What is a digital fast?

Fasting increases our hunger for God and helps us find our true satisfaction in Him. When we step away from anything that competes for our attention, we create space for God to reshape our hearts.

The Digital Fast gives us a practical way to do that. For the next month, we’ll adjust how we use our devices to redirect our attention toward God. This is not just a break from our screens. It’s an opportunity to be more present, more intentional, and more aware of God’s work in our lives.

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How to make your smart phone "dumb"

Here are a few simple steps to help you start the Digital Fast with intention. These small changes create space, reduce distraction, and help you stay focused throughout the next month.

1. Remove the apps that draw you in: Delete or temporarily remove distracting apps like social media, games, or streaming platforms. If you still need them, consider keeping them only on your computer, not in your pocket.

2. Turn on grayscale mode: Switch your phone’s display to black-and-white. It instantly makes your phone less stimulating and less addictive. Most people notice a big drop in mindless scrolling.

3. Move everything off your Home Screen: Keep only essentials like Phone, Messages, and Maps on your front page. Put everything else in folders or extra pages you have to intentionally navigate to.

3. Turn off all non-essential notifications: Silence anything that isn’t a real person trying to reach you. No more pings, banners, badges, or buzzes. Just peace.

4. Utilize your phone's focus modes: Intentionally use focus modes to block out everything else while you are present with whatever you're doing in that moment: family, work, etc.

5. Charge your phone outside your bedroom: Use an alarm clock instead. Moving your phone out of the bedroom reduces late-night scrolling and sets you up for healthier sleep and more consistent morning rhythms, including waking up to your phone.

6. Set daily “phone-free” zones: Choose times or spaces where your phone can’t join you: meal times, morning quiet time, conversations, commute, church, bedtime. Consistency matters more than length.

7. Log out of distracting accounts: Make access inconvenient. If you have to type a password every time, you’ll use those apps less often.

8. Turn off cellular data for certain apps: Allow some apps to work only on Wi-Fi. This slows down impulsive behavior and encourages more intentional use.

9. Use a real book or Bible: Using a physical Bible cuts down on digital distractions and allows you to fully immerse yourself in God's Word without the constant distractions that accompany your phone.

10. Set a "tech sabbath" rhythm: Pick a window each day, or a portion of each weekend, where you intentionally step away from screens altogether.

Note: these were originally from BattleCreek Church and adapted for use at New Life.