You have finished work and continue to be faced with screens at every turn on your journey home. Technology has become part of our everyday lives – so much so that we often don’t realise that we are engaging with it. Do you ever feel like putting a ban in place in your home to escape all the tech?

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Although a full-on ban is impractical for a number of reasons, one being that smart meters can be highly useful for owners of timber frame houses to see where they are spending their money, here we look at how you can create some digi-free space in your house.

1. Impose digi-free times

Why not introduce a schedule to indicate when phones should not be used at home? Research shows that mobile phones make people feel connected in a good way but also make them feel trapped because they can be contacted by anyone at any time. The main priority is that mobile phones are not in use when families should be engaging with one another and communicating; for example, putting a ban on dinner-time calls is a good idea.

2. Decorate accordingly

Sofas and chairs are usually positioned towards a television. Timber frame houses often take into consideration communal spaces; therefore, if you have a fireplace or a piece of artwork that could be made into a focal point, why not try directing your furniture towards this to divert your gaze from the screen? You may like to create a ‘snug’ or a corner in which the TV is positioned for watching the occasional programme.

3. Put in place strict rules

No matter how you decide to implement a digi-free zone, it is never going to work unless you set strict ground rules. It is important that all family members are on board; otherwise, the proposal could be counterproductive and cause more arguments. To make following the rules easier, why not offer incentives, such as trips to the cinema? In this way, the children can really enjoy the big screen.

Although the presence of technology can have a negative impact, we cannot deny that it brings some great benefits to households. Not only does it allow communication with the outside world but also it offers opportunities to educate ourselves on a number of important areas.