Goal-Setting and Success: Unplug Yourself

by Michelle Cederberg, Health and Productivity Expert

Are you a slave to your smartphone or tablet? Well, I’ve got two words for you: Unplug yourself!

It’s summertime, the perfect time for you to take a break from work, work, work – and get some rest and relaxation.

And you do deserve that break. An over-tasked, stressed brain has no ability to plan, to focus, to solve complex tasks, to pay attention.

When that happens your productivity decreases, and that is not good for your Dream Big goals:

In the July/August issue of Fast Company magazine, Baratunde Thurston, a prolific social media guru, stepped off the grid and unplugged for 25 days – from everything.

How did he manage? Could you do that for a week? Could you do it for two days? What about one digital-free day every single week?

Seriously, what’s the worst thing that could happen? A weekend where you’re connected with family and fun and activities – and disconnected from your digital world.

How’s that for social networking?

It’s not easy in an era of 24/7 information overload, when everybody wants to find you right away. But – it’s definitely worth it.

So, How Do You Unplug Yourself?

It’s simple, but it’s not always easy. The first step is to admit you have a problem!

In his book, Breathing Space, Jeff Davidson says you need to know when to check in, when to tune out, and the best rule is to check in for only two reasons:

Number One, if you absolutely have to, and Number Two, if the guilt or anxiety of not checking in affects your having a good break.

Now he’s talking about vacations, but I think that advice could be applied everyday.

Time Management on Your Own Terms

I was forced into my own digital break when my phone met an untimely demise in the river.

Honestly, it was an eye-opening experience. I realized I was a slave to every single beep that my digital device made.

I also realized that if I didn’t respond to people within a nanosecond, they were still there two or three hours later when I did respond.

And they weren’t upset!

It became time management on my own terms, and I began to use my own time far more productively.

So I challenge you with the rest of the summer that’s left, to take those unplugged breaks.

Take a day, take a weekend – unplug over your holidays and feel the power of connecting in different ways.

I am going to take my holidays now, so I’ll get back to you in two weeks. Until then, dream BIG, think small – and put your feet up for awhile!

(published September 10, 2013)

Michelle Cederberg is a Certified Speaking Professional, Co-Active Life Coach, Health Expert and Author. With a Masters in Kinesiology, a BA in Psychology, and a specialization in Health and Exercise Psychology, Michelle combines mind, body, and practicality to inspire change! She speaks with humour and passion, and encourages her audiences to put their own health and well being back on their priority lists with a small steps approach that leaves them believing they can. The author of Energy Now! Small Steps to an Energetic Life, is also a bit of a video girl, regularly posting helpful (and at times hilariously funny) videos on her Energy TV channel. Learn more at www.ifyourlifesucks.com.