Yes, it’s true. I actually tried to scroll a sheet of paper this morning.
That’s a good indication that it just may be time to unplug for a while. Would you agree?
Whenever I start to believe that I’ve got some aspect of this human makeup under control, some force in the universe conspires to prove me wrong.
My weekly screen time report from our friends at Apple continues to improve. Okay, most weeks it improves. I’m really a big fan of that feature and I think they’re doing us a huge favor.
I’ll share another pat-myself-on-the-back example with you.
About two months ago a friend of mine shared a post on LinkedIn that was a “challenge” to remove the Facebook app from your phone. Hold that thought for a moment… yes, I get it, but it was nothing malicious. Facebook and LinkedIn don’t really compete with each other.
The challenge was made by Business Coach, Jaime Masters. It was a straightforward proposition… delete the app from your phone and use the time to think strategically about your business or an important project. (NOTE: You’re allowed to keep the app on your other devices).
The underlying goal was simple…
Instead of instinctively drawing you phone like a gunfighter from the Old West whenever finding yourself alone, waiting in line, stopped at a traffic signal, or whatever, you could choose to do something more valuable. In no time at all, you should become aware of how much time is wasted by reactively defaulting to this addictive social media crack-like habit.
Soooo, I did it. I deleted that (time) sucker right off my phone.
I’ve got to tell you, it didn’t hurt at all. Yeah, I shuddered a bit and my heart quivered. Then it was over. All in a few seconds.
I’m proud to say I’m still mobile-Facebook-free for two months now and counting with no intention of going back. No regrets.
But there’s still that attempt to scroll a sheet of paper that has me worried. What does that mean? Could it be serious? Can I turn back? Have I gone too far?
These questions continue to race through my mind.
Yes, of course, I tried scrolling back up after I realized what I was doing (er, trying to do) as if that would negate this wrinkle in time.
I’ve pondered this almost nonstop since this morning. I scoured the humble library of LifeUntucked posts to see if maybe, just maybe there would be something helpful. And yes, I found a couple of nuggets!
My scrolling symptom calls for a pause. The kind I talked about in “The Elusive Power of the Pause, and Its Surprising Benefit.”
There’s a quote in the post by Thomas L. Friedman—
When you press the pause button on a machine, it stops. But when you press the pause button on human beings, they start. You start to reflect, you start to rethink your assumptions, you start to reimagine what is possible and, most importantly, you start to reconnect.”
from Thank You for Being Late: An Optimist’s Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations, by Thomas L. Friedman
I was reminded of one of my favorite sayings. At the risk of overusing it, I’m going to share it again…
You’ve got to unplug to recharge.”
LifeUntucked.net
Unplugging is how humans recharge.
It’s something that works a few hours at a time, or you could try a more radical approach and unplug for an entire weekend. Be careful though, you should work up to this level… you could throw your whole system into shock.
If that’s not enough, you may want to review the post, “How to leave the world behind and get away from it all.”
If you have a serious case, you may need an all-out vacation. I realize that may sound radical. But don’t let the vacation shamers call you out. (Yes… v-a-c-a-t-i-o-n s-h-a-m-i-n-g is a real thing. Don’t believe me? Google it.)
Please take this thing seriously, my friends… especially if you ever start trying to scroll sheets of paper.
What remedies do you have?
Thanks for dropping by. Be untucked.
Wherever you are… whatever you’re doing… take a sec… scroll down and leave me a comment.
Copyright © 2019 Jeff Meister – All Rights Reserved
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