Do You Want to Get Unplugged?
Do you want to get unplugged? Technology is around every corner, in every classroom, on every desk, and in every pocket. We can’t escape it. The question is do you want to?
Just think about this . . .
“In barely one generation we’ve moved from exulting in the time-saving devices that have so expanded our lives to trying to get away from them – often in order to make more time. The more ways we have to connect, the more many of us seem desperate to unplug. Like teenagers, we appear to have gone from knowing nothing about the world to knowing too much all but overnight.”
Pico lyer, “The Joy of Quiet”
Do you feel like this? Do you feel that time is slowing down and your to-do list is growing and your workload is speeding up? Are you over-plugged in?
However, you should try disconnecting yourself for a few hours during the day. Put down the phone and walk away from the computer. Don’t answer those emails. Take a walk, talk face to face with your spouse, a neighbor, or coworker. You can play with your kids or go grocery shopping. In other words, spend your time being present in whatever you are doing. In conclusion, you will feel rejuvenated after being unplugged from the outside, electronic world for a short time and you’ll be able to face that larger ever-interrupting world again.
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Janet Schiesl
Janet has been organizing since 2005. She is a Certified Professional Organizer and the owner of Basic Organization.
She loves using her background as a space planner to challenge her clients to look at their space differently. She leads the team in large projects and works one-on-one with clients to help the process move quickly and comfortably. Call her crazy, but she loves to work with paper, to purge what is not needed and to create filing systems that work for each individual client.
Janet is a Past Board Member of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals and a Past President of the Washington DC Chapter of NAPO were she has been named Organizer of the Year and Volunteer of the Year.
Janet Schiesl
Janet has been organizing since 2005. She is a Certified Professional Organizer and the owner of Basic Organization.
She loves using her background as a space planner to challenge her clients to look at their space differently. She leads the team in large projects and works one-on-one with clients to help the process move quickly and comfortably. Call her crazy, but she loves to work with paper, to purge what is not needed and to create filing systems that work for each individual client.
Janet is a Past Board Member of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals and a Past President of the Washington DC Chapter of NAPO were she has been named Organizer of the Year and Volunteer of the Year.
I was just talking about this with my husband yesterday. It has gotten harder and harder to walk about and unplug. I have to let my family know when I am putting my phone down so I can truly relax and not feel the need to be “on call.” If I don’t answer right away, they start getting nervous. In reality, my client time is a window when I don’t check my phone and I find it so refreshing to know that I have that 3+ hour block of freedom! I always come out of a client appointment feeling good, and I think that is very telling.
Seana. We give our undivided attention to our clients, but then don’t do the same for our shelves. It’s so hard to unplug!
It’s fascinating (and frightening) how we’ve become addicted to our devices in such a short time. They were designed to create this very strong relationship between users and devices. And while it’s hard to remember how life was before cell phones and tablets, I do remember. What concerns me more is how the younger generations are growing up. They were born into the immersion and having parents that are plugged in 24/7. So they don’t know anything different. Time will tell, but I’m sure that it will have a negative effect on many things including how they interact with people. I’m sure it’s not all doom and gloom either. There will be benefits too. For example, I notice that younger people process information much more quickly. They’ve been trained that way so their brains have adapted. The bottom line is that for me personally, I’ve noticed that while I use my devices, I still need a lot of unplugged time with nature, friends, and doing non-tech driven activities (like reading paper books.)
As with everything there are pros and cons. I am also concerned that it’s just too much technology these days. I try to unplug on the weekends, but it’s never completely gone. I’ll watch TV or talk with someone on the phone. I know people who go camping/hiking to be away from it all.
Great reminder to take a break from devices large and small and to enjoy just being. We might be surprised by how much fun (and interesting and strange and exciting) the world and the people around us can be when we just pay attention.
Yes, Now all we have to do is get the world to put down their devices and pay attention to us.
This is exactly why I don’t have a data plan on my phone. It ensures that I’m disconnected at least SOME of the time!
I didn’t know that about you. That is pretty extreme these days. Don’t know if I could do that. Congratulations.
So important to remember this! Since I work with a lot of clients and do tasks for them online during the week, on Friday PM to Sunday PM, I disconnect. I don’t even go to my office on these days if I don’t have to. It does help me rejuvenate my energy.
I just responded to Linda that I try to unplug on the weekends, but I’m not very successful. I’ll have to work on it. I do see benefits to even a short break from technology.