The Catalyst for Changing Your Digital Habits

L'shana Tova to all my Jewish readers out there!

I received a ton of great feedback on last week’s post and added a couple new friends & faces to the Slack Community. The power of writing internet never fails to amaze me.

So, in case you missed it — Last week, I started a small Slack community of people committed to improving their digital wellness & would love to have anyone from this newsletter involved.

My only ask is that you are active, respectful, and open-minded. If you’re interested, reply to this email.

Alright, onto today’s post. Should be an impactful one.

“The hard part will be convincing people they need this.”

The more I discuss my vision around digital wellness coaching, the more I hear this response.

I get it. And in the near-term they might be right.

But here’s the thing: change rarely happens in the absence of a catalyst. People need an "oh shit" moment. It’s not enough to simply know they should change; they need to feel it.

Without that critical inflection point, the issue remains in the back of their minds, something they keep saying they'll address "someday."

This isn’t unique to digital wellness. We’ve seen this same pattern play out in countless other aspects of life – whether it's health, finances, or relationships. People often wait for that heart-stopping moment before taking action: a health scare, a financial crisis, or the breaking point in a relationship.

It’s human nature to delay change until the pain becomes too real to ignore.

Personally, I’ve had a few ‘oh shit’ moments with my tech habits.

Most recently, I noticed that I was subconsciously opening Twitter and Instagram on my browser every single time I opened my computer.

It went something like this…

I did this for months, maybe years, without even noticing it.

And it's not just me. Here’s a story from a Reboot reader who recently joined our Slack community:

Or take Managing Director of the Carnegie Institute of Science, Ted Lamade, who’s ‘oh shit’ moment earlier this year prompted him to go a full month with a flip phone.

It’s in these raw, uncomfortable moments that we’re forced to confront the truth about our digital habits. They mirror the wake-up calls faced by those grappling with other addictions: the midnight realization of an empty bottle, the gambler holding that losing ticket one time too many, or the smoker's first agonizing cough in the morning.

But there's a crucial difference. With most addictions, the goal is total abstinence – we can quit drinking, smoking, or gambling. But we can't just quit our phones or laptops. They're essential parts of our daily lives.

In the past, admitting to struggling with stress, anxiety, or burnout carried a stigma. Now, prioritizing mental health is not just accepted – it's celebrated. People hire therapists and life coaches to work through their issues, not because they’re broken, but because they want to live healthier, more intentional lives. Digital wellness will soon follow this path.

For years, society brushed off screen time concerns as harmless quirks. It’s considered a "tax" of modern life, a cost we begrudgingly accept as part of living in a hyper-connected world.

But these “oh shit” moments are changing that narrative.

Conversations around digital detoxes, screen-time limits, and social media breaks are becoming more mainstream. Parents are setting screen-time rules not just for their kids but for themselves. High-performing professionals are seeking help to break free from the cycle of digital distraction.

These are early indicators that the tide is turning.

Much like how we approach food addictions – where the solution isn’t to stop eating altogether but to cultivate a healthier relationship with food – we need to do the same with our screens.

Phones and technology are essential tools, connectors, and gateways to a world of knowledge. The goal shouldn’t be to quit them cold turkey. Instead, it's about learning how to use them with intention, to consciously decide when they serve us and when they don’t.

Eventually, we’ll look back on this moment and wonder why we didn't address it sooner. The same way we now see physical health and mental health as inseparable, we’ll come to view digital wellness as a crucial pillar of a balanced life.

The question isn’t if people will see the need for change; it’s when. And when that moment hits, they’ll need support. They’ll need tools, guidance, and a plan to build a more intentional relationship with their devices—specifically designed around the way they work, live, and unwind.

So yes, getting people to sign up before they reach their inflection point is a challenge. But the real work starts when that moment happens, when they finally feel the toll that unchecked digital habits are taking on their lives. That’s when they’re ready to make a change – not because they know they should, but because they need to.

So, I leave you with this…

Think hard. What digital habits in your life do you wish you could change. Do you want to tackle them now or wait for your “oh shit” moment?

Resources

Digital Wellness Coaching: If you know you want to improve your digital wellness, but don’t know where to start, let’s chat. (This is the cheapest it’ll ever be)

Digital Detox Tools: A free directory of 75+ digital wellness products, software, and services. Access it here.

That’s all for this week. Stop scrolling and go do something great!

Randy