This challenge requires you to avoid cellphones, social networking sites, and video games for as long as possible. Pick some days before March 21 where you will refrain from the use of everyday technology. You may need to notify loved ones and friends about this challenge so you avoid any undue hassles for not responding.
After you have completed your challenge, post an essay, preferably a video on our Facebook Group.
Say something about how you normally spend your day, and how the days absent technology were different. What did you do? How did you react? What was hardest, easiest, etc.
13 comments:
Over Spring Break I decided to completely give up my computer and internet access for as long as I could. I thought that this would be a great idea as it would allow me to spend more quality time with my family while on Spring Break.
On a normal day, I usually spend 5-8 hours online doing homework, browsing, reading the news etc. I have noticed that when I am bored, I spend a huge amount of time browsing the web. Sometimes I am on my computer (not just online) so much that I get a headache from staring at the computer for so long. I started to really track how much time I spend online and on my computer and made a brief bulleted log below:
Normal Day Routine:
•Wake up, boot-up computer, check email and read news while I eat breakfast.
•Head to school where I open my computer.
•Take notes and browse the web all day in class (as I take my computer to each class).
•Get out of class around 3 and head to work on campus where I again bring my computer to take notes.
•Go home, workout, eat and open my computer to do homework and browse the web.
•Play video games with roommates and browse the web some more before finally heading off to bed.
There is a lot of computer stimulation s you can see above, in my normal days. Thus giving up my computer was fairly difficult.
I gave up my computer and the Internet for the dates of 3/9-3/13. I have to say it was quite an amazing experience. I definitely noticed that I went outside a lot more, worked out a lot more, and spent more time talking with my family. When I was bored I would sit down with my mom or dad and have a conversation or help out my mom making dinner. I noticed that I definitely bonded a lot more with family members and it made for a better spring break.
On two of the days, I was so bored that I started suggesting fun things to do with my family. We ended up spontaneously going to the horse races in Phoenix, to some casinos, and out to dinner. It was so much fun.
Upon reflection I learned that as I have grown older I have definitely become more attached to the “online world” and not so much the “real-world”. I think I need to find a better balance between the two. When I was a kid, I would spend my whole days outdoors playing sports, playing on the streets, and making up games with my sisters. In a way, as a culture (including myself), we have lost this sense of “fun-kid-behavior” as I like to call it. We should explore our inner “child” self more often by coming up with games and fun ideas to do with our family and friends that don’t involve sitting behind a computer screen. In addition, it feels so much better to be out-and-about being physically active instead of lying down or sitting at my computer.
I really liked this challenge and have learned a lot about myself and have made a list of life changes that I would like to pursue. I am going to definitely try to spend less time at a computer screen and more time talking with my roommates and going out with friends. In these last few months of college, I think it is prudent for me to really solidify my friendships and that involves doing activities face to face with my friends.
Over spring break I decided to stop using my phone and computer for 48 hours.
On a normal day:
-Wake up and check phone for texts
-Reply to messages
-Check Instagram, Facebook, Tumblr on phone
-Get up and eat breakfast while watching a show on Netflix
-Spend the day on the computer during class checking Facebook or reading the news
-Messaging people throughout the day
-Gym, sometimes take iPad to watch Netflix
-Get home and check social media
-Dinner
-Do homework using the computer
-Get ready for bed and check Instagram, Tumblr, or watch a show before bed.
I spend a lot of time during the day using a computer or my phone.
It was easy not using my computer or phone during break since I wasn't sitting in a room most of the day or had to work on any homework. For the two days where I didn't use my phone, I took a day trip to Mexico with my family. The next day I went hiking and out to lunch afterwards. For dinner I was more involved in the conversation and spent more time at the dinner table since I didn't have a distraction.
When you have other things to do it's not hard to avoid your phone or computer. When boredom sets in, I usually find myself going online to browse the web. Most schoolwork nowadays is done on the computer. At the same time, it's easier to become distracted while online.
During the rest of the break, I tried to use my computer and phone less. As a result, I found myself trying to find other things to do and actually going out more.
I decided to do the Unplugged Challenge over spring break. For the challenge I gave up playing video games, or any type of game used by a phone, tablet, etc. I thought this would be a good challenge for me because on average I will spend 2-3 hours (when time permits) playing video games.
