Screenless Day discussion topic: September 2026
The Reboot!
I used to run a series of "Screenless Day" monthly posts that were aimed at nudging people to put a short pause on the toxic aspects of tech in their life. They never got much traction, but it was also hard to tell if people were participating because they wouldn't necessarily be here commenting on it and would instead be, you know, off doing other things.
There has been some renewed interest in the idea recently, so I decided to reboot the series and see how it goes now (especially because the wider tech landscape is arguably worse than it was back when I first started them).
The spirit of Screenless Day remains the same as it always has been:
a simple event aimed at encouraging people to take a temporary step away from toxic or consuming aspects of technology and spend their time and energies elsewhere
Anyone can choose to take a Screenless Day at any time, but the idea is to nudge people towards doing it over the first weekend of the month. Each new discussion topic will go live on the first Friday of the month, and it will remain open for the duration of the month.
It is strongly encouraged that you talk about your Screenless Day here, as part of the fun of the event is that, even though you might be doing something independently, your actions fit into a larger community picture of other people here sharing the same values.
Also, to promote both reflection and discussion on the goals of Screenless Day, each month I will be including a new discussion question to provide people the opportunity to reflect on their relationship with technology and keep the topic more “alive” and visible.
This Month
In addition to the once again regularly scheduled Screenless Day, there are a couple of housekeeping things for our first month back:
- Building a notification list.
I will be building a notification list to be pinged each time a monthly Screenless Day topic goes up. Anyone commenting in this topic will be included by default. If you do NOT want to be included in the list, please let me know in your comment.
- Changing the name?
"Screenless Day" can be a bit misleading (see the FAQ below), so I'm open to other name ideas. Everything I can come up with tends to sound negative however (e.g. "Pause Toxic Tech" day or something), and I want the name to be a simple but positive one.
Monthly Discussion
Use this topic to:
- Talk about your plans for an upcoming Screenless Day.
- Tell everyone what you chose to do for your Screenless Day, and how it went.
- Reflect on your relationship with technology.
This month's discussion question:
- Of all the tech you use in your life, what platform/app/device/etc do you feel has the most overall negative impact on you? Why do you think that is?
FAQ
What is a Screenless Day?
A "Screenless Day" is a simple event aimed at encouraging people to take a temporary step away from toxic or consuming aspects of technology and spend their time and energies elsewhere.
When is it?
A new discussion topic will go up on the first Friday of each month, with participants encouraged to make one of their days that weekend a "Screenless Day."
The topic remains open for the whole month, so people can choose to take Screenless Days whenever they like and talk about them in that month's discussion.
Does it have to be truly "screenless"?
"Screenless" is an ideal, not a mandate.
The spirit of the day is to deliberately step away from toxic or consuming aspects of technology, and what that means is different for each person. Thus, it is up to each participant to determine what "screenless" means to them. Some might only choose to not use social media for a day; some might choose to eliminate all "screens" but still use their ereader; some may maintain some screen use but only for necessity (e.g. work; classes; GPS; etc.). Some might get rid of screens entirely, or go fully "unplugged" for the day.
How do I participate?
You do not have to do anything formal at all to participate -- simply make your Screenless Day happen in whatever way is best for you!
If you’d like to, use this thread to share plans for your upcoming Screenless Day or summaries/reflections about it once it’s over.
Can I chat in this thread if I'm not doing a Screenless Day myself?
Yes! The more, the merrier! Discussion from anyone, participant or non-participant alike, is welcome. Though, do understand that it might take a bit longer than normal for some people to respond. :)
I'll be taking my Screenless Day tomorrow.
It should be a pretty simple setup: I've got an IRL book club meetup on Sunday to discuss a ~130,000 word novel that I have only just started. I've estimated my reading speed before and think it's roughly in the ballpark of 17K words per hour. So, my day is going to include lots of couch, bed, and/or hammock time (weather permitting) with my ereader for the 7+ hours of reading I'll need to finish the book.
I have a bad habit of idly opening my phone even when I'm reading, so I'm planning on putting my phone somewhere else for the day, with maybe a few designated breaks to check texts and whatnot (I'm thinking mealtimes?).
In thinking about this month's discussion question, I think, if I really hone in on what's an issue for me, it's novelty-seeking. I'll pull out my phone and open Google News not because something might have happened in the last hour (or, worse, minutes) since I did it before, but because when I do I at least get something new to look at. The same goes for like, video game and ebook deals. I have enough of those to last me for more than a lifetime already, but I like the idea of seeing sales happen even if I don't intend to buy anything. Why? Because they happen ALL the time which means there's always something new there when I look.
