As the internet is taking over more parts of our lives, more people are striving to take a break from it. Some do it for a day or a week while others are going offline for a couple of months.
It’s not surprising since the world has become so addicted to technology. We just enjoy being occupied and entertained. There’s no need to be bored when we have our laptops and phones in an arm’s reach.
Nevertheless, like any addiction, it’s not good for us. It’s bad for our physical health as well as our mental health.
It’s especially harder for those with an online business. It feels like you need to be connected 24/7 otherwise your business will crash and burn or you will lose traffic from your website or social platform. But sometimes you need to put yourself first and do what’s good for your health.
Going offline for a week is unlikely going to do much harm to your online presence. Become a digital minimalist and use technology as a tool, not as a way to pass time.
Benefits of Being Disconnected
Find New Inspiration
When you are constantly consuming new information, it can be hard to get new ideas.
Unfortunately, we are always looking for more messages and more ‘likes’, so we copy other people’s ideas. The result is that so many people’s work looks similar. There’s little originality left online. People are just trying to beat the algorithms.
However, more people should try to make original content and stop worrying so much about metrics. Even if you have an online business, being obsessed with these metrics, will not be beneficial.
A good way to get new ideas and inspiration for future content is to go outside, do new things, meet new people and get a break from the notifications.
Get A Fresh Perspective
When you stop wasting half your day in front of a screen, you try to find something new to do with your time. People often find new hobbies and interests that they never would have found before and you might even find your passion in life. There are so many opportunities to learn out there, in the real world. And they can be yours. But for that to happen, you need to look up from your phone.
I deleted all social media apps on my phone. I only use them on my laptop now. Once I did this, I started focusing on myself instead of worrying about what other people thought. As soon as you stop being bombarded with messages all the time and when you stop looking at other’s people ‘lives’ on Instagram, you suddenly get a new perspective on your own life. Sounds crazy but it’s true.
Thinking differently can also make you a more creative person since thinking in a new manner will help you come up with new ideas.
Have More Time
Technology is addictive. You only realize how much when you stop using it. This is because suddenly you have so much time on your hands, you don’t know what to do with yourself.
With this time you have now, you can finally do those things you always wanted to do, try new hobbies, and take some time to yourself. They say exposing yourself to new experiences is one of the best ways to become more creative. It doesn’t have to be anything complicated. It could be from learning origami to learning a new language.
Feel Less Stressed
Being online all the time can definitely be stressful. Without it, you have so few things to worry about. Speaking from experience, disconnecting from everything is so peaceful.
The one thing I truly hate is those beeps and vibrations every time someone receives a notification. They really annoy me. I hate that everyone wants to feel updated all the time. The only thing that does is make you feel stressed and anxious.
So take a break from everything by going offline to make yourself happier and to be more at peace with yourself. This is important for everyone and especially important if you are a content creator because you stop comparing your own work to others on social media.
Become More Present
It feels weird when you leave the house the first time without a phone. It feels like you are missing something important. But you soon forget about it.
Without your smartphone in your pocket, you can fully be present in conversations with your friends. Or something that’s quite uncommon in the modern world, is talking to new people in a coffee shop or on the bus for instance. This could be part of your ‘trying new experiences’ that I talked about above.
Remember, use technology as a tool to make your life better. Don’t let it take over your life completely.
You Sleep Better
You hear everyone telling you not to go on your phone before bedtime. That’s because the blue light from the screen affects your sleeping patterns. If you are constantly exposing yourself to it, all day long, it can be hard for you to fall asleep at night.
A good night’s sleep is always important. Without it, you can’t function the following day. This is yet another way why going offline is good for you. For some, it’s the most important benefit because sleeping is a big struggle in our modern society.
Also read: How Simple Living Benefits You And The Environment
Feel Better About Yourself
We spend so much time comparing ourselves to others. What social media has done, is show us people’s ‘perfect’ lives. But they are far from that. When you stop going online and seeing what everyone is doing, (and start doing more productive stuff yourself), you feel so better about yourself and more confident too.
This is definitely one that I found to be true when I took a 30-day break from my phone. It’s crazy how much social media affects our mental state.
More Productive
Being on your phone, scrolling through social media, takes a toll on your brain.
Not only are you less productive because you have less time in the day, but even when you are not on your phone, you don’t feel like doing anything. Being in front of a screen drains your energy and it can make you feel bad about yourself because the online world makes you feel like your life is not good enough. So stop this toxic behavior and start prioritizing yourself.
Going offline for a while can be one of the best ways to be more productive.
Simplify your life
It’s often hard to live simply in a modern world which is why I decided to stop using my phone for 30 days. I enjoyed the time I disconnected more than I thought I would. In fact, I took it a step further.
I got a flip phone as a way to simplify my life. I still have a smartphone (it’s 3 years old and I have no plans to replace it any time soon) but I don’t have a SIM in it, I only use it at home with WiFi if I need to make a video call for example.
When I leave the house, I take my flip phone.
I did this for a simple reason. When I’m out, I don’t want to be checking my phone every 2 minutes. When I’m out, I want to be in real life without distractions and immersed in the conversations I’m having and without having to worry about posting photos on my Instagram story for people to know what I’m doing.
I don’t want to miss life by looking down at my phone because I could miss out on opportunities out in the real world.
Conclusion
Technology certainly has its upsides and downsides. The key is to use it in the right way and not to use it too much.
There are many benefits to going offline. That can’t be denied. After you do it, it becomes obvious that you don’t need technology or your phone to survive. It’s almost like, if we don’t post the fact that we are on holiday, it hasn’t really happened. While that’s how most people use technology, you can use it for so much more.
If anything, we thrive when we take a break from it because we get the chance to do new things and let ourselves be creative and create rather than being like a robot, scrolling, liking, and commenting.
Some people call it a digital detox. Honestly, I would highly recommend going offline for a while. After it, trust me you will use your phone (and computer) a lot less. I found going offline as a great way to simplify my life. How about you?
All images from Unsplash
