinking, our anxiety levels are rising, and somehow we've normalized the idea that being constantly reachable and perpetually distracted is just part of modern life.

Recently, I came across research from Heidelberg University that showed just 72 hours without a smartphone can:

• Boost cognitive flexibility and focus

• Restore impulse control and emotional regulation

• Increase brain activity in decision-making areas

If three days could reset a smartphone-addicted brain, what could two days do for mine?

Why I Decided to Unplug

I had a busy week. Everyday felt rushed and that there wasn't enough time to do all the things I wanted to do.

Friday arrived and it felt more overwhelming than ever.

I felt like I was behind in a lot of things and that I needed to get back to an endless list of people.

When I woke up Saturday morning, I was overcome with dread.

I didn’t want to socialize. I didn’t want to talk to anyone.

I wanted to step back.

So, I came up with an idea.

I’m going to…

Turn.

Off

My

Phone.

😱

It sounded revolutionary.

I felt in control.

I can turn this thing OFF if I want to.

I don’t need to be reachable 24/7.

Everyone will be fine if I don’t reply for two days.

What felt radical about it was that I was at home.

I was in Lisbon, in my apartment, living my usual Lisbon life.

Usually when I, or my friends, say we aren’t available, we are on holiday.

Maybe we are somewhere exotic with no cell service.

But here I was, totally reachable, if you wanted to…well, ring my doorbell.

After a chat with a friend Saturday morning, I decided.

Then I set the rules.

The Rules

1. Phone is turned off and goes in a drawer Saturday morning

2. No retrieval until Monday morning

3. I could use my laptop for essential tasks, but no social media or messaging apps

4. Set laptop to Do Not Disturb for the weekend

5. I let a few key people know I was unreachable

The First Few Hours

Saturday, 9:00am: Relief.

Saturday, 9:05am: Where’s my phone?

Right…in the drawer

Saturday, 11:00am: Walked to the bookstore. Had the first urge to check my phone on the walk over, even though I know where the bookstore is and how to get there.

When I’m browsing books, I usually take photos of the book covers so I can look them up later. I feel the absence of my phone.

I often will Google reviews of the books while I browse.

Since I couldn’t do that, I asked the shopkeeper for recommendations of funny books.

She brings me four books and tells me to grab a chair and read a bit of each one.

I tell her about my favorite funny books - Anxious People and The 100-Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared.

As I’m describing the plot for The 100-Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared, I want to compare it to a film but I can’t remember the name and I can’t look it up.

Tom Hanks is in it.

It’s a very famous film.

The shopkeeper doesn’t move to Google it either.

We just…stare at each other while I give her terrible hints until we both shout…

Forrest Gump!!

Thank god we remembered.

I buy three books.

They are all hilarious.

I need to remember to speak to actual people more often for book recommendations and not just Google them.

I have to pay with a physical card to buy my books since I can’t use Apple Pay. Something I haven't done in who knows how many years…at least four...The system makes me sign for my purchase. Oh American credit cards…

As I leave the bookshop, I realize I am remembering every moment of the day since I don’t have my phone to distract me.

Saturday 12:00pm: Feel a sudden panic that I need to reply to someone.

I panic that someone is waiting for me to get back to them about something.

I convince myself they can wait.

Saturday 12:30pm: I sit at a cafe with my new books and my phone-less freedom.

I order a granola bowl and a matcha latte. Have to pay with a physical card again. So weird.

I grab a table.

It’s a sunny day.

I open the first book.

Green matcha with an artistic latte art leaf arrives.

A colorful granola bowl follows it.

Everything set against the colorful tiles of Lisbon.

I should take a picture.

But I can’t. No phone.

Why do I want to take a picture anyway? To share it?

I will just have to remember the moment myself.

Saturday 2:00pm: Walk by a notebook shop.

Pop in to buy a notebook because I keep having ideas and I want to write them down, but I don’t have my phone.

Start jotting down thoughts.

I even make a short list of the messages I want to send people when I have my phone back.

(Ok Nina…you definitely are not addicted to your phone 🙄)

The Unexpected Discoveries

As the hours passed, something interesting began to happen.

Without the constant interruptions, time seemed to expand.

I found myself fully immersed in conversations, noticing details in my environment that I'd previously overlooked, and experiencing a growing sense of calm.

I ended up being really productive, finishing two big projects that I had been putting off.

And somehow, still ending up with more time than I expected.

Here’s what surprised me the most:

1. Gaining Six Hours Back

Both Saturday and Sunday felt remarkably long, in a good way. My phone usually tells me my screen time is around three hours a day. That is six whole hours over the weekend.

I felt the difference.

I really felt like I had three extra hours per day.

2. Noticing The Urge

I would very consciously notice when I had the urge to check my phone.

I would be getting a little bored, or want to take a short break from writing, and I would feel such a strong urge to check my phone.

Without satisfying the urge, I had to sit with that feeling.

That pulling feeling to do something else, to pull my attention away from whatever I was doing before, and to check my phone.