Even Tildes, for all the great things about it, scratches this unfortunate itch for me. I'll open the app and refresh the feed not because I'm planning on reading the comments or articles, but just to see if something new has been posted.
It's like my brain wants a constant dripfeed of freshness, and it's satisfied by the mere existence of something new rather than whether that new thing carries any sort of meaning or relevance.
The worst part of this is that I think it makes my appreciation of things even shallower. I'll start to watch a movie or read a book, and I'll get legitimately into it. Like, I'll want to keep going with it because it has genuinely hooked me. But for some reason, that also starts an itch to jump to a different book or a different movie. It's like, once I'm in the middle of it I get too familiar with it, and my brain needs the "new" and starts telling me I should jump ship (even though I know it'll be more satisfying to see whatever I'm currently in the middle of all the way through).
Long-term, I'd love to reduce the noise of that novelty seeking compulsion. It would be nice to be able to appreciate things more meaningfully and feel connected to them for longer periods of time.
SCREENLESS DAY LIFEHACK: If you want an easy and foolproof way to not look at your phone, simply get a migraine!
Okay, so it wasn't a full-on migraine (I honestly don't know if I've ever experienced one of those). Let's call it a "minigraine." I had to lie down, turn the lights off, and just sort of exist in a low-energy do-nothing state for two-three hours. For some of it I just chilled there in silence, and for some of it I put an earbud just outside my ear and played music on the lowest volume setting.
My dog, who seems to have a sixth sense for when I'm sick or in discomfort, came and snuggled up next to my chest for the duration, so despite feeling pretty dire head pain, my heart was warmed and I didn't feel the pull to check anything, get any work done, or fill any time, which was genuinely nice. As someone whose toxic trait is that I always feel like I need to be getting something done, I think one of the most transformative things I can do is give myself permission to simply stop.
Or, barring giving myself permission, I can have an external force like a debilitating headache do it for me. XD
The rest of the day went fine. I did end up finishing the book, reading it during the morning and then coming back to it after my minigraine (mostly) subsided. Despite its length, it was a quick, easy read -- The Girl Who Could Move Shit With Her Mind by Jackson Ford, in case anyone was curious. It's been a good while since I sat down and read a full book over the course of a day, so that honestly felt like a genuine accomplishment.
Because of the time pressure on finishing the book, as well as my want to avoid my usual phone and internet habits, I found myself opening my reader app during times I would have otherwise scrolled idly (e.g. my morning coffee tea, meals/snacks, that window of time when you’re waiting for something but it’s still twenty minutes away, etc.). This meant that, in addition to big periods of time where I just sat and read uninterrupted, I also found little snippets of reading time throughout the day. You know, six minutes of reading here, twelve minutes there, etc.
It's kind of impressive how much those added up over the course of the day. I kind of wished I'd tracked it, but I have to guess that I got at least an "extra" hour of reading, maybe even close to two.
I don't think I could necessarily do this all the time, but it was a nice object lesson in just how much time I fritter away on a daily basis. I also don't think it would work as well if I were reading a more serious book that demanded more of me -- this one was exceptionally easy to duck in and out of at will. But rather than thinking "oh I need to always be reading" (which is unsustainable), I think the takeaway is that consciously replacing even some of my idle downtime with something more deliberate can help me quite a bit in working towards things I actually want to do (e.g. reading more books).
Also, it was unintentionally a really great calibration for just how much time I have on a regular day off:
I know I said my toxic trait is that I always have to feel like I'm getting something done, so listing this out makes it look like I'm leaning into that. Rather than seeing them as a checklist, instead I'm choosing to see it as "there's a LOT of surface area on any given Saturday" -- something that isn't necessarily visible if I'm losing time to idle, meaningless scrolling instead.
So, all told: my return to Screenless Days was a success, even in spite of my minigraine (which kind of did help me out with my goal if I'm being honest).
Barring the minigraine, it sounds like this worked out for you. Reading is also something I enjoy doing, but it’s not something I do as often as I’d like when I have devices at hand.
I too have the toxic must do something trait, or maybe for me it’s more “I should be doing” something other than what I am currently doing. Ugh. It drives me nuts. I’ve been getting better at it though. Interestingly enough, I did not experience that third weekend.
This really hit home. I’ve also been finding that for movies or shows, I’ve been fast forwarding through slower bits, and for books I’m skimming a lot more than I ever have. Watching something with someone else is painful. Do you do anything similar?
Oh do I ever.
Movie gets a little boring? Check my email.
Book is starting to slog? Pull up the news and half-read both things at the same time.
