Over the past 31 days just passed, whenever I crossed the threshold of my apartment, I walked into an area completely devoid of screens.

It was an idea occurred to me and to my partner at the end of last year, as a digital version of the "January to stick" - a month in which many drinkers choose to give up alcohol.
We were caught in a series of habits that we felt to be unhealthy and unpleasant, like dining in front of the television every night.
We spend two days at the computer and the phone to work and to stay in touch.
But at home, in our private life, we could establish the rules.
no TV no computer no phones
They were allowed a couple of exceptions: we could use the phone to watch a recipe or start a playlist.
If we had urgent work to complete and absolutely - an article to be delivered, for example - that too was admitted.
Otherwise, he had to remain all off every night and every weekend throughout the month.
The so familiar light.
Picture: WikiMedia Commons
"I wanted to do it to break away from all that entertainment worthless, like Netflix and Reddit," said Stuart, my partner.
It is sugar for the brain and I think if the people they tried to make a clean cut, they would realize that it is a real addiction. "
There is an abundance of scientific studies on the effects that too much time in front of a screen has on children, but not as many relative to adults.
Of course, we know that looking at a screen before going to sleep has a negative impact on sleep, and the fact that we do too many things at the same time during the day - go to cook dinner, to check Facebook, check your email - consumes much of 'energy of our brain.
These problems, combined with the fact that spend so much time in front of a screen we did not really feel good, convinced us to leave our devices out the door.
We had a certain amount of expectations and objectives for this month.
We wanted to talk more, spend more time looking at us in the face instead of being with eyes planted on the phones.
We also wanted to do all those things for which we seem to never have time - go to the gym, go to that particular exhibition of paintings of the eighties, retrieve the creative passions.
The art exhibits are fun without a phone in his hand.
We thought that, without the noise, distraction and continuous hectic media consumption, suddenly we had infinite time and energy to achieve these goals.
Somehow, it was just so, but there are also limits.
The first days were dream, to be honest.
We'd come home, we put a little 'music, we cooked dinner together and then - unimaginable - we sat at the table to eat.
After dinner, Stuart plays guitar, I was reading.
They left choirs sudden and without hesitation.
"People at that time was sitting in hot apartments in playing records and talking, because there were not many other options.
When it comes to killing time for a few hours in the evening, do without the screens is not a challenge so difficult.
But when you have before you 48 hours of total freedom, the idea of anything Netflix begins to weigh a ton.
We were still able to find ways to have fun - we live in New York, after all.
We also walked through neighborhoods that we did not know (once, we went even in New Jersey!
We made plans with friends and kept them.
We went - I know it sounds ironic - the Museum of the Moving Image, to view an exhibition of Martin Scorsese.
"The infinite scrolling consumes our lives."
For many aspects, we hope that nutrivamo for this experiment were absolutely realized.
"It's different from getting into shape or eat healthy - those activities require a lot more time because you notice the first results - but with the technology, the results are fast enough," said Manoush Zomorodi, presenter Note to Self, a podcast of WNYC Studios.
"It gives an incredible feeling of reconquest do something and see the results immediately."
Note to Self regularly addresses the challenges of fatigue by technology and often creates challenges structured for listeners to help them break bad tech habits.
A project, called Bored and Brilliant, challenging listeners to deliberately allow yourself to feel bored, in an attempt to stimulate a reconnection with their creative side.
The link between boredom and creativity emerged quickly to Stu and me.
I - I admit with a vague embarrassment - I started writing poetry, something I had not done since college.
The muse had returned, and it was enough just turn off the screens for a few hours.
Some of the drawings made by Stu during our month without screens.
We also perceived an improvement in our relationship.
We talked more, sometimes very deep conversations, but also simple everyday conversation.
We passed along the same amount of time as before, but the connection type was different.
For example, you have plenty of time to do things does not mean you have the money for them - exhibitions, museums, books to read, dinners out, courses: are all things that have a price.
Then there are times that the only thing you want to do is throw yourself on the couch and watch an episode or two of The Office.
"We could not go every night to talk about the greatest systems," said Stu.
"At times, we felt the need to do something just for fun, so we replaced the empty television entertainment with the crossword.
We made so many crossword puzzles. "
I discovered Facebook to automatically open when I should only look at the directions to a restaurant.
Stu was kidnapped by a flow of news on Twitter during the last weekend.
In general, however, both of us agree to the idea of taking the benefits gained from this experience and transfer them into our daily lives.
We click with more awareness and meaning, and use our screens deliberately.
Watching an episode of Game of Thrones because the series we like and we want to follow it when it comes out it looks different from apathetically shrug Reddit for three hours without talking.
"The key word is deliberate," said Zomorodi.
"The idea is to use technology with a purpose, because otherwise infinite scrolling consumes our lives."
It is the reason why this kind of experiment is more of a fun challenge; We teach us what kind of limits we want to determine when all the technology we use is designed to overturn any limit and addictive.
It's different for each person, but a good way to tell how much time in front of a screen is really necessary for everyone is to eliminate the screens altogether.

From Vice