It’s another installment of how my digital downtime experiment – a digital sabbatical. Well, my friends. It gets easier. There is less compulsion to check in on my phone, check online and, honestly I am getting so much done. There are STILL a lot of hours in the day and honestly my entire list was almost complete at 11:30am. But that just means I can start planning longer projects – things that take more energy, time and resources because I’ve got 24 hours to make it all happen!
Is there freedom in choosing how you spend your time? Yes. Yes there is. #DoGoodWork
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The Digital Downtime List
Things I did: planned out my week, did the “chalkboard method” for my business goals, vacuumed, organized the fridge and pantry, reconciled my checking accounts and paid bills, wrote thank you notes, wrote two blog posts, took a slew of photographs, did a base layer for a new painting, wrote, meditated (sat), took out the trash, washed the mirrors, changed lightbulbs… seriously the list just goes on and on.
I NEVER accomplish that many things when I am constantly interrupting myself with social media. There is something to this – the idea that our time can be really productive if we/I could learn to use social media sensibly. That is what I want to take into the days that I’m not doing a digital sabbatical – that social media is AMAZING, but it shouldn’t (as anything shouldn’t) be all consuming.
Breezy Brain Vs. Juicy Life
What happens usually is I have my list of tasks and I do all the things, but I am foggy and I’m overloaded with information. It feels like a numbing of the brain and no amount of coffee will make it better. It’s more than information overload – it’s short snippet blasts of information overload. It causes my brain to fill with all kinds of “information”, but it doesn’t require it to actually work. It’s like breezing through life instead of getting juicy with it. Without the constant flow of external snippets I can focus on one task at a time and really pump through a lot. 21 things on my list 18 of them done by 11:30AM with no distractions and a kind of joy. That feels like the life I want to live.
I want to live a juicy life not a breezy one! #DoGoodWork
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Finding Balance
There has to be a balance and my goal, in the end, is to have that. I also want the room to breathe and these digital downtimes give me that. I am so grateful for my time to explore what my life feels like a little more unplugged.
Things I Wanted to Google but Couldn’t
- Why is my washing machine not washing with a cold cycle? Hmmm.
- Linen shirts – are there any out there that don’t make you look like a complete shlub?
- How do you get started doing gesture drawing?
- I wonder if there are tips or circuits to do with hand free weights?
- I know I read this article about how smelling farts is good for you, but I don’t remember why.
- What plants like full sun?
- How to kill wayward ants or stop them from coming up onto my desk in the first place?
- I wonder if I could Ebay painter palettes? I’d love to get some lovely ones that were used by an artist.
- Shoe storage? What is functional, but would still look ok?
- Where could I find a big bell for outside? Like a school bell?
- Why do I keep killing succulents OR what plants thrive in low light?
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