Hello all, curious as to how you unplug from technology, for prolonged periods of time, i.e. a half day to a full day. Also, to what degree does this connect with your faith?
For me, I’ve tried to use Sundays as a day of “less technology”. It’s very difficult but I find that it helps me to be more present to my wife and kids.
How about you?
Great topic Mike! Hard for me to say since I’m typing this on my phone on a Sunday (!), however I ran across this quote this week and am passing it along since I enjoyed it.
“ Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”
— Anne Lamott
That is a good question. Mike. And yes, like you, the problem with too much technology is a barrier to family relationships.
Despite the logic of “don’t look at your phone first thing”, advised by @mikeschmitz and @joebuhlig, I have a medical reason to use an app on my phone before I get up in the morning, hence it is the first thing I use, and frequently use, every day.
The iPad, on the other hand, claims my attention because I pay for two daily newspapers on it, and it would be a shame to waste those pennies. . . .
I am looking forward to hearing good answers, but my one suggestion is that I try to leave the devices charging upstairs, or in a back room, or at home (if I am out) for several hours to force me to use books and pens and things for a while.
Sunday services are, of course conducted entirely from the iPad, so Sunday doesn’t work for me either.
I leave me phone and devices in my office most of the time. If I need to hear from my wife when she’s coming come I turn on notifications on my “old” smart watch (mostly a running watch) and then I’ll see the text. Then I turn notifications off again and leave my devices out of touch.
I’ve also taken more to reading paper books instead of kindle books.
Overall this leaves me with no tech for the first hour of the day, and much of the weekend. It all feels like a nice break.
Hi Curtis, I’m using paper books also to unplug. Something about the folding of the pages, etc. Go figure!
+1 to this.
I’ve not fully adopted a “day off” of technology. But I likely should.
I am a remote worker and office out of my home when I am not traveling. Technology is very important in my work life like, I am sure, it is for most of you. A few things I am experimenting with is:
I have chosen not to get a smart watch at this point because I do not want to be reachable 24/7. I also do not want to be tempted to have my “face down” in technology. I want to look up and see peoples eyes and interact.
I went through and turned off every notification every where. I then (over time) turned on the notifications I truly needed to function. I get no social media notifications and no email notifications any where on any device.
If I find myself killing time on an app it gets deleted off of my mobile device. I can complain about an issue or I can take action. I choose action.
These are a few things I do. I view this as a tension to be managed and not a problem that will ever be solved.