“ Disconnecting from our technology to reconnect with ourselves is absolutely essential for wisdom. ” - Arianna Huffington
September is the ‘back to school’ month. Roads are busier. Businesses are reopening. Projects are re-ignited with a view to being finished by December, and this year I have chosen this time to take 2 weeks off!
I must say it felt strange to stop when the world around me was restarting after the summer break. I suddenly didn’t want to disconnect as others were reconnecting, and my head was full of "what if’s".
What if
… someone is waiting for a response to their email to move forward
… I miss an important opportunity
… I don’t send a mid-monthly dare on time
… etc etc
So to calm down my nervous system which was running wild and to address those "what if's", I made a short checklist useful to review before taking any time off.
*** My dare to you this weekend ***
Dare to disconnect
Whether it is a 2 week holiday, a weekend at home or any evening requiring boundaries from work, try this checklist to experience a disconnected break.
Image credit: Disconnecting in the South of France Sept 23 - Photo by moi!
Disconnection checklist (for an extended or a mini break):
Inform: Let family, friends, colleagues and clients know that you will not be available and when they will be able to reach you again.
Set up autoreply: You can personalise the message. Note: For work, you might want to choose a redirection and define in advance what ‘emergency’ means with the person receiving your messages so they only get in touch if this criteria is met.
Turn off notifications: You can look at your device only when you choose to. Note: you can set up your device to let specific numbers reach you.
Master your emails: - Resist the temptation to read them. - If you read them, can you stop yourself from replying? - Dare to remove the email app from your device and reinstall it after your break (or not?).
Create some distance between you and your device. Note: place your phone in another room, a bag, a drawer, you can also experiment going out without it.
When you take this time to disconnect, do respect your own boundaries. Others will be more likely to respect them too. Even better, get your friends and/or family on board to join you!
So, whether it's for an evening, the weekend or for a holiday take a break from your tech and dare to be the change you want to see in your family, community and life!
Let me know how you got on with this #dare, do share your experience in the comment section.
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