On a normal day during the week I spend most of my time at school or work, both of which are in McClelland Hall. I usually get to school around 8 in the morning and do not get home until 5 or 6. During the day I don’t spend any time playing video games because I am attending classes and or working. When I return home I usually spend some time doing homework, laundry, dinner or other home essentials. Once all of that is finished I finally settle into some quality time with my Xbox. After a few hours of playtime (depending on how gnarly it is) I usually watch a show and proceed to go to bed.
Looking at my normal day made me think it would be easy to give up video games for a couple hours. Unfortunately it wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be. I think part of the reason it was not as easy is because I chose to do the challenge over spring break when I had significantly more free time. But after the initial separation form my beloved Xbox it became easier rather quickly. I ended up turning my mind to other thing to keep myself entertained. For instance, I went out to dinner more with friends as well as a group bowling night. I found that once I wasn’t sitting in front of my television counting down the hours it became way easier to cope with. In fact, after the first day I hardly remembered I was “giving up” video games anymore. I continued to do other activities during the day such as shopping with my girlfriend, seeing movies as well as just running errands. After my 48 hours were up I ended up traveling to Phoenix for a meeting. I stayed and extra day in Phoenix to spend some time with my family. This turned my 48 hours into around a 96 hour unplugged challenge. Again, when I was traveling a lot and kept myself busy I had no urges to run back to my Xbox and continue to die over and over again when trying to beat Dark Souls.
When I finally had a chance to sit down on my couch and enjoy a couple of hours of game time it felt more fun than it had previously. I believe having a break from constantly playing games made them seem more worthwhile when I came back to them. This challenge was quite interesting! It seemed daunting at first but definitely was a fun experience when it was all said and done.
Over Spring Break I decided to give up my computer, cell phone and Ipad. I set a goal to give up theses three items for 48 hours. Prior to the unplug challenge I thought about really how dependent I am on technology. I have my phone on me at all times, I am playing games, texting, using social media, emailing and calling people almost constantly. My phone got stolen one day and it took me literally 2 hours to go get a new one, partially because I was having employers contact me on that number, but still, it shows how the thought of not having a phone was not appealing to me. I also use my computer on a daily basis for email, Facebook, homework, and just catching up with people. I use my Ipad to again, email, read, and go on Facebook and other social media sites. It is funny to me how I do the exact same activities on 3 different devices yet on some levels I still feel I need all three.
My typical day with Technology:
~Wake up using my phone as an alarm clock
~Check my phone for text messages, Snapchats, Facebook messages and Twitter
~Get ready for school
~Take my Iphone, Ipad and MacBook Pro (I like apple products) to class.
~Before/during class checks my email and Facebook
~Use my computer to take notes
~After class have lunch and /or work on homework
~Use my Ipad for my schedule and class syllabi
~Have dinner
~Check my email again before I go to bed
~Sometimes watch TV on my computer using Hulu
~Finally go to bed
What isn’t mentioned on my daily routine is how I always have my phone and am usually texting people or using it to check Facebook or Twitter.
I chose to give up my phone, computer and Ipad because I can do all the same functions on them. So only giving up my computer and cell phone would not have been a significant challenge because I could just use my Ipad to surf the web or go on Facebook. I can even text on it with other Iphone users.
It was very difficult for me to give up these three items because I felt very disconnected from the rest of the world. All of my roommates were gone over break so I was the only one in house, so it got a little lonely. I found myself walking around Tucson because it was a nice day outside. I laid out in my back yard and even just people watched. I made plans with my boyfriend to go to a baseball game a few days, before so that was very nice to get out of my house and have more face to face contact with people. When I am with him I find I very rarely use my phone (I never bring my computer or ipad to his house). He is the opposite of me and would have no trouble giving up technology; in fact sometimes he leaves his phone at home just because.
During this challenge I found myself getting stir-crazy sitting at home. Often times I would get in my car and just drive around listening to country music on the radio. It was very relaxing being in the warm sun listening to music.
The biggest lesson I learned from this unplug challenge was how dependent I am on technology for communication. All of my family lives across the country so there is no way I can communicate with them unless it is via technology, unless you count snail mail. But with my friends here in Arizona, I really should make more of an effort to have face-to-face communication. I have also decided to try and become less depended on technology by minimizing my cell phone usage. Instead of constantly using it for Facebook and playing game try to be more social in-group settings such as hanging out at my sorority house.
Albert Einstein said: “I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots.” Unfortunately I think we are quickly approaching that time, but I am going to try to do my part and not contribute to it as much.
