A few months ago, I listened to a wonderful lady Tracey Jarrett the Juggling Mum and she mentioned about challenging ourselves to NO TECHNOLOGY for 24 hours.
That is easy I thought and decided to give it a go a few weeks later……
When I think that I got my first phone at the ripe old age of 24 (25 years ago mind you), I survived quite well before hand. In fact, on reflection I think I had much more spare time back then before I got my first Nokia flip phone with a pull out arial!
Our belief is modern technology provides us with efficiencies, which indeed it does. However in my view, the reliance and constant connection to technology has provided me with so much more to do and it feels like I am busier than ever.
For example. I used to check my bank account once a month when I received my statement. I knew how much I got paid, paid all my bills when I got paid and then had enough money to enjoy a relatively active social life. Nowadays I check my internet banking every day or two, move money around a plethora of different accounts and constantly review payments to check they have been processed. Hmmmm Can you see where I am going with this?
Then there is social media….don’t get me started. Yes, I have Facebook, Insta, and Linkedin, not only personal accounts but also Pink Book Club accounts. I have snap chat which I don’t use, email accounts x 4 to communicate with others and not forgetting Viber, WhatsApp and text messaging. Communication overload and how much time does all of it take to be a part of?
When I first started travelling overseas, I used to send postcards to my family and my mum gave me a condition that no matter where I was in the world, I had to call home each Sunday. 1 5 minute call per week and telling people what I was doing on my travels!
Back then I never felt like I missed out or my news was not current (even when I was reading a week old UK newspaper in a straw hut somewhere in remote Thailand!) Nowadays it appears to all be instant instant instant and up until recently I quite often had my phone in my bedroom at night…sigh!. It is for my alarm I would kid myself. Bulls**t! I would turn off the alarm and jump straight onto social media to see what I had missed in the last 6 – 7 hours.
It kind of scares me how much time I spend reading and responding to information and I truly believe that is why my spare time is nonexistent! Can anyone relate?
……… Anyhooo. Back to deciding to take part in the NO TECHNOLOGY challenge. So back in April I decided to turn my phone off on a Friday for 24 hours. We were going to my partners family for the weekend. On the way there, I found myself checking my phone every 2 minutes, I changed my voicemail to say if the matter was urgent then to ring my partners phone, which was not a good idea as he then decided to join me on the challenge!! 4pm Friday CLICK the phone went off. 5pm he turned his off. Saturday 4pm, came and went and Sunday morning I switched it back on wondering what I had missed.
Well, let me tell you. I had zero missed calls. I had zero new text or messenger messages and not that much missed on social media. I realised, I am just not that important!
My partner and I both agreed that we were much more present without our phones. We spent quality time with his family and each other. No checking of phone or notification sounds. Just good old conversation and a real connection to the weekend. We seemed to slow down. It was fab.
A few weeks later we did it again. While away with other friends with the same impact.
It has highlighted that
- I’m just not that important!
- I am much more important when I am present with people
- The world keeps on turning when my phone is turned off
- It feels good to not be a slave to my phone
I also don’t have my phone in next to my bed and have a battery operated alarm clock!
Bringing back the good old days!
