Taking a Break

Fast screens. That was my only goal last Sunday. It wasn’t about the speed of my technology; it was about taking a break, i.e. fasting, from my screens. My goal was simple: no electronics for a day. And honestly? I pretty much nailed it. I managed to stay away from my phone, laptop, and even my Apple Watch, with just one small slip-up (I'll get to that).

Here are the two big things I learned from this little experiment:

1. It’s possible to cut down screen time.

Is it easy? Nope. But it’s not impossible. I realized that stepping away from constant notifications and task lists actually gave my brain a much-needed break. No thinking about work or what I needed to check off my to-do list—it was kind of refreshing.

2. I’m way more dependent on my devices than I thought.

This one hit hard. Everything I do seems to involve a screen. My workouts? All tracked electronically. Reading? Kindle. Checking the weather? Yep, another screen. And don’t even get me started on how much my work revolves around technology. It really opened my eyes to how much my day-to-day life is tied to my devices.

But hey, I did it. And it felt good. That day without screens gave me the space to truly relax. I’m even thinking about trying it again, maybe for two or even three days (gulp!). Just typing that makes me a little nervous, but who knows—it could be great.

Takeaway: You’ve got to set aside time for yourself to really unwind. Whether it's for a few hours or a full day, giving your brain a break from the digital world does wonders for your mental reset. I think it’s something we could all use more of. Maybe one day I'll work up to a full-on sabbatical… but that’s a topic for another post.

And that slip-up I mentioned? I watched a little TV with the family at one point during the day. That was more about time with the fam, so I let that slide.