For those of you who work behind a computer: do you ever take a full day completely offline?
I realized I probably couldn't stay away from the internet for an entire day. :D
Partly because I want to keep my Product Hunt streak, but also because:
I try to nurture my community and engage with them every day (essential for growing).
I handle customer support daily.
Missing important news from the tech world gives me FOMO.
To compensate, I spend time outdoors, go into nature, and stay active through sports. But I know that disconnecting from the internet for a full day would probably do wonders for my eyes, focus, posture, and overall well-being.
Are you able to go completely offline?
If so, for how long? And if you've managed to reduce your online time, I'd love to hear your tips. 😄
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minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@dhirajwohra yes, actually the ball of duties will be bigger if I don't check the channels :D
Being a founder you have to play all roles combined
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@arshad_talpur That's why I like the thing – because it forces you to be versatile :)
It's really hard to be completely offline unless you are sick.
We are always surrounded by smart tech. Even if I am not using tech, someone will show me the news or a random TikTok or I will get a video call from friends, or the smartwatch will have a notification. A day off means a movie or an outing with family or spending time on a PlayStation.
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@roopesh_donde To be honest, I was online even when I was sick with the fever. 😀
i rarely do a full offline day but i’ve started thinking the better goal is not disappearing from the internet, it’s making sure the internet does not decide the shape of the whole day. even a few protected hours without checking anything can change the quality of thinking a lot.
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@nipuntaneja Do you think there is an optimal time we should spend online?
Honestly, no, and I've stopped pretending I will. Running a software company, a care home, and (until recently) a cafe at the same time means there's no such thing as a quiet day across all three at once. What's worked better than chasing a full offline day is shrinking how much I personally have to watch in the first place, so the online time I do spend is actually decision-making instead of anxious scanning for what I might have missed. That's basically the whole reason I built FounderFlow. I still take walks with no phone like Arnold mentioned, but a full day fully off is still aspirational for me too.
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@stacywycof83995 I believe that you do not have time for that. I just imagine how many people also use their free time for mindless scrolling, but this is not your case, because you have multiple businesses and you need to choose wisely where your attention goes.
@busmark_w_nika That's exactly it, choosing where attention goes instead of just having less of it. I still catch myself scanning everything out of habit even when most of it doesn't need me. Working on making that a system choice instead of a discipline problem.
MonoCloud for Startups
honestly i don't think it's just me, the whole world has become too dependent on the internet to even attempt a full offline day. you want to navigate somewhere, you need it. play music, you need it. and the moment you open one app for something innocent, you're back in the scroll.
but i genuinely want to try it. one full day, completely offline, no exceptions. i know my body would protest because i'm so used to certain forms of entertainment. it'll probably be boring. and i think that's exactly the point. i want to feel properly bored for a day.
reducing screen time though, i think that's less about tips and more about knowing yourself. you know your own triggers better than any app does. the moment you're aware of when and why you reach for your phone, you've already won half the battle.
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@riya_pariyar This is actually a good challenge. The whole day without electricity. I would die :D
@busmark_w_nika You are probably right. The honest blocker is not the work, it is that I have trained myself to reach for the phone in every gap, so day one would feel like withdrawal before it felt like freedom. Which is probably the reason to do it. I am going to try one weekend day with the phone in a drawer, Cecilia's trick, and see if I come back with a full notebook like Jacqueline described. If it works I owe you a thank you.
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@oshylabs Maybe it would be worth having all smart devices out of sight.
@busmark_w_nika Agreed, and that is now the plan. Out of sight matters more than out of reach, if I can see the phone I will negotiate with it. Drawer, one weekend day, and I will report back with the result.
@Nika ha, checking PH at 10am CET to keep a streak alive kind of proves the point though - the "offline day" ends up scheduled around the thing you're trying to escape. I've caught myself doing the same with notifications, telling myself I'll just glance for 30 seconds.
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@omri_ben_shoham1 I need to create some forum advising how to handle the PH thing :D
Great question! I don’t usually go completely offline for a full day, but I’ve found that setting smaller boundaries helps a lot, like keeping my phone away during focused work, having screen-free meals, or spending time outdoors without checking notifications. I think the goal isn’t necessarily to disconnect completely, but to be more intentional about when and why we’re online.
@Nika ha, honestly there's probably a market for that thread. half the reason a "full offline day" feels impossible is the low-grade anxiety of missing something in a launch thread or a notification pile, not the actual work itself