- go ALL day without checking email
- pass by something interesting without taking a picture of it for Facebook
- go somewhere interesting/exotic without checking in on foursquare
- dine in a fine restaurant without photographing and sharing your food
- resist checking your phone EVERY time it makes a noise
- go 24 hours without sending a text message
- leave home without ANY electronic devices on ya
- avoid all use of the computer for 24 hours
What possibly would you DO with yourself if the entire electronic world were to go “down” 20 minutes from now?
Could you tolerate the quiet?
What would you do with your hands?
How would you communicate with other people?
COULD you communicate with other people?
so . . . My point is made!
Now for a practical (radical) suggestion.
Create for yourself a slice of time EACH AND EVERY DAY which you designate as an electronic black-out zone . . . a safe haven from all things electronic.
This may be extremely difficult at first. It’s fairly common knowledge that we humans NEED external stimulation in order to maintain sanity – Submerged in a dark pool of water at body temperature causes most humans to go insane in a very short period of time.
Start with short bites of time – 10 minutes – Leave your phone on the desk and take a walk outside (or a short nap) . . . then stretch it to 20 minutes – then 30 . . . Keep stretching until you feel you have “enough”
I do this occasionally during the day, but where I get the most bang for my haven is the first 30-45 minutes after waking up in the morning.
No electronics allowed until after breakfast . . .
Do it your way when the time is right . . . but don’t fail to DO THIS!
It’ll change your life in a nice way 🙂
This is how we keep ourselves fresh so as to serve our clients BEST when we’re ON.
I think you CAN!