It’s no secret that at Far West Capital, we promote a healthy work-life balance – which includes taking time to unplug from our busy lives. For each of us, this means something different. Some of us, for example, unplug through exercise. Our fearless president and CEO is an avid Bikram yogi. Our EVP leads a team and participates with them in a 100-mile race each year. Others do it through gardening, going to the movies, meditation… we could go on and on. The question is, how much time are people actually taking to truly “unplug”?
Did you know there’s actually a National Day of Unplugging? It began in 2009. The day is designed to help hyper-connected people of all backgrounds embrace the ancient ritual of a day of rest. Are we at a point in our society where we actually need a national day to prompt people to take time to smell the roses? After conducting more research, we found that there’s a growing movement towards doing some things the old-fashioned way in order to enjoy life to its fullest (translation: technology-free). Some have started to incorporate this into their homes – no TV, no Internet, no phones. Some make it a weekly practice, eliminating technology for a night, a day or from sundown to sunup.
The philosophy is that technology speeds up time, and time is relative to your state of motion. Have you noticed how fast time goes by when you’re checking emails, surfing the web or playing on Facebook or Twitter? People who are actually powering down and going technology-free in their homes have reported more time to read, connect with family, bake from scratch, play board or card games, take a hike or ride a bike, rediscover hobbies and so much more.
There are, additionally, a plethora of health benefits to unplugging, which include less stress, better sleep, increased focus, productivity and creativity, less pain (think about the increased number of patients doctors are seeing for thumb, hand and wrist pain) and you’re safer on the road without the distraction of a text or tweet.
Are you convinced yet? We are. Making your home technology-free might seem like an extreme first step, but what about starting with unplugging for a single night, or even a 24-hour period? If you decide to take on the challenge, we’d love to hear the results.