That's me, enjoying a little disconnect time on a hut trip in BC!
A while back, my dad called and left a message on my cell phone late one Friday evening. When I returned his call on Monday, he was pretty miffed about the delay. He just couldn’t seem to understand my reason for not getting back to him sooner—no matter how many times I explained.
You see, I had gone to the mountains for the weekend and (GASP!) left my cell phone at home.
Yep. You read right. I left it at home.
I did not take it with me and just leave it turned off (too tempting).
I did not, as my dad so kindly suggested, take it along and just not answer the calls I didn’t want to take (too much guilt).
I figure I lived more than 30 years of my life without a cell phone and did just fine. Going a few days without one probably isn’t going to kill me…
Of course, he immediately started grilling me about what I would do if I broke down, or got lost. I tried reminding him that pay phones do still exist, but he insisted it wasn’t wise to go anywhere without my phone.
Then, just this last Sunday I called to wish him a Happy Birthday, and he asked if I had seen the holiday pics my sister emailed everyone. I said, “No. I don’t check email on the weekends.”
Judging by the uncomfortable silence that followed, I think he had some trouble processing this scandalous statement too.
At first I thought my dad was the one being weird. Now I’m not so sure. Because I was reading one of my favorite marketing newsletters and they revealed a truly shocking statistic…
According to a study done by Virgin Mobil, one out of every five people will actually answer their cell phones during sex!
It’s bad enough that people take calls in restaurants, while hiking or skiing, or on a date. But really…
What is this world coming too???!!
This kind of technologically addicted behavior isn’t just bad for personal relationships, it’s bad for business.
How so?
First, if you are always at everyone’s beck and call, you’ll never get anything done.
People often ask me how I accomplish so much (think: writing an ezine and multiple blog each week, working with clients, running coaching programs, hosting teleseminars, public speaking and more!), and still find time to play.
I’ve found one big key to doing so much is focusing on one task—and one task only—until it’s done.
I shut down Outlook, turn off the phone, and ignore the doorbell until I’ve completed my project…Or at least for a couple of hours. Because it’s much harder to finish anything if I’m always interrupted by email, phone calls, other tasks and questions.
Second, all that “connectedness” is just not healthy—for you or your business.
Human beings need time to think and process information—not just go, go, go and do, do, do constantly. Otherwise we just end up running around stressed out and time crunched. And we make bad decisions.
Having your thought processes constantly interrupted also saps your ability to be creative and come up with new ideas. On top of that, there’s the theory that this behavior actually promotes ADD.
So every week I set aside some “me time” and check out completely. That means turning off my computer and leaving my cell phone at home.
Sometimes I just take a 30-minute walk to clear my mind (I get many of my best ideas when I am nowhere near the office). Or I head out for a weekend of camping or skiing.
Other times, I change my voice mail message, set my email autoresponder, and leave all that work stuff behind for a week or longer.
Each time I do I come back refreshed and reenergized. And I get tons more work done than I would have if I hadn’t had the break (trust me on this one…I used to be a seven-day-a-week workaholic; I’ve tried it both ways).
Take this action step now!
This week, I want to give you permission to clear your calendar and disconnect for at least a few hours (Try for a whole day or even two!). Wait for the weekend if you have to, but do it.
Leave the cell phone, blackberry—even your iPod—at home. Or at least turn them off and put them away. Because unless you are an ER doctor, there is very little that can’t wait an hour or two.
Initially you might feel a little anxious about what you could be missing. But once you get in the habit of spending time without interruptions, you’ll feel like a new person.
And you’ll become much more productive and successful to boot!
How often do you disconnect? Do you make it a priority or has it been longer than you can remember? What can or do you do to make disconnecting a regular habit? Please do share by leaving a comment below…
The following was originally written and sent out by my friend Scout Wilkins on 11-11, but I thought the message well worth sharing today. Read, enjoy and (if you live in the U.S.) have a very Happy Thanksgiving!