For my unplugged challenge, I decided to stay away from all email, social networking, and non-essential Internet activity. The weekend I chose was the weekend that started Spring Break, since that was the weekend of my first wedding anniversary. My wife and I decided to go on a trip, so I thought it would be a great time to let go of the Internet distraction. Since I was travelling out of town with my wife, I limited my Internet activity to only what I needed for finding information about local restaurants and other places we had planned to go. In particular, I wanted to stay away from anything related to news, especially news having to do with politics and sports.
I usually check Facebook every hour or so throughout the day, if not more, and during the week I check my school email multiple times every hour. But as much of a distraction as these two things are, news has recently become the biggest online distraction for me. I constantly check at least three major news outlets, either from my laptop or my phone. During football season, sports news attracts most of my attention, but political news is a year-round issue. I have caught myself checking one of these things (email, Facebook, or news) at inappropriate times often enough over the last year or so that I have been considering “unplugging” for a while now.
I started my challenge when we left on Friday at noon and finished it when we came back Monday afternoon. As I already said, I used my phone for looking up directions and other information about places we wanted to go, but I limited my Internet activity to that. Even though I enjoy hanging out with my wife and we had a great weekend, it was difficult to not check the news. I did catch myself wanting to check Facebook and email several times, but that was out of habit, rather than an actual feeling of need. But not checking news was more difficult than I had initially anticipated, since there are several political issues that I am very interested in currently being debated. I also think on some level my brain is used to the constant stimulation provided by new information, whether it is from Facebook, email, news, or any other source. I definitely have a difficult time maintaining focus on any single thing when I have the Internet right in front of me.
One last thing I did during this weekend was keep my phone on the other side of the room with alerts set to vibrate. I did text my sister one time to let her know I was in town and to ask her about a restaurant, and I called my mom once, since it was her birthday. Other than that I stayed away from using my phone.
Even though it was difficult for me to stay disconnected from these things, I think there was a drop in my stress level and an increase in my attention span throughout the weekend. Without the immediate availability of something to distract me, I was able to enjoy the trip a lot more than I probably would have been otherwise. Overall, this was a good experience for me, and I plan to do this regularly from now on. Even though I love the technology and ready access to information, taking a break to focus more on family and my surroundings was a good thing.
This assignment is funny to me because I ended up completing the challenge twice. The first instance was during spring break and was the one I intended to complete. However, this way I kind of cheated the challenge because while I did not use everyday technology for a day it involved me being on vacation in San Diego which allowed the challenge to be a lot less challenging. Not having access to t.v., internet, video games was a piece of cake when there are other ways to pass time and make you forget about not using them. Going to the beach and relaxing with friends while enjoying the weather is a better process when technology isn’t included.
The second instance where I was forced to complete the challenge happened on Wednesday and was much more difficult to complete. Wednesday morning I woke up, got ready for class, and went to check my email on my computer only to be surprised by my computer not working. It turns out that my hard drive broke and needed to be replaced which would end up costing 60 dollars. Since my computer is basically my life for entertainment and schoolwork I was cut off from my usually technology filled day. When you don’t have beaches to enjoy being technology-less is a lot more difficult. After getting back from class at 1 P.M. and then failing in my futile attempt to repair my computer I needed ways to pass the time. Luckily I knew that there was no homework due the next day for me, only a miniature test, so having the internet to complete school work wasn’t a necessity. I passed the time for the rest of the day by taking a two hour nap, studying for my test the old fashioned way out of a book, and going to the gym for a longer than usual duration. Even by trying to keep myself occupied I still found myself constantly bored and having an itch to check my facebook or play computer games. This was the hardest part because I usually find an hour to relax and play online video games. Because I had nothing else to do I ended up actually getting to bed on time on getting a good night’s sleep for the next day. The next day I also didn’t have a computer however, I couldn’t stand being internet-less any longer and eventually borrowed my roommates laptop to satisfy my craving.
