Friday, December 9, 2011

Digital Sabbitcal...

Happy Friday Ladies!
Yes Friday has sneaked up on us again and this is actually a great thing.

I came across one of  the most interesting ladies in the blogworld...Gwen Bell...
you should definitely check her out. 
But in short, she wrote a book entititled: Digital Warriorship.  
In short, Bell wrote the book because:

In the summer of 2010, I found myself on a bus 
absentmindedly flipping through applications on my iPhone.
 I wanted to kill time before my stop.
Wait.
Kill time?
As if life is long enough to spend some of it in an act of killing. 
No, I decided in that moment, it's not. 
The beginnings
In an effort to get clarity around my online behaviors
I took a month-long Digital Sabbatical
I powered down for a month to consider my relationship with technology.

***

When i came across this..i had to post about it because i could relate with Gwen,
 i am constantly absentmindley flipping through my iphone 
on a continuous basis at home, work and in the community!
Mr. Pancakes mimics me with my iphone...im always powered on...

It's sad but so true what Gwen speaks about, of using technology to pass time.  
Whether we like it or not, we are not doing it to pass time...
because whether we know it or not, or like or not,
time is passing regardless of what or how we are spending it.

The picture below relates to Gwen's reasons for a digital sabbitical: 



We are wasting precious time on these Weapons of Mass Distraction...
i know many of these social media sites have become 
weapons of distractions in my life to some degree.
Therefore, i will be taking digital sabbaticals on a regular basis
 to recoup and have a better relationship with technology.  
As fun as blogger is (because i LOVE interacting with you all) 
i will NOT allow it to take up so much of my time.  

Sabbatical means: 
bringing a period of rest, 
any extended period of leave from one's customary work,
especially for rest, to acquire new skills and training

I am NOT taking a long sabbatical...
just three days (Friday evening, Saturday, Sunday)...
a girl's gotta start somewhere!

I hope NOT to think about blogging and or other social media sites,
but instead complete Christmas is Not Your Birthday,
start some puzzle books,
complete activities on the Team Pancakes Advent calendar 
and just be digitally free (blog, email, twitter, facebook, iphone).

I know many of you already know how to take time off...power down
however some of you may want to take this challenge with me.  
Even if it's 24-hour sabbatical from the weapons of mass distraction just to regroup.  

If you are interested, link up by committing to the sabbatical...
and share some of the things you will be doing instead of being distracted by the weapons of mass distractions.
Let's enjoy our time instead of passing time.


20 comments:

Hannah {Culture Connoisseur} said...

Totally understand. The FB and Twitter and (especially) YouTube can really suck me dry. But not blogging. Blogging is a creative space and it helps grow my mind and my creativity. And that is never a waste in my book! :)

Mrs. H said...

Enjoy your sabbatical!! I just rejoined FB after quitting months ago. It was just distracting and wasting. I have to agree with last commentor for me blogging is cathartic, never a waste or that distracting. But I do understand the desire to disconnect.

jaquelyn {mama thoughts} said...

Oh yes, my iPhone can be my best friend & my worst enemy...sometimes I just think I should turn my ringer on loud for emergencies, but hide it so I can kill time on it...

thanks for the thought provoking post!

Lauren said...

i'm loving this idea! I'll definitely be taking a forced sabbatical very soon...but I can definitely see where I will need these in the near future with Elyse around! Why would I want to spend all my time on the web or being connected when I can spend time with her?!?

Nessa @{Casa Braaflat} said...

let's save this one for summer so i can spend my new found time outside instead of rotting inside the house. good for you though. i bet you will get a lot done!

Sam W. said...

i love this. i try to power down most weekends unless it's been a super crazy week and i feel too behind or overwhelmed. it's great to recharge and just step away from time to time!

Hilliary Meisner said...

I can totally relate to this. I feel like I am constantly on my phone, checking email, facebook you name it I am probably on it! Enjoy your sabbatical!

his little lady said...

this post definitely made me giggle. these things can definitely be destructive. especially facebook. i try to stay off that as much as i can!
xo TJ

Oh to Be a Muse said...

the mass distraction image is pretty funny. right now i am getting kinda obsessed with my ipad...it's taking up a lot of my time.

Heather said...

Great post and idea! I have gotten SO much better about "powering down" over the past few months, ever since a very stressful work situation compelled me to make some serious changes. I'm much calmer and less stressed now.

Why Girls Are Weird said...

I don't think I could ever give up blogging but I really think I need to get away from Facebook. It's just too much drama.

Unknown said...

True social sites are distractions , but im happily distracted by them, we get to become closer to friends.

Alida Sharp said...

Taking a break is a healthy thing...enjoy the weekend!

Stephanie said...

Enjoy your break! I'm trying to cut down on computer time too! My phone is what gets me...I need to put it away after dinner!

kyna... said...

I am totally with you on this one! I just can't get myself to quit though! I guess that's the definition of addiction! ha ha! I seriously have it all, a laptop, iphone, ipad!
♥ Kyna

A Life Un-Styled said...

I totally understand where this is coming from. I just thinks it's a little different for everyone. It's always good though to learn to tune out from all sorts of different things and have some 'me' and 'down' time. Let us know how it goes for you Mrs. Pancakes.

Sophia Chang said...

Very gutsy - I so need this. I can't stand what my iPhone does to me.

I can't even imagine how much time I'd have without digital ANYTHING in a day - I might even finish an entire book and go to bed before 5 a.m.

ms.composure said...

i TOTALLY agree with you!!! i just took one (was not on Friday, sat, and just got back on today!) i def try to do this every other week or so. i def notice a HUGE diff when i am not so depended on what i need to blog about or what is on facebook. def a refreshing thing to do! i def will be doing it again in a few weeks (maybe even next weekend!!)

http://infinitelifefintess.com

http://mscomposure.blogspot.com

Jessica said...

I completely agree with your post...which I stumbled upon because, once again, I'm on the INTERNET!!! I'm about to head to Afghanistan, where it will definitely be easier to be on Sabbatical from Twitter, Facebook, and the blog world. Unfortunately, my job involves me being on a computer for at least 12 hours a day! I think mandating "No Technology" nights in our house makes for a better relationship between me and my husband!

Alicia said...

I have several friends who have done this. They were SO attached to their blackberries or iphones that they couldn't function without checking it constantly. But a sabbatical helped them realize they could in fact, live without it.

Enjoy the time off.