Disconnect to reconnect: My 21 day Digital Cleanse (part 1)

“Always connected. Always on.”

This has become a new mantra for the digital-age. We have to respond to emails in near real-time, want to respond to Facebook messages and Twitter mentions and stay on top of latest trends by reading every blog out there. But do you find yourself having trouble keeping up?

The alarm goes off in the morning and suddenly I find myself squinting at my phone and my day begins with me browsing social networking sites and checking email. In bed!

When did this happen? I think I became an internet junkie overnight. Or maybe it’s just peaked now and I’m starting to feel it.

I’ve decided I need to kick this habit. I’m starting to feel Internet Fatigue: I’m mentally tired and my mind is racing with too much information. I’ve always known that surfing/using my computer right before bed can’t be good for me and suddenly there I am night after night. But now I can feel it catching up to me, I no longer wake up feeling refreshed and working all day in front of a computer does not help. I even blogged about it in an earlier post: Finding Balance Before Digital Burnout but clearly I am not practicing what I preach. I haven’t even been successful at implementing my own ‘Digital Blackout’ period.

But I will try again.

In her post, “Unplugging One Hour a Day Diet“, Kat Gordon discusses the importance of unplugging to reconnect with ourselves and tap into our creative thought. I couldn’t agree more as some of my most creative thoughts, ideas and inspirations come to me when I am away from my computer, without my phone and just alone with my thoughts. Whether I am on the subway, taking a walk, doing yoga or in the middle of a workout, I notice that being ‘technology-free’ actually helps my creative juices flow. I like to keep a pen and paper handy to jot down anything that comes to mind. However, these days I’m feeling like everything is jumbled and my motivation is low.

So I’m going to do it. I’m going to start small so it is achievable and gradually build up. But for now this is what Part 1 of my ‘Digital Diet/Cleanse’ will look like. My Digital Curfew starts at 10:30pm:

And I will do this for the next 21 days (minimum). I’ve done cleansing before but in the ‘diet’ sense. I can do this! Day 1 is Sunday August 29th. Phase 2 will be more intense (still defining it) but like any cleanse you have to prepare your body/mind first

This might not sound like a big deal but for me I think it will be a challenge. Habits are hard to break. Follow my progress. Better yet, join me with your own version! I’d love to hear about your own ‘Digital Cleanse’.