From right when I wake up I normally start my day by turning off my iPhone alarm then checking Instagram, Facebook, email, and the weather. As I get ready for class or work I am constantly checking my phone to see what time it is to make sure I am not going to be late. I usually do not use my phone in class, but I definitely use my computer to surf ESPN, Facebook, and multiple tech websites. When looking at these web pages a lot of times I find myself scrolling through the same posts just because I enjoy knowing what is going on in the outside world and I want to make sure I am not missing anything. In between class or a bathroom break at work, is usually when I look through Instagram and respond to a friends website. My text messages mostly deal with homework assignments, people trying to hang out or work out together after class. When I go to the gym after class I use my iPhone to listen to music. Also, at the gym in between sets I sometimes find myself looking through Instagram. After the gym, to relax I go through my email, Facebook, ESPN, and my favorite tech websites. From there I make a note on my computer of what school assignments I have to get done and I end my day finishing those assignments on my computer. Although, when I take study breaks I will surf through Instagram, Facebook, ESPN, tech websites, and my email.
Over spring break I did the unplugged challenge from 12:00am March 14th to 12:00am March 15th, which is 24 hours without being allowed to use technology. I knew this challenge was going to be difficult, but I was interested to see how much different my life is without using technology. I went to bed right after I put away all my technology devices and I the first thing that bummed me out was not having an alarm clock because I wanted to wake up early and go to the gym at 9:00am. At first I had a hard time sleeping because I was worrying about making sure I don’t sleep in too much. When I woke up I had no idea what time it was but I figured I should eat some breakfast and go to the gym. When I got into my car I forgot to cover up the clock so I found out it was 10:00am. At the gym, I have always listened to music. Therefore, I feel like my workout wasn’t as efficient as it usually is because I wasn’t in the right state of mind. For the rest of the day, I was very bored and felt disconnected from everything. At first, I always kept thinking about how I wanted to check my phone to see if I had any messages and what’s going on in the social media world. This phase was very aggravating. Although as time went on, it became nice being disconnected from everything since I didn’t have to worry as much and just do things I needed to get done without having my technological devices distract me. I ended up cleaning my whole house, playing basketball, and cooking dinner for myself. At night became extremely boring because I wanted to hang out with friends or at least watch a movie. So I ended up going to bed early.
After the 24 hours were up it was nice to fill “plugged” back in the world again. I got to catch up on everything that’s going on social media. I got to call my mom and tell her how it went and she was happy that it’s over so she can talk to me. The only disappointing aspect about this challenge was that a couple of friends wanted to hang out that night. Besides that, it was defiantly worth the experience because I learned a lot about myself. I learned that social media has a way bigger impact on my life than I thought. I knew I was a social person but to really see what other people are doing and to comment on other people’s posts is a big factor for becoming more social. Also, I learned that it feels nice to be disconnected from technology because I am less distracted and get more work done. The hardest thing for me was the fact that I knew my friends were texting me and I didn’t know if anyone actually was and if there was, I would really want to text them back to see what’s going. Although, the easiest thing for me was to finds things to keep me busy like cleaning and playing basketball.
I decided to "unplug" for 24 hours this Sunday. The only thing I allowed myself to do was watch TV (can't miss March Madness), and use my cell phone for calls/texts only. This was challenging because I didn't have to work or really go anywhere, so I was at home all day. When I'm on the go, I don't really think about being plugged in.
I do not view myself as extremely reliant on social media or my phone. Normally I only check Facebook a couple of times a day, I don't have a Twitter account, and I generally set my phone aside for hours at a time without really remembering I have one (I get crap for not responding to texts for hours sometimes). I only watch maybe an hour TV per day, but even that is usually while I'm on my computer or falling asleep. Video games are about a once a week thing, if that. I do however use my computer a lot. I'd guess between 4-5 hours per day easily. I'm constantly on sites like Reddit, music blogs, sports message boards, etc.
Another huge issue for me was avoiding music. I debated on whether or not I should keep the headphones away because it's not exactly the same nature as being online or on the phone. I decided however that it would be interesting to do since I am almost always listening to music. Whether it's while I'm getting things done, or not really doing anything at all, it's almost always there.
The avoidance of my computer and music presented the biggest issue for me on a day where I didn't have anything going on. While watching basketball there were multiple times when I wanted to see what people thought about the games, and had to stop myself. There were a handful of times while I was focused on tasks where I really wanted to put headphones on because I feel it makes me more productive sometimes, and obviously it's enjoyable. Although I didn't really notice things moving slower without music, I feel after the fact like it wouldn't have really been a bad thing, again due to the nature of it versus having to actually focus on a computer. As far as the phone goes, I didn't really use it much anyways, as expected. I think I sent/received a couple texts and fielded one brief phone call.
