UNPLUG: Pecha Kucha* Style
We’re not using technology anymore. We’re marinating in it.
Picture this: You wake up, and before your feet hit the floor, your hand is already reaching for that glowing rectangle beside your bed. Sound familiar? Don’t worry, you’re not alone in this morning ritual of digital dependency.
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: our phones often get more affection than our partners, friends, and pets combined. We touch them over 2,000 times a day, carry them everywhere (yes, even to the bathroom - don’t deny it), and some people report seeing screens and interfaces in their dreams.
❝We shape our tools and thereafter they shape us.❞
~ J.M. Culkin, 1967
The Great Screen Time Heist
Let’s talk numbers, because they’re wild:
7+ hours daily on screens (that’s a full-time job of scrolling, swiping, and forgetting why you opened that app)
37 hours monthly on TikTok alone for the average user
25 hours monthly watching YouTube
Add it all up, and we’re living an entire life on screen
But here’s the kicker - this isn’t just a time issue. It’s a mind-body issue.
Every notification hijacks your attention. Algorithms train your behavior like you’re a lab rat pressing buttons for treats. Those pixel trackers? They know when you hesitate before buying something online, and they use that data against you. You didn’t really mean to buy those shoes at midnight, did you?
The uncomfortable reality:
We’re ghosts in our waking lives.
We’re not just endlessly multitasking anymore - our attention is rarely fully present. Even our downtime is outsourced to the next autoplay video. We’ve become ghosts in our waking lives, getting connection without intimacy, speed without stillness, and according to the latest studies, declining cognition.
Your nervous system is stuck in “always on” mode. Every red dot, every ding, every buzz sends a microjolt through your brain. You weren’t built for 47 browser tabs and a Slack thread labeled “urgentish.”
But here’s the good news: you don’t have to live like this.
UNPLUG: six letters to save your sanity
As a design technologist who’s been in this field since the 1980s, I’ve seen how we got here, and more importantly, I’ve created a roadmap to get back out. It’s called UNPLUG - a gentle, shame-free framework that works.
U - UNDERSTAND How You’re Being Hooked
First, you need to understand that this isn’t your fault. Technologies are literally designed to hook your attention, time, and money - and never let go. Algorithms choose what you see and make decisions for you. Once you understand the game, you can stop being played by it.
N - NOTICE Your Digital Patterns
Are you double-screening before bed? Tapping apps out of reflex? Checking texts before you even sit up in the morning? You can’t change what you don’t track. That itch to check your phone? It’s usually boredom, anxiety, or habit - you’re avoiding uncomfortable feelings, and that’s okay. Let’s dig under those to find out what you really need.
P - PLAN Your Digital Diet
This isn’t about throwing your phone in the sea (unless you really want to). It’s about crafting a digital diet that works for YOUR life and meets your unique human needs. Small, honest boundaries equal big change.
L - LET GO (From FOMO to JOMO)
Shift from FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) to JOMO - the Joy of Missing Out. Missing the noise, the arguments, the endless scrolling gets replaced with peace, presence, and the occasional luxury of daydreaming while staring out a window. Revolutionary concept, right?
U - USE Offline Tools
Remember pens? Cooking with just a playlist? Having conversations without a device creating a barrier between you and another human? Your real life has incredible depth once you stop flattening it into pixels.
G - GENERATE Support
Tell someone about your digital wellness goals. Set shared boundaries with family or friends. Join a screen-free challenge. Community turns detox into delight and gives you someone to laugh with when you inevitably relapse (and you will).
This goes deeper than screen time rules
Here’s what most people don’t understand: this is brain and body deep. When you scroll, you’re releasing tiny jolts of dopamine. Over time, this rewires your focus, attention, sleep, and motivation. It’s not just a bad habit - it’s a physiological loop that’s been engineered to keep you coming back.
We don’t need more screen time rules. We need rituals, models, awareness, and the pursuit of our shared humanity. Because here's a sobering thought: kids don’t do what we say, they copy what we swipe.
What could unplugging give you?
A clear mind that can focus on one thing at a time
A full heart that’s present for the people you love
Real moments that don’t need to be documented to be meaningful
Actual love and connection (hint: you won’t find these in your feed)
The choice is yours
This isn’t about rejecting technology - it’s about reclaiming what’s yours: your attention, your breath, your creativity, your relationships, your money, your mornings, and your evenings.
Tech is incredible, but without boundaries, it eats us up. The UNPLUG framework is your map back to yourself. It’s not about perfection - it’s about permission to slow down, opt out, log off, and step into something better.
This is about more than screen time. This is about your life force, your energy, your emotions, your time, your attention, your love, and your money.
So, what will you choose to reclaim first?
Ready to start your own UNPLUG journey? Begin with just one small boundary today. Your future self (and your loved ones) will thank you.
✱ What’s a Pecha Kucha? It’s a presentation style developed in Japan: 20 slides for 20 seconds each.
Hi there! I’m Pattie Belle Hastings.
But you can call me PB. I am a speaker, facilitator, designer, content creator, and professor. I facilitate teams and groups as well as design & lead workshops and courses on creative industry topics. I would love to design and facilitate your company’s creative breakthroughs.
