One Tech Tip: Spend quality time with loved ones, not a screen, over the holidays

The Christmas season offers a perfect opportunity to disconnect from the digital world and reconnect with people and simpler pleasures. As screens and notifications increasingly dominate our daily lives, finding ways to unplug during the holidays can help restore balance and meaningful connections.

Digital devices come equipped with built-in features to help manage distractions. The Focus setting on both iPhones and Android phones allows users to silence notifications temporarily. This customizable feature can block specific apps or mute notifications during certain activities like reading or sleeping.

Screen time controls provide another layer of digital management, enabling users to set daily limits on problematic apps. For those finding it difficult to resist the allure of their screens, changing display settings to grayscale can make devices less visually appealing. This simple adjustment, available in the color filter settings of most smartphones, reduces the visual stimulation that keeps users engaged.

For more drastic measures, temporarily deleting addictive apps offers an effective solution. Removing social media or other time-consuming applications, even temporarily, creates physical distance between users and their digital habits. These apps can always be reinstalled after the holiday season if necessary.

Getting outdoors provides one of the most natural antidotes to excessive screen time. Winter weather, despite the chill, offers unique opportunities for outdoor engagement—from snowball fights to sledding. Wearing mittens not only keeps hands warm but also makes smartphone use practically impossible.

Even in areas without snow, taking walks through parks or tree-lined streets offers mental and physical health benefits. The Japanese concept of “forest bathing” highlights how time spent in natural settings can reduce stress and improve well-being—benefits increasingly supported by scientific research.

For those needing technological assistance to disconnect, specialized apps like Touch Grass have emerged. This application takes its name from the popular internet phrase suggesting someone has lost touch with reality due to excessive screen time. The app blocks access to selected applications until users physically go outside and photograph themselves touching grass, snow, or sand. While the free version limits users to blocking just two apps, a subscription unlocks more comprehensive digital barriers.

Traditional handwritten communication represents another meaningful way to disconnect. Research suggests that handwriting offers neurological and cognitive benefits that typing cannot replicate. Studies show students retain information better when taking notes by hand rather than typing. The holiday season provides a perfect opportunity to revive this practice through handwritten Christmas cards, thank-you notes, or letters to friends.

Reading physical books offers another screen-free activity with substantial benefits. Unlike the fragmented attention encouraged by digital media, long-form reading promotes deeper understanding, enhanced empathy, and improved concentration. The end-of-year period typically brings numerous book recommendation lists, making it easier to find engaging reading material for the holidays.

For those requiring stronger interventions, time-lock vaults for digital devices present an intriguing solution. These containers, available online for approximately $30, physically secure smartphones for predetermined periods—from minutes to weeks. While practical in theory, these solutions can create unexpected complications, as many authentication services now route through smartphones.

Feature phones, sometimes called “brick phones,” offer another alternative for those seeking digital minimalism. Retro models from manufacturers like Nokia provide basic calling and texting functionality without the distractions of modern smartphones. Companies such as Light, Punkt, and Balance have developed more sophisticated “digital minimalist phones” with modern designs but deliberately limited functionality.

As the holiday season approaches, these strategies provide various options for disconnecting from the digital world—whether temporarily or as part of a longer-term lifestyle adjustment. The festive period offers a natural opportunity to experiment with digital boundaries and rediscover the pleasures of unmediated human connection and experience.