It can be hard to escape our cell phones, computers, and tablets. Everything from work to talking with friends and family to running the thermostat for a home can be done from a phone. Basically, you can’t live life in the 21st century without being online at least some of the time. But there are definite benefits to unplugging and taking a break each day. Creating a digital detox space — a space away from electronics, where you can chill out and unwind — is a helpful way of making sure you go offline each day. Perhaps you have a nook with a chair and bookshelf, or a patio with a porch swing. You could even consider an entire room, like a bedroom, off-limits for electronics. Wherever you create your refuge from digital devices, you’ll reap lots of rewards from disconnecting each day. Here are some suggestions for your own digital detox space.

Put Your Electronics Away

If you want an electronics-free space, it helps to have a dedicated spot where you put the electronics you have. You can set them in a mudroom, an office, or another area away from where you want to relax without them. This phone docking station has room to hold a cell phone, tablet, and earbuds. There are also two holes for charging cables, so your phone and tablet can charge when they’re not in use. This docking station also has room for keys, a watch, pens, glasses, and other small items so you’re ready to run out the door the next day. 

Set the Mood

One advantage of going tech-free is that you tend to notice the environment around you more. Lighting, textures, smells, all of these help you create a comfortable space to unwind without your devices at the end of the day or on a lazy weekend morning.

This soft, faux fur blanket envelops you while you’re reading or relaxing. It won’t fade or shed and is machine washable for easy care. It’s perfect for a reading nook or as a warm, extra layer piled on your bed on chilly nights. 

Add to your chill vibes in your digital detox space with some low lighting. This lamp provides a soft glow so you can read or work on other hobbies, and the neutral earth tones mean it goes with just about any decor. It comes with an LED bulb, so you can start using it right away. 

Another way to add ambiance to a reading nook or other calming space is with twinkle lights. String them along a bookshelf or banister, or even simply pile them in a heap on a nightstand. Twinkle lights look magical, however you display them! This set is battery-operated, so you don’t need an outlet. They’re waterproof, so you can put them indoors or out, and there are eight modes of lighting in different patterns. 

Find Analog Activities

Your detox space could be nothing more than a comfy chair where you go to sip tea and stare out the window. But it’s nice to have something to do that doesn’t involve a screen, so you’re more likely to want to spend time there. Puzzles are a wonderful way to digitally detox! Working on puzzles exercises the brain and, at the same time, relieves stress and promotes mindfulness. They’ve been shown to improve memory and brain connections. This cheerful bookshop puzzle has bright books and flowers, plus an adorable pup hanging out on the floor. It’s a great way to decompress at the end of the day or to spend a few free minutes when you have them. 

Adult coloring books with intricate designs make another great activity when you want to chill out and recharge. This coloring book features natural designs and mandalas made of leaves and flowers. Focusing on coloring lets your mind relax, and the nature-inspired drawings of leaves, butterflies, and flowers promote calm, as nature often does. 

Along with a coloring book, nab some fancy pens to do the actual coloring. These glitter gel pens come in a variety of shades, from muted to neon. They have a fine tip for detailed coloring or drawing, plus a comfortable grip so you can hold them for long periods of time while you concentrate. A storage case with a snap lid means you can easily pack them up and store them when you’re done. 

Reading is an excellent analog activity when you want to unplug from the world. If you’re not sure where to start, this book suggests a nice long list of other books to read. Some are classics, while others are from lesser-known authors. You’ll find both children’s books and adult books on the list. There are also book lists arranged by topic, such as “Offbeat Escapes.”

While you’re reading, coloring, or puzzling, you may want a cozy cup of tea or coffee to enjoy. This porcelain mug holds 16 ounces of hot or cold beverages, and the generous handle makes it easy to pick up. The bug and flower designs and the gold handle give it an elegant look, so it’s pretty sitting on a bookshelf or nightstand even when you’re not using it.

Feature Image Credit: Shashi Chaturvedula/ Unsplash

Just for kicks, I recently counted the number of holes I’ve put in my apartment walls. I’m not going to print the number. I’m a good tenant who pays his rent on time, but I have no desire to get shown the door in case my landlord reads the news. Let’s just say that I have a lot of pictures hanging on the walls. Oh, and some hooks for hiking gear. And bookshelves. There’s a TV hanging on one wall. Once upon a time, I had a heavy electric bike on my living room wall, too. So I know a thing about making sure whatever I’ve hung doesn’t tear out of the wall and squash me in my sleep.

First, Get a Stud Finder

The number one piece of equipment to get is also the one I see most people skip over. Behind the wallboards of your home are structural elements called studs. They’re most often wood, but they can be metal on newer buildings and renovations. Wallboards are mounted to studs. It’s also where builders run wiring to electrical outlets and light switches.

