This past weekend, I had the chance to leave all of my stresses behind. I went up to Northern Arizona to a friend’s cabin, where cell phone signals dare not roam, and the Internet is scarce like a Sasquatch. The only plans that we made were “make breakfast when everyone is awake, and at some point later, make dinner.” And even though I had a bit of work to catch up on when I got back, it was a great way to clear my head.
Most people forget this, but there was a time before the Internet was widely used, and cell phones haven’t always had a place in our pockets and purses (or our hearts). It seems like so long ago, back in the days of Mad Men or a young Forrest Gump, but the truth is that this bygone era still existed less than 20 years ago.
What did you do before cell phones and Internet? Did you leave answering machine messages instead of assuming that caller ID would be enough to spur someone on to returning your call? Did you talk about projects and what needed to be done instead of leaving a string of poorly written emails in several inboxes? Did you actually make plans?
In order to become more efficient, sometimes we have to remove the very things in our lives that give us efficiency. Since I’ve plugged back into the world, I’ve done more work in less time, started and finished more projects, and somehow found more free time for myself as well.
So if you feel like work or the job hunt is getting too hectic, take a weekend off from your computer and your cell phone. You might realize that you don’t need to be connected at the hip to technology to get great results.
I had that same thought yesterday. I try to block off an hour or two each day where I’m unplugged. Also I’m working on my email/phone checking habits (unless there is something pressing).
AJ, I’m glad that I’m not the only one who’s doing this. I found that checking my email at non-critical times can be done twice a day in total without any problems. Critical messages are usually passed through in a phone call, so there’s less concern over things being as time-sensitive or urgent.