Taking Time Back

This post is going out in the middle of the A to Z Challenge – and is not a part of that exercise.

I wrote an earlier post on reaching saturation point with technology.

Much though I love my ‘I-everythings’, I was finding that technology was directing my time rather than help me make the most of it. So, I have stepped back a little.

Once I started limiting my ‘online’ time – I began experiencing withdrawal symptoms. Really.

I wanted to keep looking at my phone.

So, I changed phone. I bought a dumb phone. It can do calls and messages. That’s it.

I bought a diary. I have customised the layout to suit the way that I want to work.

In the diary, I block off time. So, at 1230, I will log onto my webmail and have a look at emails. Then I log off email and go for lunch.

I log back on before shutting down for the night. That’s it for email. Twice a day. I am planning to get to the point that I log off the computer before dinner.

Mornings – I do my level best to ignore e-mail and social media. I walk the dog, have some breakfast and a shower. I sit at my desk and get working. I schedule creative tasks for the morning, I find it easier then than at any other time.

If I am disciplined – those morning hours are great productive time. The key is not to let myself get sidetracked by Facebook, Twitter, E-mail and all the other usual suspects.

Rather than ramble on for hours, I will leave you with two observations.

1. I am finding it difficult to ‘cut down’. That tells me that there is a bit of an addiction element to this technology stuff.
2. Not checking my email every ninety seconds has had absolutely no downsides. None.