Can You Really "Just" Unplug?
What about the avalanche that follows?
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It’s all well and good to unplug, but the pile-on that results is daunting. Image source here.
Dear friends,
I have been experimenting with regular, sustained unplugging ever since our recent no-tech vacation. So far I’ve unplugged completely for four weekends in a row (although this essay was written after only the first one).
It’s been great. But it also leads to a pile-up of work when I return. Has this happened to you, too?
Is there a way to unplug regularly without incurring this heavy penalty?
I think there may be.
Read my essay on the topic today by clicking this link: “Can You Really ‘Just’ Unplug?”
And then come back here and answer our poll below and leave a comment!
Do you unplug regularly? If so, what works for you? If not, why not?
My company allows every employee to take a two-week "sabbatical" (in addition to normal vacation time) every three years, that must be taken all at once and the rule is they have to be completely out of communication with the company and our clients. We're software consultants, always on our computers, fielding requests and requirements from clients all the time.
One of my coworkers told his clients that he would be selecting and deleting all unread emails en masse when he returned from his sabbatical, so to please wait and email when he gets back. He returned to only 31 emails in his inbox. I've been too scared to try this myself, but it sounds glorious!
A book that a lot of friends have recommended, but which I haven't read yet, is "the tech wise family."
I have been trying to think less "all or nothing" and more "what is healthy?" in my approach to tech. I've heard it argued that smart phones and social media are more like utilities than luxuries, and I think this makes a lot of sense. But the problem of always having your nose to the screen is real, too.
For myself, I try to monitor whether I'm being rude to the people around me, whether I'm wasting time, and whether I'm training my brain to not focus for more than ten seconds at a time. I think it's a positive good to maintain relationships and exchange advice, which is probably the main thing I do with my phone.
I did two things on my phone which I think help me maintain good boundaries. One, I turned off any notifications (esp sounds) that don't contribute to my life at all. Two, I changed the notification sound for when my husband texts me, so it sounds different from when anyone else texts me. I can ignore a lot of "zip zip zip" sounds while doing laundry with my toddler, but when I hear "ding dong" I check because it's my husband. (I tried turning off all notification sounds except him, and that ended up making things worse, so I turned them back on.)