The 10 Day Tech Reset
Use technology to help you. Don't let it use you.
Are you ready to be a little more intentional about your tech use? You're in the right place. This isn't about giving up your phone. It's about making it work for you instead of the other way around.
There are ten days, with one small task each. Every day has a box to check off and a couple of questions to help you think it through. Your answers save right here in your browser, and at the end you get a printable plan built from everything you filled in.
“I always like resetting my goals every month, every week, every day. If I fail today, it just gives me an opportunity to do better tomorrow.”
How This Will Help You
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BeforeYou feel like you spend too much time on your phone.
AfterYou use your phone when you need to and want to. No more mindless scrolling.
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BeforeYou're constantly distracted by your phone.
AfterYou're more present with your friends and family.
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BeforeYou aren't getting enough sleep.
AfterYou can turn off your brain and fall asleep at a decent hour.
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BeforeYou wish life could just go back to how things were before.
AfterYou appreciate how technology has made your life easier.
Unlock Your 10 Days
Pop in your email and the whole challenge opens right up: all 10 days, every worksheet, and your printable plan at the end. No account, no password, and your answers never leave your browser. I'll just send you the occasional tech tip, nothing else.
That doesn't look like a full email address. Mind double-checking it?
Already unlocked this on another visit? It should open automatically. Trouble with that? Email sarah@familytech.biz.
Tap a day to open it. Checking its box marks the day done.
It works best ten days in a row, so pick a stretch where you can see it through. And if you miss one? Like I said in my habit tracker video, “Missing one day should not ruin your week.” Just pick back up tomorrow.
The questions are there to help you think, not to grade you. Answer as much or as little as feels useful.
Doing this as a family? Go through it together and talk through the questions out loud instead of everyone typing their own answers. That works great too.
The 10 Days
Don't worry, this challenge is going to be as painless as possible. Day one is just about finding out how you're using your phone right now.
On an Android
- Swipe down from the top of the screen and tap the settings gear.
- Search “digital wellbeing” and tap it in the results.
- Tap the screen time amount to see more detail about your day.
- Take a screenshot, so you can compare on Day 10.
On an iPhone
- Open the Settings app.
- Scroll down and tap “Screen Time.”
- Tap “See All App & Website Activity.”
- Take a screenshot, so you can compare on Day 10.
Today's taskFind your screen time report and jot down the highlights below.
Your usage right now
Think it through
Since our phones can do just about anything, it's easy to default to using them for everything. This challenge is all about being more intentional, and today is the first step.
If you watch a lot of YouTube on your phone, watch it on your smart TV instead. If you check email on your phone all day, make a point to only check it on your computer. Doing this sets your intention for what you're actually going to do, instead of defaulting into it.
Today's taskMove one app you use a lot to a different device.
Think it through
We get so many notifications every day. Do we need all of them? Most likely not. One pop-up can pull you right out of a conversation or a task without you even noticing.
Look back at your Day 1 numbers: how many notifications were you getting, and from which apps?
On an iPhone
- Open Settings and tap Notifications.
- Tap the app you want to change, and adjust or turn off its notifications.
On an Android
- The next time a notification pops up, press and hold it.
- That app's notification settings open right there.
Today's taskTurn off notifications for the apps that don't need to interrupt you.
Think it through
Think about your most unhealthy tech habit and make that your goal. You can pick more than one, but I'd recommend sticking to just one for now. You can always come back and pick another next time.
Today's taskPick one goal and write it down.
Need an idea? See 12 goal ideas
Tap one to drop it in the box.
Think it through
We can all use a little help, especially when a habit is this hard to break. And the good news is, parental controls don't have to be just for kids!
If your goal involves a time limit, you can set it right in Screen Time on an iPhone, or Digital Wellbeing on an Android. Both can also turn on Do Not Disturb automatically at night, or set an overall daily time limit.
Want extra help unlocking your phone less? An app like SPACE can help. It's free, with an optional paid upgrade.
- Android SPACE on Google Play
- iPhone SPACE on the App Store
Today's taskSet up one thing, built into your phone or a downloaded app, that keeps your goal in sight. It's easy to fall down a rabbit hole and not realize how much time has passed!
Think it through
Brains can absolutely be re-trained. It just takes a little planning. To break a bad habit, we usually need to replace it with a good one.
So today, figure out what's actually making you reach for your phone. Boredom? A notification? Just needing something to do with your hands? Once you know your trigger, decide ahead of time what you'll do instead. That way you already know how to react, instead of figuring it out in the moment (and grabbing your phone anyway).
“Knowing how to do something and actually building the habit of doing it consistently, those are two completely different things.”
Today's taskName your trigger, and decide what you'll do instead.
Think it through
Phones are so portable, it's easy to take them absolutely everywhere. Today, pick a tech-free time or a tech-free zone. Do both if you're feeling ambitious!
Ideas to get you started
- Zones: the dinner table, the bathroom, maybe even the bedroom.
- Times: dinner, a bedtime routine, first thing in the morning, or an hour before your own bedtime.
Whatever you pick, just make it consistent.
Today's taskPick at least one tech-free time or place.
Think it through
When you're scrolling, do you ever see something that makes you feel bad, triggers a bad habit, or just puts you in a mood? The algorithm is the behind-the-scenes system that picks what shows up in your feed. Social platforms want to keep you scrolling, so it shows you whatever keeps you there. Sometimes that's great. Sometimes it's really not healthy for you.
The good news: you're more in control of this than you think. Look for the three dots menu on a post, or press and hold the post, and you'll usually find options like unfollow, hide, or “not interested.” And don't be afraid to unfollow a friend if their posts make you feel bad about yourself.
Most platforms also let you see a feed of only the people you follow:
- Facebook How to switch to following only Opens my quick how-to on Instagram
- Instagram How to switch to following only Opens my quick how-to on Instagram
Today's taskSpend a few minutes shaping what you see. Unfollow, hide, or tap “not interested” on anything that isn't serving you.
Think it through
Technology is such a big part of life, it can be hard to remember what things were like before it. Today, let's go “old school” to appreciate how much easier technology has made things.
Ideas to get you started
- Print out directions before you leave, instead of using Google Maps.
- Go for a walk without headphones.
- Watch something with an over-the-air antenna, commercials and all.
- Write your to-do list on paper instead of in an app.
Today's taskPick one thing you use technology for every day, and do it the old-school way.
Think it through
You made it! Check your usage stats again, the same way you did on Day 1. Did you reach your goal? Look at what improved, and think about how you'll keep it up. Your Day 1 answers show under each box so you can compare.
Today's taskPull up your screen time report again and compare it to Day 1.
Your usage now
Look at that, all 10 days done!
Your plan below is built from everything you filled in. Take a look, then print it or save it somewhere you'll actually see it again.
Self-Evaluation
Now that the challenge is complete, check in with how it went.
Your Reset Plan
Pulled together from what you typed in above. This is the one page worth keeping.
- The app I moved
- Not answered yet
- My goal
- Not answered yet
- My main trigger
- Not answered yet
- What I replaced it with
- Not answered yet
- My tech-free zone
- Not answered yet
- What I did “old school”
- Not answered yet
- One thing I'm keeping
- Not answered yet