The benefit of the challenge was that I got a lot done around the house. Things that I had maybe neglected were completed, and I found myself to be a lot more focused on what I was doing, even with basketball on in the background. Sometimes I am guilty of taking computer "breaks" from tasks that end up turning into "oh I'll just do that tomorrow". This is extremely detrimental at times. When this occurs, I usually think to myself "wow, that was an unbelievable waste of time" at the end of it.
Overall I think the challenge was a good experience. It showed me how I have the propensity to get in my own way when it comes to being productive. It honed in on what exactly it is that I am reliant upon during day-to-day activities, and how it affects what I am able to get done. I actually got so much done that I may have to unplug next weekend as well.
The assignment requirements appeared to be geared towards unplugging from Social Networking sites. As I don’t belong to any social networking sites and also needed to keep in touch with concerns surrounding an IT network, there was only one thing to do.
Go to Disneyland.
This may have been the most fun and unexpected challenge I’ve ever had to face, and I had help fulfilling the requirements. Upon landing in Los Angeles, the smart phone refused to sync up correctly with Goggle location services and that rendered the GPS worthless. So, I was on my own, with only Google Maps to help me out, and a LA native-born spouse. Of course, things had changed since the last time she visited, so it was Google Maps on the spouse’s phone, some seriously erroneous memories concerning the lay-of-the-land, and LA freeway traffic.
After a lengthy ride to the motel, I mentioned to my spouse the assignment requirements and we decided to go ahead and try to keep my devices off. This decision was supported with an extremely-spotty hotel WiFi connection and the inability to have an electronic female voice guide me through some of the most dangerous traffic imaginable. The most difficult aspect of the deal was I would not be able to stream the UofA vs. ASU basketball game.
This aspect is where I should get a solid “A” on the assignment. I’m a die-hard NCAA basketball fan with a serious-lean towards UofA athletics. To miss any UofA basketball game is a big deal for me. I’m usually able to catch some aspect of the game through TV, streaming video, streaming audio, or, at worse, ESPN Gamecast. I also have a penchant for leaving an occasional comment on UofA sports board. If I was going to go “cold turkey” on the internet, then it would have to be completely cold turkey.
So, I did it. I missed the great rivalry between UofA and ASU, a game we controlled from the onset as I have been informed. I’m sure my Wildcat fan membership has been revoked.
But why stop there? The phone was worthless, the WiFi was worthless, and you don’t often have the chance to explore new places. So three days later, and with the occasional check-in with email, I left my phone and laptop off. Though, I will admit that I leaned on my wife’s ability to pull the Disneyland App’s waiting time projections on her phone.
Unplugged Challenge
Due to the requirements of my job, and the technological neccesities thereof, I could not fully 'unplug' over the requested period. I was, however, able to avoid my 'usual' haunts across the internet and attempted to not use my computer for anything non-work related, and will reflect on that.
My disavowment of my usual internet usage was made easier due to the fact that I had put in an extra 20 hours in the office over the week of 03/18, on top of my regular 40; working on training development for one of our company's financial products. This involved me spending between 8-10 hours a day in front of a screen already, so convincing myself to not 'plug in' when I left the office wasn't terribly difficult.
Usually my day would start with me heading into the office (Fri-Mon) and working from 6am until 4pm. Usually after work, I would return home and check the hobbiest forums and podcasts that I follow. I may put in an hour or two more of work(either studying or business related), then check on the authors that I follow blogs for and pull up whatever ebook I'm reading at the time.
Much of my spare time was occupied by putting in extra hours in the office, as said before, but I also found myself moving to a paper book over an ebook after spending so long in front of a screen each day. I aslo found myself playing music more, instead of just listening as I worked or read.
The easiest part was avoiding my usual 'internet' haunts. I kept my laptop in a bag, and my general laziness kept me from being inspired to extract it outside of the times where business called for me to do so.
It was much harder to avoid my phone, though. Being on-call keeps me tethered to it quite strongly, and running the projects I was over the break kept me concerned enough to make it hard to avoid checking my email whenever I had a spare moment.
Overall I enjoyed the challenge, it was nice to go back and re-read some of my library that I hadn't read in a while(some things I've not yet found ebooks for) and it's gotten me back to playing music more regularly.
I decided that the best time for me to conduct the unplugged challenge was during spring break on a day that I work since during other days I was in desperate need of my laptop! I chose to give up my laptop, TV, phone, and gaming consoles for a 24 hour period. I did not think the challenge would be difficult, but I was most definitely wrong.
