Today will be my last post until (at least) Christmas. I’m quickly realizing that so much of my business requires me to be online all the time – whether it’s blogging, responding to emails, editing photos, tweeting or instagraming (is that an acceptable verb yet?) or blog designing. Pretty much all my thoughts lately are in the form of blog posts and #hashtags. Last week, I got to the point where I thought, enough is enough.
My plan was to stick with it through the rest of this week before taking a break, but after last Friday’s events, I’ve decided to unplug earlier than originally planned. Nothing I say feels really important right now and I’d rather be spending this time with my family and friends. But in an effort to keep this post light, because I can’t take any more heavy.. I’ll continue with how this post was supposed to go..
This break will consist of: no blog, blog email account, or Twitter.
What I hope to get out of unplugging:
- Some clarity into how much social media is taking over my life and thought process.
- Insight into how I feel without it – am I calmer? Less stressed? Happier with myself and my own individual progress and accomplishments?
- A clean closet. Yep, I’m going to use some of the time that I otherwise spend blogging/tweeting to clean my closet.
- Additional time spent with family and friends to enjoy the holiday season and to be grateful.
- Stillness.
I’ve talked a little bit about unplugging before and I thought this would be a good time to check in with how I’m doing on those small goals. In addition to the desktop rule, I’ve removed email notifications for both this blog’s email account and my personal account. This has been amazing and I have no intention of changing it back. No longer do I feel controlled by my emails. I check them when I want (which is usually still frequently) and respond when I have the time. Moving forward, I’m going to be looking for more small ways that I can reduce multi-tasking and increase focus like this.
Have you ever unplugged from social media? If so, how long did it last? What did you learn from it?
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
I unplugged for the entire month of August and it was FABULOUS. No blogging, no tweeting, no Instagram, no Facebook. I really, really needed it and it helped me to clear out all the noise social media brings. I adore social media, but sometimes it can be too much. I plan on completely unplugging from Friday until after Christmas to focus on my family and just being in the moment. Hopefully your time away brings you great clarity!
I’ll miss your posts, but enjoy your time off. I have only unplugged for a weekend or a few days and it is definitely good for finding clarity and focus. Good luck and enjoy the holidays with your family!
p.s. I ordered how yoga works! thanks for the recommendation
I haven’t unplugged purposely for a certain amount of time before but lately I’ve gone a day, or days sometimes, without checking Twitter or updating. I think I’m going to unplug next week as well and turn off social media/email etc. on my phone. At least for a few days around Christmas!
Haha, damn I hate how everyone always unplugs right when I actually have time to be online. It’s probably a good plan though, so good luck!
I have unplugged a couple of times, mostly when I am going through something difficult like a break up or something at work. It was helpful for me to unplug during those times because I didn’t want my blog to be this negative place for me to vent, but I didn’t feel like i could post this happy posts when I really wasn’t happy… I hope the break is good for you and your soul!! Merry Christmas!!