Game has a cutscene? Play with my dog for the whole duration.
Seems like the newness is more the addictive nature for you, but I do want to comment that checking if something has new content (either email, social media, or texts) and it only has new content part of the time makes it more addicting. When there is not a guaranteed reward 100% of the time, psychologically it is more addicting than if there is a payout everytime
This is a really good point. I knew in the abstract about the effects of variable rewards schedules on conditioning, but I never really applied it to this situation. Thanks for this.
I remember that lovely reply you gave regarding organizing events on Tildes. It seemed odd to me at the time that you gave all this advice about having patience, and suggesting the prospective organizer pick topics that speak to them, that they're passionate about. And then you said, "I did these 'Screenless Days' things, and nobody seemed interested so I dropped it." It just seemed to fly against everything else you said.
I contemplated chiming in to say, "what does it matter if nobody else participates if you want to do it?" I'm glad you picked up my brainwaves and decided to give it another shot. I'm not occupationally capable of joining in this time I think, but I'll keep tabs on it.
I didn't intend it to come across that way, but now that you've pointed it out I can't see it any other way. XD
Thanks for the supportive brainwaves!
I'd be keen to give it a try! Thanks for taking the initiative kfwyre!
Thank you for this!
My day will be tomorrow, Saturday. I’m picking this day because I have a few things going on that helps make it easier :)
I’m in a much different place than the last time I participated. Something I couldn’t quite articulate then that I think I have a grasp on now, is that for a long time I’ve been incredibly uncomfortable in my own skin. Being in front of a screen distracts me from myself. It distracts me from an inner dialogue that in the past wasn’t very kind towards me. And it also lets me do the opposite, think about how shitty other people are. But that’s not what I’m wanting right now. I want to experience being more comfortable with myself.
Like I don’t really have hobbies, but I love walking. I live in a beautiful place, but I don’t like to go by myself because I don’t want to be with myself. So tomorrow, I drive someone to the airport, and have an hour and half drive back by myself starting at 10. My plan is to have no screen (phone, computer, tv) until 4 except for calls and texts. When I get home I’m going for a walk that will include our little downtown area, where I’ll get ice cream. At home I have some chores I’ve been putting off that I will at least look at and at least do one thing. I might even get out a pencil and sketch pad!
I guess that’s the plan, 10-4 spend time with myself. I’ll let you know how it goes :)
Edit: to answer the question, I think my phone has the most negative impact because it’s always with me, and I can always find a distraction. I don’t even think about it anymore! The tv is usually a conscious decision.
Wow, so this time went a lot better than the last time. In a way I set myself up for success by having some things I had to do that ate up some larger chunks of time.
One of the things I found interesting is that some of the physical feelings I had when I wanted to grab my phone and scroll or play, felt similar to the first couple of months when I stopped drinking - restlessness, anxiousness, pacing. I ended up putting my phone into my car for a couple of hours.
I had a wonderful day. One of things I did was write out some stuff about my mother. I’ll be meeting up with her in Italy for a five week vacation, and I’ve been filled with a lot of anxiety regarding spending that much time with her. We have some pain points. So I thought about and wrote about how I aggravate the situation instead of helping it, and how I might behave differently - what I might be able to do differently that aligns more with the sort of person I want to be. There were quite a few times where I wanted to stop quit or take a break work my phone, but I pushed through and feel amazing.
Quite by accident I found myself cleaning the bathroom. It just seemed like the thing to do, and it didn’t really feel like a chore. Afterwards I took a shower, and for the first time in a long time looked at my body in the mirror. I’ll be 60 sooner than later, and I’ve had a hard time coming to terms with that. My boobs don’t sit where they used to, I’m soft in the middle, my butt also seems to have succumbed to gravity. There are wrinkles on my face, spots beginning to show up on my neck and arms. I just looked at it all, and for the first time felt no judgement. It’s just me.
I met up with a friend for coffee for about an hour then gave someone a ride, and suddenly it was 7pm and I hadn’t been on my phone since
9:459:55. I was so ready to be on it! I sat down to write this post, but my husband started talking to me, and I actually put my phone down and engaged fully. We had a great conversation that lasted until bedtime. Then I played about 45 minutes of games :)I thought that was that, but found it even easier today. I just picked up my phone for the first time, and it’s 5pm. I ran errands, hung out with my husband, meet up with a friend, and has a nice day.
I remember being young, and just doing whatever. I’d ride my bike, poke at ant hills, climb trees, go to the beach, make up games, just being. A couple of years ago someone told me that they thought the point of their existence was to experience themselves. That’s really stuck with me. I spent a good portion of my life running away from myself, and I want to stop doing that. I’m really glad you ran this again, kfwyre. I needed an “excuse” to put down my biggest distraction. Thank you.
