Goodbye Computer, Hello Life
Last week I was at the computer a lot and, quite honestly, it left me feeling drained. So last Saturday I decided to “unplug” myself from the computer and television for the day. I usually don’t post on Saturdays, plus the weatherman said it would be a nice Fall day (not that I really trust him), so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to recharge my batteries. Here is an account of my day, plus a few tips to help your unplug if it is something that interests you:
A Day In The Life
8am: I wake to the sound of Xavier happily playing in his crib. Normally I wake at 5am, so it is quite a strange feeling to wake at this time. I feel rested - it’s a good feeling.
8.30am: I sit down at my desk with my breakfast, a pen, and a pad of paper. After making a few notes for this article, I turn my attention to writing my article for Blog Action Day which is fast approaching (note: and has now passed - see yesterday’s post A Climate of Change). I have been putting off writing this article for some time, but it’s amazing how easily the words now flow out of my head and onto the paper without the distractions of email and television.
9-10.30am: I am kept fairly busy preparing for the day ahead and watching Xavier. Even so, I am often tempted to just quickly check my email. I resist.
11am-5pm: regular readers will probably remember my post If You Want to Change, Tell the Truth in which I recalled an interview gone wrong. Well, today I take some positive action and go to a voice coaching workshop. It’s a lot of fun and by the end I already notice some positive differences. The computer is the last thing on my mind.
6-8pm: I get home and am once again kept fairly busy getting ready to go out and watching Xavier (they are a handful once they start crawling!). I resist the temptation to quickly jump online….. but only just.
8pm: for the first time in at least a month, Kathryn and I have a night out (thank you babysitter). Nothing major - just a few friends, great food, and a couple of beers. Life is good.
Tips to Unplug
So if I didn’t send you asleep with my account of a “day in the life of Peter”, here are a few tips to help you unplug:
1. If you decide to unplug for a day, plan ahead. Try to choose a nice day and have some activities to keep you busy. Also, don’t be unrealistic. If you need the computer for something important, unplug another day.
2. The expression “out of sight, out of mind” has a lot of truth to it. I have a laptop so I was able to put it out of sight. This definitely helped me resist the temptation to just quickly jump online and check my email.
3. You don’t necessarily need to unplug for a whole day. I was once in the habit of waking up and immediately turning on the computer. Now I wake and spend some time working on myself first (eg reading, writing or exercising).
4. The same goes for the evening. I suggest switching the television and computer off at least half an hour before going to bed and using this time to wind down. Meditation, reading or writing in a journal are all great ways to end a day.
Photo by Puff’s Daddy’s.
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12 Comments
October 16th, 2007 at 6:29 pm
Since my weekends are typically either for skydiving or playing with my kids, I’m usually not on my computer much during the weekend. I have tried to dedicate some time to my blog… say, half a day on Sunday, because I sometimes struggle to get everything done during the week. I have found though that unwinding in a “tech-free” environment proves more valuable for me than getting ahead on my blog. I check email and things, but otherwise I try to be as unplugged as possible. I agree, it has a ton of benefits.
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October 16th, 2007 at 6:39 pm
I like days like that, although I like to just unplug sometimes and do nothing intentional, just whatever comes up. It can be very relaxing and recharging.
Somehow I haven’t been able to do that for months now, though. Hope Thanksgiving gives me the chance.
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October 16th, 2007 at 7:31 pm
sounds awesome Peter…unplugging is SO key for our health. You just gotta let it go…especially when you have a new baby around!
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October 16th, 2007 at 8:05 pm
Good for you! I only post once a week on each of my blogs so I have plenty of “moodling” time. It’s essential to my mental and spiritual health.
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October 16th, 2007 at 8:21 pm
We definitely need time to recharge our batteries. Good for you Peter!
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October 17th, 2007 at 1:00 am
I definitely will have to use these tips. I’ve developed a sort of insomnia from using the computer too much over the past month, and will surf the web late into the night (and sometimes morning) instead of just shutting it off and going to sleep without passing out (I’m exaggerating, so don’t worry
<<— whoa, I just closed my parentheses with a smiley! Anyways, Thanks
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October 19th, 2007 at 8:18 pm
It is also my goal to stay away from the computer on weekends. I spend more time with the family for 2 full days.
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October 20th, 2007 at 12:00 pm
good stuff!!
When everything these days is inside my computer - work, leasure, news, friends, family, kids - i mean everything, it is so hard to get unplugged. I found it extremely effective to plan ahead these unplugged timeframes. I got rid of mobile device to NOT see incoming mails, and started to breath with full chest. I turned off my email notifications - of ANY kind [there are plenty] and reduced distraction. Less distraction, more productivity, job done faster - more unplugged time
very very nice post
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October 20th, 2007 at 1:03 pm
Practica: exactly. Something that I hinted to in this article, but perhaps did not fully make clear is how unplugging affected my productivity. As an example, avoiding the computer for a day greatly help me write for this blog. On the actual day I did about an hour of writing with pen and paper, and the words flowed out nicely. Also, in the subsequent days the “drained” feeling I described at the start of the article was gone and I was able to continue to write in a productive manner.
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October 20th, 2007 at 9:15 pm
[...] Goodbye Computer, Hello Life - I really don’t no what I would do without the Internet and TV for one day. [...]
October 22nd, 2007 at 10:24 pm
This is really challenging!
I’ve gone through days trying to implement this or reduce my daily computing intake. But it’s hard to habituate it. 
I’m still working on it. Thanks for the reminder.
What’s Xavier?
Love & Gratitude,
Tina
Think Simple. Be Decisive.
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October 23rd, 2007 at 3:27 am
Hi Tina,
It is definitely worth doing every so often though.
Yes I find it challenging as well to pull myself away from the computer!
Xavier is my 8 month old son btw
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