A phone-free weekend, a user's guide

The first two hours are unpleasant. That is normal, and it passes every time.

We ask participants to leave their phone in a box when they arrive. No one has ever regretted it; many have kept the experience going once they were home.

The programme is deliberately left empty: two sessions a day, long meals, a walk. The emptiness is the active part.

At home, start small: one morning. Tell three people, leave the device in another room, and go out for an hour’s walk without music.