Bad Sleep Leads To Bad Privacy Habits

We're going to spend a lot of time talking about a digital detox. What it is. Why you should do it. And most important, HOW you can do it successfully. Because it's not easy.

And a lot of advice on the Internet doesn't help. Especially when it comes to things like sleep.

Privacy Tip: Do The Best You Can

I had a friend that was really stressed. So I recommended she use the free Plum Village app. It's the same app I'm going to recommend to you throughout this project.

She said, "Every time I try to meditate, I can't stop thinking, so I give up."

So I said:

That's ok. You let those thoughts come. You notice them, and then you let them pass on by. You have to do this stuff for years to even get a whiff of what we in the West think of when we think of meditation: A completely calm Buddhist monk.

The important thing is to try. Because over time, you may still have racing thoughts, and that's ok too. It's the practice and the intention that matters. It's the process and the breathing that matters. Not the thoughts.

I'm not a therapist. I'm not your therapist. I'm just a big fan of Thich Nhat Hanh's work. Like with any advice we may share, your mileage may vary.

So, I want to make two important points:

1. It's easy for me to say, "You should get eight hours of sleep and maintain a regular sleep schedule, even on the weekend." It's much harder when you've got kids at home. Or you're stressed about being a fellow member of the precariat, like more than half of all Americans. Or you're stressed about the Climate Emergency and how little time we have left to do something about it. So I want you to repeat after me: "I'm doing the best I can." Practicing self-compassion is going to be important as we walk you through the digital detox.
2. If I say, "Don't exercise, eat, or look at your phone three hours before bed" that might not be possible in all cases. That's ok. Do what you can. The important thing is, in any new habit you do want to make, that you don't skip doing it for more than two days in a row. Because then you have to start over in order to make the habit stick. When that happens, you say, "I'm doing the best I can" and then do what you can.

Why Sleep Matters In Protecting Yourself From Fascists and Weirdos

It's very easy for me to say, "Hey, for maximum privacy, whenever you access your bank account, or the website for your health insurance provider, you should use Tor."

It's one thing for someone to go through the cognitive process of switching out of Chrome and into DuckDuckGo, which is the browser we recommend for most people in most cases.

That's already harder than you think.

But then it's another to say, "Oh yeah. You also need this separate, clunky, slower browser specifically for one or two websites." Now you're jumping through multiple hoops instead of one — switching from Chrome to DuckDuckGo — in order to do one additional thing.

On days when you're well rested, it's easier to make that decision. You have the mental resources to do so because you got your sleep.

On days when you're tired, you might just log into your bank account using Chrome. Thus exposing your financial data for everyone and anyone to potentially see.

So, sleep is a core component to a lot of the Privacy Tips we're going to share.

We need more of us at our best to protect ourselves, and our friends and neighbors.

And while a lot of things may feel like they're out of our control, you will be surprised to learn how much power you do have.

-BJ