Spring 2025 Weekly Digital Well-being Challenges

Talk to at least one new person this week, when waiting for a class or meeting to start, instead of looking at your phone.

The term “weak ties” is used to describe casual connections formed with acquaintances through daily life. Forming these connections can be easily overlooked, but creating weak ties helps build community and positively impacts your overall well-being. Although it can be a habit to check your messages or scroll on social media while waiting for classes or club meetings to begin, this week the challenge is to put your phone away and talk to someone sitting next to you instead. Use a simple opening like asking about a class, event, or compliment something about them.

Start forming those weak ties now and experience the benefits in the future.

For tips on how to start a conversation read or listen.

• Keep it positive.
• Start with introducing yourself.

Read more about the benefits of “weak ties” in this article.

• Improves mood.
• Broadens horizons.
• Vital for networking.

Learn about how online communication may be less satisfying than face-to-face.

• 7 reasons interactions may be lower quality online.

Trash that app! Delete one app that you feel wastes your time for the week.

We all have that one app we love to go to when we have a couple of extra minutes between classes, or we just don’t want to get started on that thing at the top of our to-do list. It’s our comfort app, our procrastination app, our escape from awkward app, and it can steal all our time.

This week’s challenge, Delete one app that you feel wastes your time for the week, can have big impacts. If you are struggling to identify which app to trash for the week, here are a few ideas to get your started.

Try to think about apps that not only cause time-suck but also impact your mood!

Consider deleting apps that contribute to:

• excessive scrolling
• comparison to others
• negative news consumption
• Gaming that leads to excessive play

Set boundaries:

If you choose to keep certain social media apps, set time limits to manage your usage.

Find healthy alternatives:

Replace time spent on your deleted apps with activities that promote well-being like exercise, reading, socializing, hobbies, schoolwork, or spending time in nature.

• If you like this challenge and want to do more app trashing – join us for a FREE Virtual Digital House-cleaning Party, Tuesday, February 4 at 3 p.m under DIGITAL DECLUTTER WEBINARS. This event is hosted by our friends from JOMO(campus).
• Interested in taking more control of your technology use and experiencing great benefits? Check out The Center for Humane Technology’s tips.

Replace morning scrolling with purposeful planning: start each day writing your key 3 priorities.

Clarify & Commit: Choose Your Key 3

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by everything on your plate, but you can take control by identifying your Key 3—your top three priorities for the week that will move you closer to your goals. This challenge will help you clarify your focus and take deliberate action!

Here’s how to take on this week’s challenge:

• Reflect on Your Goals: What are your big-picture priorities for the semester, month, or beyond?
• Choose Your Weekly Key 3: Select the three most important tasks or actions you want to accomplish this week to move forward on your goals. Write them down and keep them visible!
• Take Action: Each day, identify your Daily Key 3—three tasks that will help you make progress toward your weekly Key 3.

Why It Matters:

Focusing on your Key 3 creates clarity, reduces overwhelm, and gives you a sense of accomplishment as you tackle what matters most. Small, consistent steps add up to big progress!

To get help setting goals and using the Key 3 system:

• Sign up for ExperienceVT Coaching.
• Download and Complete the ExperienceVT Key Practices Worksheets.
• Bonus Action: Write your Weekly Key 3 as a lock screen on your phone or laptop to remind yourself of what matters most this week.

Stay focused, take action, and move closer to your goals—one week at a time!

Turn off non-essential app notifications for the week and check them only during set times.

Challenge yourself to turn off any notifications outside of school, work, or emergency contacts for the week and see how it goes. Limiting notifications can help to improve focus and overall mental health.

In the digital world we live in, it is easy to have a constant feeling of FOMO (fear of missing out), but this week try to embrace JOMO (joy of missing out). Give yourself permission to miss the likes and comments on Instagram, or the new text in the group chat. Take note of the thoughts and feelings that arise during the week and reflect at the end on any differences in your phone use and your mindset around your phone.

Article: A Psychiatrist Explains the Benefits of Turning Off Your Phone for Mental Health

• Decrease in focus/
• Notification anxiety.
• FOMO.

Article: Don’t let phone notifications stress you out. Here’s how

• How do phone notifications interfere with daily life?
• Tips on how to successfully change your behavior around your phone.

Article: The Joy Of Missing Out

• Tech-free time.
• Live in the present.
• Be intentional with your time.

Refer to these videos to learn how to set focus mode for iPhone and Android.