Last weekend Snowtober hit, leaving her mark around the Northeast. Trees went down taking power lines with them. Many lost power and it took days for electricity to return. Some still don’t have it back. Around midnight on the night of the storm we heard a few loud beeps and our house went dark.
Unplugged Day One-all is well
Waking up without power isn’t that strange. Really the only noticeable differences were the digital clocks were out, no hot water and no electronics. My iPhone phone was charged and I had an extra battery. We were stuck at home for the day since many of the roads were blocked by large trees and downed power lines.
Out came the lanterns, head lamps and blankets in preparation for when the sun went down. Our saving grace was our wood burning stove, which kept us toasty throughout our power outage.
Unplugged Day Two-it gets ugly
Power had not returned and my phone had died during the night. The vague reports suggested it could be a few more days before power was restored. Now I was beginning to feel that slight tinge of panic. How could I get anything done without my computer? Without my phone? Without an iPad? Without the internet? School was canceled for the day –thankfully my kids were resourceful and found a few fun games to play (with headlamps of course!). My in-laws had power a few miles down the road, so we packed up the car and headed to their home. I plugged in, connected and began to work. It felt good.
Is it an addiction?
We ended up having a wonderful few days together as a family. Our time together was uninterrupted. We were able to entertain ourselves with reading, board games and silly songs. My kids loved every minute of it. It was indoor camping (my only kind of camping). We spent a lot of time talking about people around the world who don’t have electricity. Almost one firth of the world’s inhabitants don’t have access to electricity. That stat blows me away. It really put things in perspective.
It was sometime around noon on Day Two, just as the feeling of panic was really setting in, that my ‘aha’ moment kicked in. I realized that I can’t live without electricity –I need my digital devices. And I know I’m not alone. But was this an addiction?
According to Daniel Sieberg, author of Digital Diet, an addiction is “when other people and other activities in your life begin to suffer because of something you know you should cut back on, but don’t”.
Does this describe you?
- 84% of people check their PDAs just before bed and as soon as they wake up — and an astounding 85% peek at their PDAs in the middle of the night!
- The urge to pull out a cellphone even when someone you’re with is in the midst of a conversation with you.
- Feeling isolated and anxious if you are offline for an extended period of time.
- Creating tweets and FaceBook posts in your head as events are happening.
How to unplug and recharge
Snowtober had a profound effect on me. Finding the time to unplug, regroup, and recharge and spend uninterrupted time with family and friends is what’s really important. It’s also hard to make the time. I know that all too well. That Klout score could drop, clients are waiting, so much to do and so little time to do it. But does it all really matter in the scheme of things? Everything else will still be there when you come back. And if it’s not then it just wasn’t meant to be.
Have you asked yourself the addiction question? Do you unplug?
[Snowtober photos courtesy of Joel Alper. iPhone photo used under Creative Commons from Kenny Louie/Flickr]
Computer? On all the time. Phone? Not so much. I hate talking on the phone and the only app I use with much frequency is Foursquare. I would definitely feel anxious without my computer for more than a few days.
I hardly ever use my phone, so I am not too bad there. I do think I spend too much time on the ipad after the kids are in bed. And our computer is always on. The kids would probably think it was broken if it was not on!
I think addicted is a strong word and I’m not addicted. Nope. Not me. I actually like it when life distracts me and I’m enjoying myself so much that I don’t even need to check my phone for email, tweets, or Facebook updates. I couldn’t live without electricity, but none of my family could. We are very connected, but shut off at times, too. It’s a (pretty) good balance.
I think I can be addicted. But I know when I need to unplug! 🙂
I hate talking on the phone too Tiffany. I use my phone for everything when I’m away from my computer! I haven’t used Foursquare….I’m at full capacity.
Hi Marsha! The iPad is just as addictive! We use it to watch tv 🙂 Our computer is always on during the day too….ready for action.
Hi Cathy-I also like when I’m so wrapped up in life that I forget about all the online stuff. After school and the weekends are perfect examples. I’m so glad you have a good balance-you seem as though you do!
Hi Stephanie-If you know when to pull back then I don’t think you are addicted! Sounds like you have a good balance too 🙂
Hi Lori,
Great reflections on how it felt to be without access to electronics for a few days. Yes, it is an addiction and our brain is effected. It might be mild for some of us but it can be a full blown addiction for others. The amazing statistics you quote show this so clearly.
I wrote about this on my blog too and I am definitely freeing myself and unplugging at least one day a week and I hope to move up to two soon. Overall, I do less social media, which was the more addictive feature for me.
Thanks for raising our awareness!
I always love a glimpse into another mom’s life. This is great, Lori. From the comments, it seems like there’s a pretty good balance among this group.
We don’t watch much TV here, but my Macbook is definitely my vice of choice. Not an addiction because I can pretty much unplug on nights and weekends. Sometimes on Sunday evenings I get a little panic that there will be a lot to catch up on by Monday morning!
Let us see…
3 days w/o Internet access? That would mean like 1,000 emails to read; millions of words from RSS feeds; and Twitter, (although I must admit, I am a Twitter slacker and let it go sometimes).
iPads, for me, becoming the be all and end all of media consumption. TV, movies, music, images from my photography. It may sound like an addiction, but it replaces 3 other devices.
Which is why I am having so much trouble w/ iOS v5…
Thanks for this post. I think I spend about 75% of the day with my iPhone in my hand. I honestly believe that technology has induced ADD in me because I can’t do anything now without multitasking on my phone. It’s difficult to unplug, though, when email, Twitter, and Facebook have become our primary modes of communication with friends and family.
Hi Sandra-the social media piece is what gets me too. I like that you are able to power off at least one day a week. I try to do that too. Two days would be pushing it…..but maybe someday.
Thanks Amity. I like the way you balance by unplugging evenings and weekends. I wish I was a bit better about evenings-weekends are fine. I feel that tinge of panic on Sundays too-but usually try to wait until Monday!
Hi Mike-3 days w/o internet access is a long time. A lot can happen!! But I do really believe that nothing would happen if we waited three days to respond to it all. Unplugging once in a while is healthy and I need to get better at it. I love my iPad too for everything, but I use my laptop and phone more often. You just reminded me that I still need to upgrade to iOS v5-or should I wait?
Originally I wanted to comment by saying that from a mental health perspective, there needs to be a component of significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning (if you want to call it a true addiction). Then I realized that we’ve become accustomed to people checking their phones while in meetings at work, while in conversation over dinner, etc. It’s the new social norm. Scary, isn’t it?
Hi Andrea-I’m always amazed at how “normal” it has become for people to be on their phones during dinner, meetings and lectures. I went to BlogHer this year and it was eyeopening-I guess us bloggers are a bit of a different breed since it’s our job to be on most of the time, but still! It is scary. I had a baby sitter who had her mom drop off her phone charger while she was sitting!
You’re welcome K! I’m with you on this-my phone is my constant companion too. It is so difficult to unplug-you almost feel as though you are missing out of something. The rational me knows that is ridiculous. Do you take any time off?