Unplugged Sunday

I am available 100% of the time.  I use two computers at work, and between a blackberry and an iphone, sometimes it seems as if I can’t get away.  I’m seemingly always online, ready to instantaneously respond should the need arise.  Whether it’s the middle of the night or during the vows at a friend’s wedding, my job can reach me.  Sometimes stepping back can be a good thing.

Recently, fellow blogger Nathan Hand wrote about his month-long hiatus from social media and blogging.  He made “falling off the radar” seem like a great idea, and I was curious to try. That being said, I am a little over 1,500 miles away from friends and family, and social media and email is my only real way to stay connected.  Not to mention that the internet is essentially my newspaper and shopping mall. 

So, I dipped my toes into the water, deciding to create “No Computer Sundays.”  Which, I’ll admit, was not as easy as I expected.  I would hear my iphone chirp, but I wouldn’t rush to the laptop to check my email.  I didn’t read my daily blogs, and usual routine of lounging in sweatpants with my laptop faded. 

At first, I didn’t know what to do with myself. It was a hot day, with the thermometer tickering around the 104 degree mark.  I needed to get outside, if for no other reason than to overpower the lure of the laptop.

So what did I do with my one day away from the macbook?  

• I swam.
• I called my mother, twice.
• I painted my nails.
• I organized my desk.
• I actually read a magazine. Not just looking at the pictures but reading.
• I cooked, twice.
• I laundered everything in sight.
• I played with my new Dyson vaccum, which picks up more cat fur and dust than anything I’ve ever seen. (gross)
• I styled my hair with product for the first time since high school prom.

What didn’t I do during unplugged Sunday?

• I didn’t do so much work at home that I was bored Monday morning.
• I didn’t tweet or visit facebook 8 times like I normally do.
• I didn’t charge my blackberry.
• I didn’t spend the day on the couch.

I haven’t decided if this will be a routine every Sunday or not, but I do think there is something to be said about removing yourself from the computer.  Sometimes we spend so much time looking at what everyone else is doing, that we don’t take the time to have fun ourselves.  Its tricky to step back, but well worth it.