If you’re hanging something heavy, you want to use a wood screw to mount it directly into the wooden stud. But otherwise, you should avoid them, because they limit where you can place the object you’re hanging. Make sure you get a stud finder that can detect live electrical wires, too, so that you don’t drill into one and electrocute yourself. I’ve used this Zircon stud finder for more than a decade. Don’t skip this step. Always check for studs before drilling. It’s for your safety.

Use E-Z Anchors Whenever Possible

E-Z Anchors are my secret weapons. I use the 75-pound versions here for most things. You don’t need a drill, just a Phillips-head screwdriver. These are exceptionally secure, easy to use, and affordable, more so than anything else I’ve used — and I’ve used every type of wall anchor on the market. Make sure you use the stud finder first, though, because these plastic anchors won’t go into a stud.

Here’s the funny thing about wall anchors such as these. The weight rating is, in practice, lower. That’s because when you hang something from an anchor, it’s almost always not only pulling straight down on it, which is how they determine the rating. It’s pulling down and away from the wall. So while I wouldn’t mount anything over 40 or 50 pounds to a 75-pound-rated E-Z Anchor, it’s more than strong enough for objects below that weight. So a heavy, three-tier bookshelf made of hardwood and iron? No. Use toggle bolts or mount directly to a wooden stud for that. But for a single, two-foot-long bookshelf? I’m sitting underneath one right now, mounted to the wall with a 75-pound E-Z Anchor.

There are 50-pound E-Z Anchors that are a bit smaller. I use these for smaller, lighter objects, such as the hooks that hold my hiking backpacks and large, framed pictures. Like with their big siblings, the actual weight that they’ll hold is quite a bit below their rating. I’d keep it to 30 pounds or so to be safe.

Hanging Something Heavier? Use Toggle Bolts

Toggle bolts are as strong as a wall anchor can get, aside from using a wood screw to mount something directly into a stud. I’ve used toggle bolts for mounting big-screen TVs, large soundbars, and shelving units that already weigh 50 pounds before being loaded down with a ton of books.

Downsides? You need to be really sure that what you’re mounting is heavy enough to require a toggle bolt, because you need to use a power drill to create a ½-inch hole for each bolt. That’s a big hole. You can patch them when you move (I’ve done it), but you don’t want to use these for every little old thing in your place, or you’ll end up with Swiss cheese walls. Because you’re drilling in the wall, you absolutely have to use a stud finder to mark out where you’re going to mount them before drilling the holes. If you don’t, the worst-case scenario is that you’ll electrocute yourself.

What About Wood Screws?

The traditional way to mount very heavy objects to a wall is still viable. First, use a stud finder to locate the studs behind the wallboard, then drill a small pilot hole with an electrical drill (and safety glasses! See our recommendations below). Use that same drill and a screwdriver bit set to drive a wood screw into the stud.

Where you can mount things on your walls depends on where the studs are, though. In the US, they’re typically standardized at 16 inches apart, measured from the center of one stud to the center of the ones on either side of it, although some older homes measure 24 inches. I’ve lived in places where the contractors just put them wherever they felt like it, though, giving my home a Dr. Seussian quality I did not enjoy when trying to mount shelves.

To mount objects this way, your home must have wooden studs and not steel studs. How do you find out which kind you’ve got? You make a mistake, like I did. I moved into a new apartment five years ago and set upon it with my tools and bookshelves, like I had with the 20 or so places I’ve lived over my lifetime that had normal wooden studs. I located a stud with my stud finder, put on my safety glasses, and fired up the drill. The screw went in through the stud with a strange noise, and it just spun in place rather than biting into the wood. Why? Because it wasn’t wood at all. They’d replaced the old wood studs with new-fangled steel ones during a renovation.

If this happens to you, then you can’t use screws to mount anything directly to the studs. You have to use wall anchors. Luckily for both of us, there are some incredible wall anchors these days that are up to handling some incredibly heavy hardware. I’ve outfitted my entire place with them, and it’s never looked better.

Do You Need to Buy a Drill?

So you’re mounting something heavy, huh? Need to use those toggle bolts? Then you’ll need a drill. Honestly, if you can borrow one from a friend, then buy them a coffee and borrow it, because any decent drill is pricey. It’s a key tool to keep around the house if you have an interest in being even mildly handy, though, so it’s an investment.

I’ve used this DeWalt 20V drill for so many jobs over the years, I’d have to take a day to count them up. It’s never let me down. You’ll need to buy a set of cordless drill bits, too. This 21-piece DeWalt set is what I use for most jobs.

Put safety glasses on when you’re drilling. Having gotten hit in the eye with a few things and just barely lucked out on not losing my vision, I’ll tell you that it’s all fun and games to skip the glasses “just this once” until you actually get a scratched cornea. Nobody cares if you think you look like a dork. Who’s watching you drill things into your living room walls, anyway? Just put the glasses on. They’re a lot cheaper than a glass eye.

Feature Image Credit: OksanaKiian/ iStock