Going unplugged is a weird experience.
A week or so ago I challenged myself to go an entire day without using any of the technological advances I’ve become so dependent on. That means no cellphone, no laptop, no iPad, stereo or TV. While going unplugged some of the previously mentioned were easy to give up and others were pretty difficult. I allowed myself the ability to use things like a toaster and lights since I wasn’t interested in throwing myself back several centuries. I mostly just wanted to see if I could manage to live without the internet for a day but I threw in the TV so I wouldn’t be able to use it as a crutch. I don’t normally watch TV regularly so it was pretty easy to avoid.
In preparation for my day unplugged I hid my laptop out of sight so that it wouldn’t be too tempting. However I left my cellphone on the dining room table to test my resolve a bit. Below I’ve listed 10 facts, emotions and thoughts that ran through my mind while going unplugged. The accompanying photos were taken at a later date to preserve the tech-less experience.
- I stayed up late on Friday which maybe made my time going unplugged seem longer. As soon as 12am hit and Saturday began I turned off my computer and stepped away form my cellphone.
- 30 mins in I started getting antsy and couldn’t keep still.
- When I woke up, and it was officially Saturday, one of the first things I did was go into the dining room and look at my phone from the doorway. Then I snapped out of it and kind of laughed at myself for becoming the tech equivalent of an addict.
- At one point I contemplated cheating whenever A would leave the room. I thought maybe I could just click the button on my cellphone and look at my notifications.
- This was followed by more negotiating and rationalizing in my head: If I just checked it for a second. Maybe I could just open it but not use any apps? Maybe to just see the weather?
- I went out at one point which was a really good idea and gave me something else to concentrate on besides different ways of talking myself out of going unplugged. While I was out I barely even felt like something was missing which was a pretty big relief.
- Later in the afternoon A fell asleep which left me without much entertainment. I decided to write in my notebook and then draw.
- Shortly after I had begun to get cranky. I’m the sort of person that needs to have inspiration strike before they can create something meaningful. Since I was, more or less, forcing myself to be creative in order to pass the time I eventually gave up and went to sleep.
- I woke up an hour or so later and was pretty irritable. A was still asleep (major jetlag) so I selfishly woke him up. I was getting restless and basically desperate to find a distraction.
- Throughout the day A kept forgetting about my social experiment and continuously tried to show me things on his phone. This resulted in me constantly running away from him or swatting the phone away as I reminded him about my “going unplugged” trial.
This attempt took place on a Saturday and I’m certain that if I was with my family or if this took place during the week that I would have failed miserably. My family would have had the TV on and when the telephone rang I would be obliged to answer it. I’m sure if it was a weekday I would be so bored out of my mind with no one and nothing to entertain me that I would have caved. Blogging has become a pretty big part of my life and abstaining from it wasn’t the easy and neither was being entirely internet free. Still I think a detox of the infinite notifications we all receive on a daily basis isn’t a bad idea. I’d just suggest you fill your day with activities, if you try it ,and then it should be a breeze.
Jacket: Forever 21, Top: Francesca’s, Brooch: Vintage, Necklace: Gift, Jeans: Uniqlo, Shoes: Steve Madden, Lipstick: Mix (Wet & Wild “Vamp it Up” & Revlon “Wild Orchid”)
What do you think? Would you try going unplugged for a day or maybe longer?