A Day (Almost) Without Technology
As regular readers of my blog may or may not recall, one of my resolutions for the new year is to find ways to disconnect from technology on a regular basis. Today, my wife and I decided to try this and the results were intriguing.
To start things off, we established some mutual ground rules and agreed to keep each other in check. These rules included things like:
- No television (not even as background noise).
- No video games.
- No computer activity (unless absolutely required by work emergencies).
- No use of smartphone apps or email checking.
- No use of e-readers
- No use of digital cameras.
- No use of portable music players.
We also agreed on a “blackout time” from 10:30 AM - 7:00 PM. A paltry 8.5 hours which should be easy enough for anyone right? Hmm, perhaps. What follows are some basic notes I wrote down in a journal throughout the experience.
**Warning. Most of this is incredibly obvious stuff. Prepare to be underwhelmed.**
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10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Started the morning off with some light reading and tea. Quite possibly a perfect moment. We’re both initially quite enthusiastic about being “detached” from technology and the subtle stress that can sometimes accompany it. I find myself conversing a bit more than usual — no doubt a result from NOT having my head buried in some gadget.
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
More reading. I’m noticing now that the house it a bit more quiet… no TV playing in the background… no music either. It feels like concentration has improved.
12:30 PM
Catch myself just about to go online to do a few miscellaneous tasks (check library book status, check/pay utility bills, etc). I’m experiencing some annoyance at not having immediate access to this information WITHOUT going online. That’s my fault though… need to keep better paper records.
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Go out for an early lunch with the wife (deli sandwiches) with coffee. All the while, I’m resisting the urge to check-in everywhere with FourSquare and broadcast mundane thoughts on twitter. Hard to describe… it’s almost like random intervals of boredom?
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Andrea and I go for a walk near the beach. The waves and overcast clouds look amazing and we both are resisting the urge to break out rules, get our cameras and take pictures.
4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Miscellaneous shopping tasks. Along the way, I catch myself several times almost using apps on my phone to make things more convenient (GPS navigation, Google, retrieve lists, etc).
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Complete various tasks around the house. This includes some small maintenance items that we have been intended to do for the last couple months.
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So after all is said and done, what did I take away from the experience?
- “Disconnecting” is far easier than I thought it would be.
- I’m not as dependent on video games, TV, movies or music as I originally thought.
- I seem to miss technology (particularly social media tools) the most when I’m out and about.
Where do I go from here? I plan to have LEAST one “disconnect day” a month; maybe more as time permits. I think everyone should do this too (if you aren’t already).
