For the past several years, The Collaborative has been observing a screen sabbatical during the month of July for its blog posts and social media. This is just one of the ways we are striving to be intentional about marrying our message to our actions. We are big advocates of using technology, but not of technology using us.
We would encourage you to participate in this sabbatical. The Collaborative’s challenge to you is to identify two days between now and August that you declare your own screen sabbatical. Now don’t panic, this is doable. You should feel free to adjust for your situation, BUT this is not a challenge unless you are stretched and uncomfortable. With this in mind, here are several ways and tips to approach a challenge like this:
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Define the screens to take a break from, but be sure it is actually one you overuse. For example, only use your phone for phone calls and do not text, play games, email, or anything else. This would be true for iPads as well.
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Pick a Sunday and allow a break of screens to be a part of your Sabbath rest. This is just one idea, there may be another day that works better for you.
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Exchange tech games for real ones even if it is solitaire. Buy a deck of cards or a sudoku book if need be. There is a difference between using a screen for games and playing games the old fashion way. Our brains work differently and pixels dull our thinking.
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Ask your spouse, kids or roommates to join in and participate.
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Plan your time away from your tech if you think you are going to go a little crazy not checking your phone all day.
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Turn your notifications off for the day.
Most of us can not eliminate screens from our lives, and I would argue that this is not even the purpose of an exercise like this. Rather it is to give ourselves a break and hopefully encourage more thoughtful use of our tech while recognizing that we all need to dial down our usage.
HAPPY SCREEN SABBATICAL! SEE YOU IN AUGUST!!!
Crosland Stuart, of Crosland & Company, LLC, works with The Collaborative on marketing, recruiting, and content creation. Additionally, she also works in the areas of foundation consulting, communications, and literary representation.
