In this era of uber-connection, it’s not often that you’re completely unreachable by anyone. So I gave it a go. What happened when I had an untouchable day?
Summary: An untouchable day is about setting clear boundaries and focusing only on what’s important. Taking one may help you recharge and be more intentional with your time.
My untouchable day
On Good Friday this year, I was untouchable… and by that I mean I put my phone on airplane mode, and didn’t open a computer. I can tell you without hesitation: it was pure bliss.
I’d been meaning to try one of these Untouchable Days since I heard about it from Lil, but was waiting for an opening, a day without any plans — at least any that would require phone-based coordination or email checking. Good Friday was it! I checked my calendar the night before and saw the mystical “No events today”. A poor night’s sleep the night before really sealed the deal, as I kept turning to my phone through the night like an addict hooked on social media (which is probably not far from the truth).
An especially Good Friday
7:30am
I put my phone on airplane mode, decided I was going to be both untouchable and screen free for the day, then wrote a list of all the things I was going to do*:
- Clean the house
- Read
- Exercise
- Something creative (write? draw?)
- Garden
- Meditate
- Create a meal plan
*It went into finer detail than this, like to take photos of cracks I had noticed in the walls of my house, and trimming the cat’s nails, but I didn’t feel like they added much to the story here 😂
I’ll also admit that I didn’t get through the whole list, but stating my intentions for the day was a helpful practice I will use again.
8am
I’m guessing at the time here, because my phone was in a drawer and I wasn’t checking the clock, but after I’d written my list of things to do, I wrote a few more lists:
Questions: these were things I wondered during the day which I would usually Google, so I could remember to find answers the next day. It’s funny though, I still have this list of questions and never felt the need to answer them.
Shopping list: things I would usually plug into a grocery list app, which is shared with my partner.
Guiding principles for the next month: these were some aspirational health goals (e.g. try to get in at least 20 minutes exercise every day), along with some self-care strategies (e.g. take a walk if you need to clear your head).
10am-ish
I allowed myself to briefly turn off airplane mode to call my brother — I wanted to check if he was home so I could drive over and visit my new baby niece. I promptly turned airplane mode back on after speaking to him, and put the phone back in the drawer. I noticed my train of thoughts getting into the car sans-phone: “But what if I need to call someone? Or decide to go somewhere that I need Google Maps for? Or have an accident?” 😳 Really, brain? Wow.
Late morning, early afternoon
I still couldn’t tell you what time it was, but after visiting my brother I came home, retreated to the study and did the following:
1. I started drawing without purpose or expectation. What came out was more like a blueprint for an artwork, which I’ve stuck on the fridge as a reminder to return to it sometime.
2. Inspired by her recent TV show, I flipped through most of Marie Kondo’s book: ‘Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up’ in preparation for my own closet overhaul. It’s the companion book to ‘The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing’, and goes into more detail around the how than the what; literally, how to fold a hooded jumper, how to store bras, and the like.
3. Started reading ‘Less’ by Andrew Sean Greer. This is one I picked up on a recent Readings haul, which they describe as, “A scintillating satire of the American abroad, a rumination on time and the human heart, a bittersweet romance of chances lost, Less is the winner of the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.”
I’ll be honest though, I also chose it as I sometimes choose my wines: because I liked the look of the cover.
Late afternoon
I knew I needed to move my body (and hey, it was on the list) so I went to the gym. I had wanted to start using the Sweat with Kayla app but held firm on the no screen rule and left the phone at home.
7:30pm
I gave myself another leave pass to turn off airplane mode, respond to any messages (there were two), then turn it on again.
For the rest of the evening
I created a meal plan for the week with my partner.
I cooked and ate dinner.
I finished reading the book I started earlier. Yes, that means I read an entire novel from start to finish in one day! It was a fun, easy read.
I went to sleep without checking my phone again, or setting an alarm for the next day.
So what did I learn?
I proved to myself that it was possible to go without a phone or computer for the day (almost completely) and beyond that, there’s exponential value in doing so. I felt clear headed, calm, refreshed and energised.
It was helpful to trial on a public holiday, when I knew there wouldn’t be any work related notifications to deal with. I might consider variations in future such as:
- An untouchable, screen-free half day
- An untouchable day but not screen-free — so I can use the phone and computer, but without checking Slack, email or social media
- An untouchable day, with allowance for specified checkpoints (for example, at 9am, 1pm and 5pm) — so I can make sure there are no pressing emails or messages to deal with
The importance of this ‘untouchable’ time hadn’t fully landed when I read about it from others, but I really can’t recommend it highly enough. Please try it at least once and see for yourself!
And in case you were wondering…
The list of (unanswered) questions I had to Google were:
- How much fibre is in meat?
- What can cause a flakey scalp?
- How much are iPhone 6s selling for on eBay?