It made the feeling tangible.

Reminded me that’s all it is. Just a feeling.

Something I can unlearn.

I felt the urge the most on Saturday.

By Sunday, not at all.

3. Connecting Anxious Feelings With The Phone

As the weekend went on, I started to feel anxious about what would be waiting for me on my phone.

I thought about all the people I didn't warn about this experiment.

I felt a twist in my gut.

On Sunday, I started to dread turning the phone back on.

What will be waiting for me?

This made me realize that…maybe these feelings of anxiety, of needing to be available, or anticipating messages from others, are always there.

That checking my phone constantly is giving in to those anxieties on a micro-level.

…something to be aware of going forward.

4. I Have Way Too Many Connected Devices

All of my lights are Philips Hue and controlled from my phone.

No phone was available - sooo…what do I do about the lights?

I had to start talking to Alexa about the lights.

It was a good workaround, but made me realize that I have no idea what I named all the zones, rooms and the lights. But it worked.

I was also doing some life admin and had to pay a few bills.

I needed my phone to do the Multi Factor Authentication (MFA).

No phone, can’t MFA..

Well...looks like bills will get paid in a few days.

My Airtag kept going off randomly…I think it missed my phone.

All these small things helped me realize how much of my life, and even my home, depend on my phone.

5. Life Happens When You Put Your Phone Away

Without my phone in my pocket, I was more engaged in conversations with friends.

I was looking around and admiring my neighborhood with more clarity.

I left the house more often.

Read outside more.

I spontaneously ran into a friend at the park and was able to sit and catch up.

I realized I did not miss my phone.

I loved not having it with me.

Monday Morning: Reentry

I honestly didn’t want to turn my phone back on Monday morning.

I was thinking I would have hundreds of unread messages. Maybe, some people were disappointed because I didn’t get back to them.

To my surprise, it was not that bad at all.

Yes, I had a huge number of missed messages. But, no disappointment.

Nothing urgent happened.

Life went on just fine without my constant availability.

Lesson learned.

My experience really reinforced what I read in the research from Heidelberg University, that shows even a short tech detox can reset digital dependence patterns and improve mental clarity.

When we remove the constant digital stimulation, our brains can restore healthier patterns of attention and emotional regulation.

What's most encouraging is that we don't need to permanently abandon our devices to experience the benefits.

Strategic disconnection, even for just 48 hours, can help us develop a healthier relationship with technology.

Is It Worth It?

YES.

In a world that increasingly demands our constant connection, stepping away from that felt so wild.

My unplugged 48 hours reminded me that I can control who and what gets my attention.

Will I do it again?

Absolutely.

I now will consider doing this weekend digital detox every month!

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📚 Book of the Week

Photo Credit: Boudewijn “Bo” Boer / Unsplash

The Winemaker’s Wife by Kristin Harmel

Rating: ★★★★☆

The Winemaker's Wife masterfully weaves together the lush world of French champagne with the harsh realities of Nazi occupation during WWII.

The story follows Inès, whose dream marriage to champagne house owner Michel quickly sours as the war transforms their idyllic vineyard life.

While Michel secretly supports the resistance, Inès feels increasingly isolated.

Meanwhile, Céline, the half-Jewish wife of Michel's employee, faces mounting danger as antisemitism spreads.

What makes this book powerful is how it connects to the present through Liv Kent, a recently divorced New Yorker whose eccentric grandmother Edith suddenly whisks her away to France, revealing long-buried connections to the vineyard's wartime past.

I really loved this book because the author, Kristin Harmel, makes history personal.

She shows how ordinary people have to make extraordinary choices during impossible times.

The book explores not just survival, but the moral complexities faced by those living under Nazi occupation.

This is the perfect read for those who love historical fiction and bringing overlooked stories to life.

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⚡️ Check This Out

Fungi might be talking to each other in a language we're just beginning to decode.

Scientists from UWE Bristol recently discovered electrical patterns in fungi that resemble a 50-word vocabulary.

Their findings, published in Royal Society Open Science, revealed complex electrical signals passing through fungal hyphae, the thread-like structures fungi use to absorb nutrients.

Using miniature electrodes, researchers recorded electrical pulses that clustered into distinct patterns, similar to words in a language.

Photographs of pairs of differential electrodes inserted in (a) C. militaris, the block of a substrate colonized by the fungi was removed from the plastic container to make a photo after the experiments, (b) S. commune, the twig with the fungi was removed from the humid plastic container to make a photo after the experiment. Source

The researchers suggest that these "fungal conversations" appear to follow specific rules and organization, and the distributions of fungal word lengths match that of human languages.

What do you think the mushrooms are chatting about?

The researchers believe these electrical dialogues could help fungi share vital information about food sources or alert neighboring networks about injuries.

This discovery adds to growing evidence that fungi form incredibly sophisticated biological networks.

While we're still far from translating this mushroom “language,” this research opens fascinating possibilities for understanding how these ancient organisms coordinate their activities without a central nervous system.

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Edited by Wright Time Publishing