What I Learned from Going Offline for 72 Hours

I didn’t plan a grand digital detox. My Wi-Fi just went out on a Friday afternoon, and the repair tech couldn’t come until Monday. Three days. No internet. No email. No social feeds.

At first, it felt like being dropped in the middle of nowhere without a map. My hands kept reaching for my phone, only to stare at “No Connection” like a goldfish at an empty bowl.

Day 1: Jittery. Kept thinking about what I might be missing—news, messages, work updates. I realized how much my attention had been trained to scatter in ten different directions.

Day 2: Slower. I started doing one thing at a time without that twitch to “check something.” I read half a book in one sitting, cooked a meal without a podcast playing, and actually tasted it.

Day 3: Clearer. My mind felt less like a browser with 27 tabs open. Conversations felt longer, thoughts felt deeper. I wasn’t sprinting mentally anymore—I was just… here.

When the internet finally came back, I didn’t rush to open everything at once. I’d remembered something important: the online world will always be there. But the moments I was missing? They’re gone if I don’t live them.