My routine day goes like so:
•Wake up around 9 am and I immediately check my phone for important emails and texts (I respond to texts immediately)
•Get ready for my day, shower and breakfast.
•Respond to any important emails at this time and finish up any homework or studying for the day
•Drive over to class or take my shuttle to school while browsing Reddit or news sites on my phone (when I take the shuttle of course, not when driving)
•When I arrive to school and get to class I open up my laptop that is hopefully charged and take notes throughout the day.
•School ends anywhere from 3 pm until 5 pm depending on the day, and then I go home and work on homework.
•After my homework is roughly done, I play video games, watch TV, or make dinner if it is my turn to do so.
•My day ends around midnight when I finally hit the sack and rinse and repeat.
While I was restricted from the technologies previously stated, I constantly found myself reaching for a phone that wasn't in my pocket, especially at work. I use my phone to stay in constant contact with my friends and family and its habit for me to constantly check so I can keep up to date on what is going on in life. Since I don’t think I had as hard of time giving up my phone since I do not use social media services like Facebook. I imagine if I had social media on top of everything else on my phone, like words with friends or Yahtzee, it would have been MUCH harder!
After getting home from work, however, I found it extremely difficult to separate from the television. We have a TV in almost every room and since we have services such as Netflix, Hulu Plus, HBOGO, DirecTV, Prime, etc. I essentially had to find an area where there wasn't a TV turned on since it was the weekend on my entire family was home relaxing. I entertained myself by reading, making food, and working on my car. I wasn't even able to work on homework or study during the time since everything I had was on my laptop.
I would have to say the hardest part in participating in the unplugged challenge was having to distance myself from my family since I could not do what they were doing. It did feel nice though to essentially not have a care in the world, after completely separating myself from these technologies I was able to see how much of a chore it ends up being, having to constantly check everything!
Alone In the Woods
When was the last time you were alone? With a computer across the room or your phone in your pocket you are never more than a few seconds away from contacting pretty much anyone pretty much anywhere in the world.
For two days I set all of that aside and truly unplugged.
I decided that there was no better place to ditch my old ball and chain, my trusty HTC One X, than out in the woods so I packed my tent and sleeping bag, grabbed my girlfriend and my dog and headed out into the wilderness- phone and laptop safely powered down and stashed away.
At first it was a little strange, not being able to check Facebook or chat with my friends but at the end of the day I found that it was very liberating to just do my own thing without any of that other stuff nagging in the back of my mind. I was able to relax, to unwind, to unplug. It was also inconvenient at times. When my girlfriend and I were going to meet places we had to agree to a place and a time and if one of us was going to be late there was no way to communicate that. This led to a little confusion and more than once I caught myself thinking “gee, if I only had my phone...” but you know what? I survived anyway.
I may not have been able to post my every though or win every argument thanks to Wikipedia, but I was probably happier for it. It was relaxing. It was just me and nature and nothing to distract or detract from it. Sure it was a little strange but all in all I think it was a really cool experience and I very well will try to have more separation between technology and my life going forward.
This assignment always takes me a while to read and digest all that you went through on this challenge. I'll respond generally at first. I see how you thought about what would challenge you the most and then follow-through with it once you decided to do so. Yes, it is hard, but almost everyone thought there was *some* redeeming value to unplugging, no matter how badly you wanted to give up for just that one thing (map, UA game, meeting family or friends, not turning on the TV or checking FB or connecting with friends). I really think that it is hard for most of you because of the connections you have with others through social media and texts. Boredom crops up because you usually fill it up with all the tech things you do. If you did it longer (and told people ahead of time, or used it only as a phone to call people, or have them call you), you may feel less jittery and bored. You could decide on a few things. Music. Live events (e.g., sporting events), but it's the constant connection to all things social that is probably the hardest part. But planning in advance is helpful, or telling people to call you. It is still slower and you still unplug. Could you do it longer than you did if you weren't on spring break (assuming you were allowed to do homework)?
All in all, I think you did amazingly well. Some of you realized it may not be such a bad thing to do every now and then. For example, do you study while connected to online friends? Are you distracted, even when you shouldn't be? Are you bored with just the book you have to read for class? That is clear sign to put your phone away and turn off FB and other media. Just my random thoughts.
Great work!! Keep the unplugged challenge alive... well, every now and then.
Post a Comment