Hello everyone! I hope you’re all having a fantastic day today. Thank you all for joining me for this blog post, I really appreciate it. Today we’re going to discuss freedom from technology and increasing productivity as a result. As I prepare to enter a technology-free weekend for myself and my family, I have to say this is something that I’ve done personally before, that I’ve had clients do, and that I’ve recommended to my friends.
In my case, we’re very intentional about having a technology-free weekend. It’s nothing extreme like not turning on the lights, but it means no screens, no computers, no cell phones, just limiting or reducing the amount of modern technology in our lives. I want to challenge you to consider doing that as well. Turning off your phone, turning off the computer, turning off your TV. You might do this for a weekend like we do it, or perhaps just a 24-hour period, or maybe it’s just for yourself and not your entire family. Or it could be a rolling 24-hour period so maybe from 5pm one day to 5pm the next day. Or, it might be that you have an entire week where you go without technology. I’ve done that before.
What I want to talk about now, however, is the “why” of all this. What makes this so important? Why does this change the lives of the people who do it? So I’m going to cover 8 benefits of taking a break from technology. Here goes!
1. Changes – Technology breaks change the way your brain functions. When you take these breaks on a consistent basis, it changes the way you think. There’s a fog that sometimes gets lifted from my brain when I do this over an extended amount of time. It’s hard to describe to someone who hasn’t done it before, but you’ll definitely notice it if you take a break from technology.
2. Reduces – It reduces stress. It slows things down. Sometimes it takes multiple times of unplugging before the stress goes down, so you shouldn’t expect it to happen instantly. It could be days before you notice stress reduction, but you will eventually notice it.
3. Creative – Creative thoughts pop up when you unplug! The changes in your brain make you think differently. Your perspective on life changes, things creep into your mind that maybe you haven’t thought about for years, or people come to mind that you don’t usually think about. It’s amazing the sort of creative thoughts that come about.
4. Improves – It improves sleep over time. Sleep is impacted by looking at screens all the time, so sometimes avoiding screens allows for a deeper sleep. I’ve heard people say they were able to sleep eight full hours for the first time in decades after taking technology breaks. It can work wonders for your sleep!
5. Helps – It helps gain clarity on big decisions. Sometimes when you have a big decision you need wisdom or time for everything to sink in. Sometimes taking technology away makes it easier to think and allows you to make decisions at a higher level.
6. Improves – It improves personal relationships. Certainly if you have a family or if you’re in a romantic relationship and you cut out technology together it improves your relationships. It allows you to go deeper with conversations and fun. Things that usually keep you distracted are eliminated and you get to focus on each other.
7. Increases – It increases productivity when you return to work. A lot of people come back more productive after vacation, and this is kind of a similar idea. Of course, it’s a shorter amount of time than a vacation, and I actually think it makes you more productive than a vacation would. When people are totally disengaged from technology and then they go back to it again, they often use it in a healthier way than they did before. That, of course, tends to make people more productive.
8.Cost – It’s very cost-effective. It doesn’t cost anything to take a break from technology, if anything you’ll save money. It’s one of those things that can be life-altering and life-changing and it can fundamentally make a big difference in your world but it doesn’t cost a thing.
There you have it, the 8 great benefits of taking a break from technology. I want to encourage you to go out and take action. Turn off technology for a bit and see what it does for your business and for your life. I can’t wait to hear what you experience! Until then, make it a better than amazing day.
