Ever been called and “Internet Addict”? The label is placed on nearly everyone under the age of 70 too easily. However, although you may not need to be sent to rehab, it is a good idea to take a break from the techie world occasionally, just like health experts recommend having an Alcohol Free Day or Week, occasionally.
This does not mean ignoring all electricity and only relying on your cave instincts to hunt and gather. It can be as simple as walking out of the house for a day without your smart phone, or your keys. A kind of “technological freeballing”. Go down to the park with your kids and think about something other than your Twitter followers (Go on try! I did it and it was pure bliss…except that I dropped a couple of followers L. Try having a night without the television constantly blaring in the background or picking up a newspaper to get the news, old-school style. Take a book out onto the veranda and enjoy the morning sun as you have your coffee. The sun’s rays will feel different to the luminous glare of a computer screen, more vitamin D.
While you put your technology on the charger, step outside and re-charge your own batteries with a brisk walk around the block, get the blood running again. Get your computer serviced and take the week off to do yourself a personal service instead of worrying about computer service in the office. We have become such a stagnant society, always sitting in front of technology, at our office desk, driving everywhere. A break from the screen and out being active can really bolster your attitude and energy levels. That way you can go back inside and finish that paper a lot more efficiently, decreasing your screen time. Wins all round I’d say.
These days we are under such pressure to continually keep up-to-date with every world news event that is taking place. I for one, start the day reading computer service news digest…that is at 6:30am…ridiculous! Whatever you might feel about this, the news is out there and we are expected to be absorbing it through every possible media avenue or else. This is important, but remember that you are allowed to take a day off. Have a break. Just like we have weekends off work or public holidays, so too are you allowed a break from your technology. We can tend to get caught up in the world news events and resort to overdosing on cynicism and bitterness. You can take a break. Trust me, the Internet stores everything and you will still find the inter-tubes humming away when you return in an hour or a week.
I’m not promoting every one becoming a Luddite, however I do think it could be incredibly beneficial if we all occasionally have some time away from our computers and mobile devices. Distance makes the heart grow fonder and become more efficient when reunited.
So, have a think about it. For some, a detox can be simply avoiding social media such as Facebook, Twitter and Blogging between certain hours, or even removing emails from their immediate life for a day. You could go to the extreme and avoid it all. Book a weekend camping trip in the bush and pack a good book. Make sure it’s a paper book though and not a Kindle! As Burt Bacharach says, jump “out of those chains, those chains that bind you, that is why I’m here to remind you”, a break can be your savior. So pull your headphone out of the jack and go explore the outside world.
Over and out
MobileGeekette
