Being able to carry your office around in a pocket-sized smartphone is both a gift and a curse. The difficulties are amplified when vacation time rolls around; you know you deserve a break, you know you should switch it all off, but the temptation to answer emails, spruce up your blog, or tweet your thoughts on the latest property headlines can be overwhelming. Here are 5 tips to help you unplug and take a real break:
1. Plan ahead
If you’re worried about a complete social media absence, do some extra work before you go and schedule a blog post or two, or some twitter tips to go out while you’re offline. You can make your life even easier and schedule old posts you think your followers will appreciate seeing again.
2. Remove temptation
If you’re going abroad, don’t buy an international phone package. You won’t use your phone if you know it’s going to cost you a small fortune. Pack some old-school items, a camera, paperback, pen and notebook, iPod – now you have no reason to turn on your phone.
3. Connect with the offline world
During your vacation read the local newspaper, visit book and music stores, buy tickets for live events, hang out with friends. You’ll be too busy offline to wonder what’s happening online.
4. Slow your life down
When you’re juggling a thousand balls you need a slew of apps to keep things moving. Your vacation is the time to slow down. Try not to plan more than one activity a day. Take life at a gentle pace so you’re not running around, longing for your Google Maps or Waze any of the other apps that help you live life at warp speed.
5. Embrace inspiration
A holiday allows you to relax and refresh, the optimum conditions for inspiration. If work thoughts do pop into your head, don’t reject them, jot them down and make a mental note to explore them properly after your vacation. Who knows what extraordinary ideas you might take home.
Leave a Reply