I'd be lying if I told you I was completely away from all things internet and TV related. It's hard to do when it isn't something the rest of the family was doing. I think my biggest feat and surprisingly the easiest was staying away from the internet. I had to be on for work related things and a couple of hops and skips here and there but I did stay away from all blogs, twitter and Facebook. I've never warmed up to Facebook so that was very easy (I probably won't be back). I also realized that the blogs I read and Twitter were the two things that I needed to get the most far away from as possible. Don't take me wrong... I love, LOVE the people, ideas and interactions that just these two things alone offer me, but I was simply overwhelmed.
So what happened while I was away...
- I balanced out my responsibilities as a Mom, wife and business owner—priorities got straightened out.
- I read books (in plural and from start to finish) - the kids joined in too. Monkey see, monkey do? I remembered what it was like to read a bit before going to bed vs. simply crashing with exhaustion.
- I drew and sketched a lot. I also worked on some watercolors.
- I actually sewed a tiny bit!
- I made significant progress on my proposal for book #2!
- I lost a few pounds (record breaking since that hasn't been possible in many months) by simply reducing portions a bit and eating more conscientiously vs mindlessly. I thought more about how the simple act of taking better care of myself improves other areas of my life.
- Got a new haircut but still haven't decided what to do with the whole hair coloring thing. The gray hairs are gaining serious ground!
- Set some new goals for my business as a whole and for this blog.
- Designed and started production of a few new products for my long abandoned shop. Stay tuned!
- And as odd as this may sound it was nice to just let my mind wander aimlessly without the mental chatter of everything that I see and read online.
- My life slowed down because I wasn't running around as much. I felt like time was always on my side. This alone helped with all of the above.
Aside from the last two items on the list I am fully aware of the fact that I could accomplish all these things without having to skip town per se, but precisely those two items were the ones that were the driving force behind this whole idea. My mind simply needed a quiet break and I needed time to get my act together again. Part of it was also curiosity. I wanted to see what would happen and what I'd learn.
So how will this little experiment change my routine? Well... I finally came to realize that I spent more time on the internet than I had admitted to myself before. In light of this, I will only be around when I need to do some research and my 'just exploring' minutes will be timed and scheduled (while I get in the habit of this new practice). There are several projects that I want to tackle and the only way I can work on them is by being more proactive in the way I manage my work hours. I don't want to let them tick by with mindless clicking here and there. I will be more deliberate in my approach but I also want to leave room (specific time) for exploring.
So there you have it. I'm very happy to be back and I'm feeling quite refreshed. If any of you have ever considered doing something like this... do it! Trust me, you won't regret it and we'll all still be here when you get back.
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