Funny note: yesterday morning after I dropped someone at the airport, I was on my way home and saw it was 9:45 and wouldn’t be able to be on my phone anymore. I pulled off the highway and sat in a parking lot for 10 minutes looking at tildes and playing a couple quick daily games hah!
Big internet hug from me, monarda! This was so great to read. I'm glad your day went well.
I know you're thanking me, but really you were the driving force behind getting this going again, so I'm returning that thanks right back to you!
Most of the time I’m a joiner rather than a leader. I need a bus to get on :)
Screenless Day Notification: We have officially rebooted the series! I have started this new notification list with the people who mentioned interest in prior discussions.
Anyone who comments in this topic will automatically be added to this list for future notifications. If you do NOT want to be added to the list, simply let me know in your comment.
Notification List
@BeardyHat
@h3x
@monarda
Note: I had originally intended to post an announcement topic for this earlier in the week but it got away from me (beginning of the school year and all that). So, I figured we’d just do it live instead!
So I plan on participating on Monday, rather than over the weekend. The reason being that I am underemployed, but work a good chunk of the weekend so it would be relatively easy to do over the weekend.
I think my personal rules are going to be to avoid my computer and phone. I do have a dedicated Spotify streaming device that has a screen, but is limited to only browsing Spotify so using that will be fairgame.
I think the biggest negative impact is just my computer in general. I have a decent amount of freetime, so I try and entertain myself on my computer and do not consider other options. So being forced to find other things that I also enjoy will be good.
So I did my screenless day on Monday. I had a few guidelines I was following:
So the day went pretty good. I spent a good chunk of the day listening to music, nearly finished knitting a sock I was working on, and also read a chapter of The Silmarillion which I started while camping in July. I did end up using my wife's laptop a bit more than planned, so it was not a complete success. The one curveball is that my wife made last minute plans with her friend for the evening, so I was stuck trying to entertain myself longer than initially planned. One of the things I was pleasantly surprised about was eating dinner by myself in silence, rather than watching a show or scrolling o my phone. I think this experience has taught me to not always take the easy entertainment choices of my computer, but also do the more rewarding but also the more fulfilling and more effort forms of entertainment
I think I'll try and participate on Monday, but with very large carve-outs for work and certain daily routines. Mainly, I guess, I'm going to take the day off from "refresh-bait" and scrollers. For me that means no tildes, TikTok, or YouTube (other than the shows I watch with my wife). I want to spend the time that those soak up in the little gaps of my day on reading instead. I have a book series I'm trying to catch up on, except I find myself turning on the e-reader and checking my phone during boot up, which just ends up turning into a scroll session instead. I'll report back on Tuesday how that goes.
Thanks kfwyre for making a space for this to happen in!
All right, first an admission: I thought Monday was a work day when I committed to this, and that was gonna be easy. I only later remembered that it's a holiday and that I would be less gainfully distracted from my phone than I'd thought.
Nevertheless, I think it went well. I still used my phone for a step-tracking game and a few other sundries, but no scrolling and no refreshing. I even refused to check IMDb (as is usually my custom) during a movie we watched that was so terrible I felt compelled to see how it existed (it got two sequels!). I feel pretty good about this.
Also, I got back into my book reading as I had hoped, so all in all very successful. Will do again.
When you first said you accidentally picked a holiday, I thought for sure the next thing you were going to say was that you decided to skip it altogether. Glad to see I was wrong, and that it went well for you. Was there anything you found particularly challenging?
I think the biggest challenge was the force of habit. I found myself picking up my phone, staring at it for a moment, then remembering that there's nowhere on it for me to go for the day. I have an almost pathological need to distract myself from many things, and the phone has been an easy salve.
I guess that's the second part that was difficult: I have currently got some health stuff going on that is as yet unidentified, and the symptoms are a bit scary to me. But being worried about the symptoms makes them worse, so distraction is a real blessing. My book-reading helped a lot, but I had a pretty rough, anxious evening last night that I really wanted to drown in some TikToks. Oh well, it didn't kill me last night, and I felt great this morning. So, challenging, but also a bit affirming.
Thanks for asking!
Regarding the name, how about digital detox? Seems like a somewhat common term. Or "touch grass" if you want to appeal to fellow kids :)
I like Digital Detox a lot better. It also opens these up to being more than just a specific "screenless day" and people can set their own goals to their liking.
I'll change it over next month. Thanks!