I didn’t mean for it to happen. My husband and I planned a spontaneous camping trip to southern Massachusetts at a campground called Sutton Falls. It was a gorgeous weekend and the campground website touted their WIFI. I was psyched.
I had planned to take some time off of social media and my smartphone during our camping trip. The campground was settled on a quiet pond and our site overlooked the fisherman softly paddling by. It was picturesque and I looked forward to the quality family time.
But I love social media. So a complete, unplanned disconnect from the world of the Internet was not my intention. However, it happened.
When I went to check my phone a few hours into our stay, the white letters, “No Service” stared back at me. When I tried to connect to the WIFI, I saw a price tag of $5.99 a day. For a second I contemplated my level of desperation, but I determined that this was a good thing. I needed to take the next 48 hours and not check Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, my email, my work email, my texts, etc. (although I think My Fitness Pal and my lack of Kindle books was the hardest).
What did I learn from this experience? Here are some takeaways from my trip that I’ll use in my everyday life (and you can too).
Keep old media alive. I saw some interesting books available at the community library at the campground store. Find ways to entertain yourself without your e-reader, Pandora or Spotify.
Act like a kid. Swings are fun and playgrounds are everywhere. Go hiking. Find free places to hang out outside.
Go to bed early. Get into bed and don’t check your phone. You’ll fall asleep faster and have more energy the next day.
Leave your phone home for a day. Don’t even tempt yourself by bringing it with you. If you are with someone, you don’t need multiple phones.
Be spontaneous. Whether it’s a weekend or day trip, do something with friends, family or even by yourself that you’ve never done before. Don’t plan it – just hit the road. You’ll remember it forever.
There’s always #latergram. Just because you are not posting live in the moment doesn’t mean you can’t share it (or blog about it) later on social media. The conversations you’ll have with friends can be enjoyed anytime.
Consider how you can disconnect from distractions in your life to ensure a better performance come Monday morning.