Digital Downtime Contract

Shifra Dayak
December 23, 2018
Introduction
Our lives revolve around technology, with everything from school to entertainment being contained on a series of apps
and websites. As we have discovered through investigations into modern technology, constantly being on our devices
can have adverse mental and physical health effects and take away from our time and ability to do other things. Living
with absolutely zero screen time is impossible considering technology’s major presence in our lives, especially in
schoolwork, but limiting it as much as possible can give us important insights into how we can better our lives, connect
more with people around us, and further our passions. The conditions I have set for my personal limited-tech week,
outlined below, only allow me to use technology in cases where it is absolutely necessary for school and
extracurriculars and prohibit technology use for entertainment purposes. I hope that adhering to these conditions will
help me observe things I haven’t paid attention to before and become a more mindful technology user in the future.

Part 1—Technologies and activities that are expressly and completely prohibited
● Instagram
● Snapchat
● Twitter
● Facebook
● Digital music (Spotify, Itunes, Pandora, radio)
● Entertainment-based television of any sort (Netflix, Amazon Prime video, ​Hulu​, cable)
● Facetime
● Google Hangouts
● Camera and photo apps (iPhone camera, Google Photos, VSCO)
● Google Maps
● Notes app
● Built-in utility apps (reminders, compass, health, etc.)

Part 2—Technologies that are permissible according to their purpose of use (be specific!)
● Email — for urgent or time-sensitive messages related to schoolwork or extracurriculars like debate or Silver
Chips Online (cannot delete, open, or reply to non-urgent messages or junk mail)
● MyMCPS Classroom — to complete assigned work that cannot be completed in hard copy form and to access
materials for AP World History and AP Environmental Science
● Google Classroom — to complete/submit assigned work that cannot be completed/submitted in hard copy
form and to access materials for AP Language and Communication, CAP Research Methods, AP Calculus BC,
and AP World History
● IMessage — to reply to urgent or time-sensitive text messages related to transportation or extracurriculars
when I have no other way of communicating with the person that texts me (cannot open or reply to non-urgent
messages)
● Phone app — for calling my parents about last-minute transportation and pick-up issues that I can’t speak to
them in person about earlier
● Youtube and documentaries — only in cases where I am required to watch a specific video or documentary for
classwork or homework
● Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides — to type assignments or presentations that are explicitly
assigned by my teachers and cannot be handwritten, as well as to write and edit necessary articles for Silver
Chips Online and fulfill my duties as a CAP Ambassador
 ● Clock app — to use the timer and stopwatch features for labs in science class if no one else can provide a
timer, and to set an alarm to wake me up in the mornings
● Voice memos app — only to record interviews for Silver Chips Online articles and to record myself
singing/playing the piano for my music lessons
● Google Chrome and Safari (and resulting academic websites like Khan Academy, Calc Chat, and Delta Math)
— only to look up information that pertains directly to classwork or homework assigned by my teachers
(cannot look up things of personal interest that are not explicitly related to an assignment)
● News (both through the built-in IPhone news app and through standalone websites) — to read articles that are
assigned for schoolwork or homework, and to stay informed about current happenings only in the case that a
catastrophic or important event occurs (cannot read stories of interest that are not breaking news)

Part 3—Goals for the week

A. Quantifiable
● Go to bed no later than 10 p.m. every day (less time wasted on technology should mean more available time to
sleep)
● Spend at least 30 minutes reading a personal (not assigned by a teacher) book each day (in many cases, going
on technology for fun has replaced reading for fun in my life and I’d like to try and change that)
● Play the piano or ukulele for at least 20 minutes every day
● Finish my homework in 3 hours each night (this may not be possible, but without technology distracting me
from completing assignments, I hope I can be more efficient and productive with my time)
● Spend at least 10 minutes each day doing nothing (being bored is actually good for one’s mental health, and I
think it would be interesting to see how my mood and outlook would change if I spent some of the time during
which I would normally use technology mindfully observing things around me and unwinding instead)

B. Unquantifiable
● Spend more time talking with my family in the evening/on the weekends (this depends on my schedule and
their schedules, so it isn’t quantifiable or precise, but I think it’s important to establish more connections and
strengthen my relationships in lieu of distracting myself with technology)
● Observe more small things around me and write them down whenever possible (I’m often buried in a device
and don’t notice the minimal yet interesting things in the world, such as people’s body language or the birds in
my yard, so I aim to become more invested in those and improve my overall observational skills)
● Talk to my friends more (instead of each being occupied on our phones during lunch and between classes, I’m
hoping we can actually interact more and have meaningful conversations)
● Pick up a new hobby (I’m not sure what this will be yet — maybe teaching myself the guitar or watercoloring
— but I hope that I can take the time I would normally spend on technology and use it to widen my skill
set/find more things I enjoy doing)
● Become less stressed and clear my head (this is pretty broad, but I hope that by disconnecting from the world,
becoming less invested in the lives and things I see on social media, and abandoning the feeling that
communicating with people through technology is an obligation I have to uphold, I can make my brain a little
less chaotic and subsequently lead a more focused and grounded few days)

Student Signature ___________________________________ Date _____________________

Parent Signature ____________________________________ Date _____________________