Just the other day I was reading about someone’s “digital sabbatical.” My thought about this was, “Good for her, but I’m not all that excited to take one myself.” Maybe someday, but not yet. At least, not so far.
Mendocino Coast
I’m spending a long weekend in northern California with professional colleagues. Before deciding to stay here (historic inn along the coast), we asked about wifi. Yes!
But our phones do not have cell service here. And until today, the phone couldn’t find the wifi, either.
Want to check the weather forecast? Check email? Study the next lesson on DuoLingo? Download a podcast? Listen to Pandora? Forget it.
One of our colleagues is fine and happy without being connected. She takes a digital break when she travels, anyway. (Yes, on purpose.) No laptop, no iPad. Barely touches her phone.
The rest of us are coping. We realized that if you decide ahead of time to live without digital connections, then that’s okay. But if you were expecting them (consciously or not), it takes an effort to adjust.
We’ve been talking about what life was like before being so connected. This digital interruption is making me even more grateful to live now, in this time, when we can (usually) connect so easily.
What do you think? Do you consciously take time away from the digital world? What are the benefits? And if you find that there are benefits, how long do you like to stay offline?
Resources
Post | Díaz-Ortiz, C. (2014). Three Keys to a Successful Digital Detox
Article | Ciotti, G. (2013). The Creative Benefits of Taking “Mini-Sabbaticals” from All Your Various Screens
