I can actually take a break from the computer and the world won’t fall apart
I know we have all heard the advice that you should unplug every now and again. Well, at least I’ve heard this advice several times. However, I’m horrible about following it. Sometimes it is very hard for me to walk away from my computer when I think I should be getting stuff done. Even when I go on vacation, I still bring along my computer because I think I might have time to get some work done.
This past weekend I went up to Charlottesville, VA, to visit my aunt and her family. Even though we would be doing tourist stuff during the day, I knew there would be a lot of down time at their house. I brought my computer and several Web books with me thinking I would have time to work on my website, launching my new blog, get some emails done, etc.
However, a funny thing happened at my aunt’s house. I saw how everyone was reading. It made me realize that it has been a long time since I have spent an afternoon reading. It also made me realize how much I miss curling up on the couch with a good book. I shut down my computer and picked up my book on Betsy Ross.
I admit that I was not completely unplug this weekend (anyone that follows me on Twitter would have seen I was online). However, my time online was very limited, and it felt great. The few times I got on my computer to do work, I was actually more productive than had I been sitting at my computer for five hours. I can’t even begin to describe how refresh I am feeling right now.
I experienced a lot of things this weekend, but most importantly I realized I need to take a break from my computer to remain productive. One way I’m going to do this is to make sure I schedule at least 30 minutes to read a book every day. I’m also thinking about scheduling a day trip every couple of months just to make sure I step away from the computer.
I’m curious what are other things people do to make sure to step away from the computer. I would love to hear everyone’s suggestions.
Hey Ellen,
Glad you had a good mini-vacation with the family. I purposefully will not bring my computer when I’m going on vacation. I also leave my cell packed in my bag unless I’ll be away from the family/friends I’ve gone with and need to have it on me. I usually log on to check email/fb/twitter once a day just to see if anything super important has come in and if not, it gets ignored for another 24 hours.
That’s pretty much it. Just the knowledge that I won’t enjoy my time as much if I’m not actually paying attention and present to what’s going on around me is incentive enough for me to put the stuff down.
- Brianne
Thanks for the comment Brianne!
Since my cell is my only phone, I usually always keep it with me. However, I couldn’t get any reception on my phone this weekend, and the phone wouldn’t stop beeping to make sure I knew there was no service. I finally got so annoyed that I just turned the phone off when I was at my aunt’s. I figured if my parents needed to get ahold of me, they knew her number and everyone else could wait until I got back. It felt really nice.