What would you do for a week without email or voice mail?
I’d get excited, and I am excited. Today I leave for a week long meditation and writing retreat at Kripalu. The retreat will be lead by author and meditation instructor Susan Piver. I am very much looking forward to returning to this peaceful center in the Berkshires for some time to just focus on writing. I will have the freedom to write about whatever I want. I have no idea what I’ll be writing which is part of the excitement.
When I registered I received a welcome letter via email. How nice, I thought. Then I read it. Towards the end it read:
Please give yourself permission to leave daily concerns behind you in order to focus inward. Unless it can’t be avoided, please don’t plan to make phone calls, access email or bring outside work with you. Take time to make necessary arrangements in advance.
After a thought process adjustment, I made the necessary arrangements including scheduling a few blog posts for the week. I’m not panicked and in fact I’m looking forward to the disconnection. The laptop will stay at home.
Friday night on World News with Charles Gibson I watched a segment about the importance of taking a break and disconnecting. Google allows employees 20% of their workday to do whatever they want. It’s how one of their employees came up with the idea of Google News. The notion is that being connected and doing “more” is really less productive. I completely agree. When I relax, if even for a few minutes, my thoughts are more clear and my productivity improves tremendously.
You might also check out the blog, 52 Nights Unplugged. It’s about taking 1 night a week completely disconnected from technology and spending it completely connected to family, friends and “other” things.
How would you do if given a week with no email, voice mail or technology? Could you do it? Would you panic? What about 1 day or even a few hours?
Need help? My individual coaching or corporate training workshops are designed to help you find more balance in your life. Send me an email to find out how.
I’ll report back on the experience of being disconnected when I return.
Have a great week everyone!
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