Sometimes I like to take a day to think and reflect. So I get someone else to take away my computer, phone and any electronics in the house - so I don’t know where they are and I can’t access them. Then I spend the whole day thinking and writing on paper.

Pre-pandemic, I used to travel and fly a lot. I would use my time on planes to think and write. I remember when I was 21, I took an Air Asia flight to London from Melbourne via Malaysia and they didn’t provide entertainment consoles on their flight. I was super productive and finished writing all my emails and everything I wanted to write in two batches over just over an hour. And then I sat there incredibly bored and tried to sleep. I was traveling to London to run our Robogals conference.

That experience taught me that planes and a lack of distractions could be incredibly productive!

I used to do this in high school as well. I noticed that if I started using the computer or the internet at any time, then I would keep using it for the rest of the day and evening. So in my final year, in year 12, I would only use the internet after 11pm. That way, I could get all my homework and everything else I needed to get done earlier and then use the internet until I went to sleep.

I use my No Electronics Days to write emails, grants, to-do lists, plans, and to daydream. It’s very refreshing and satisfying to think deeply and cross off items that require deep thinking from my to-do list.