“Everybody gets so much information all day long that they lose their common sense.”
Gertrude Stein
In today’s world, it’s easy to find yourself logged in, online, posting, commenting, and responding almost every minute of every day. I am not an exception to this. Not at all.
Most days, the first thing I used to do in the morning was: grab my tablet. Hardly awake, I am checking my email, Instagram, Facebook. Even before I say good morning to my partner, have a coffee or breakfast….
Not such a good start of the day, I know! It would be so much better if I had the discipline to start with meditation, kiss my love and go slowly into the rhythm of my day. Right?
My evenings were similar. Even though I only work in the mornings, I would look at my tablet after dinner, just to check if I got a reaction on a post, if my friend answered my message, if I had more likes or comments, did I get a reaction on an important email?
For some reason, despite knowing it’s something I could do less of, I just kept doing it. Out of necessity? Or because I did not want to miss anything that was going on? I found myself feeling like I was digitally overloaded, imposed on by myself! Too much in my head, feeling nervous, it became clear that I needed to take a break from all the emails, texts, messages, comments, posts, and updates.
What really pushed me over the edge was the fact I had a very strong opinion when I saw young kids on tablets, playing games, doing whatever they were doing. I was very much against it, it's not good for them I heard myself saying so many times. In the mean time........ I was doing EXACTLY THE SAME!
Time to detox! Time to make a change and time to stick to it.
Here are my 3 steps:
I started with the following question: How much time do I spend online daily, apart from my work hours? The answer: more then 4 hours a day!!! Quite a shock, I can tell you that…..
How can I use these 4 hours in a different way, what are things I would like to do instead? The list was quite long, from reading a book to trying out new recipes for my restaurant (I do confess that I use the internet for finding recipes…..) I started a creative DIY project (paper mache), a small veggie garden, in which I now to spend time during the day, I also started to do yoga once a week (with a recording of one of my yoga teacher friends). You will be amazed by how fun it is to de-clutter your house, get rid of all those clothes you don’t fit for many years already. Or, reorganise things in your kitchen while waiting for that wonderful new cake to bake. I have been taking walks in the area, making pictures and short movies to show my friends where I live. I went on short trips with my partner in the area: the waterfall, the beach. Visited my friend for a coffee (with my freshly baked cake). I love my new freedom from technology!!!
I changed my personal agenda: no tablet in the bedroom in the evenings, no checking anything online until I am in my office in the mornings, planning time to cook and try out those new recipes and then eat my new creations with my partner, my friend and her family. I also love not being available to everybody 24/7!! Let people know that you cannot be reached after a certain time.
I have to say, I am not consistent every day, and I do fall back into my old ways every now and then. I do like that I have made myself less dependant on checking my tablet and I can surely recommend it.
If you would like to give it a try, but are not able to change your routine as drastically as I have or only have one hour a day to spent any way you like it, why don’t you start by doing it every Friday? Or the last week of every month?
Don’t be afraid to disconnect. It’s good for you.
Ingrid van der Straaten left her job and her country in 2001 to live in Thailand. She is co-owner of Ecologic Resort in Paksong and co- founder of TCDF, a Foundation to support Thai children with different learning abilities. Ingrid and Tanya are co-founders of Today I Rise, an organisation that helps people with realising their dreams.
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