Disconnect to Reconnect

A (Dis) Connected World

Just over 2 years ago, Vanessa & I were riding an ATV on a dirt road atop a 1,000 foot cliff overlooking the southern coast of Milos, Greece.  We were navigating our way to the trail for a 2 hour hike to the amazing site of Kleftiko, typically reserved for crowded 1-day boat tours carrying 50 sweaty tourists from all over the word.  We chose the road (way) less traveled & appreciated.  And we got there with a paper map, not a GPS. 

It was the vacation of vacations.   But it wasn’t JUST the fact that it was 2-weeker, or the fact that I was honeymooning in the Greek Islands with my beautiful wife that made this vacation unmatched.  It was that I was completely, & utterly disconnected.  Disconnected from home. Disconnected from work. Disconnected from the outlet. Disconnected from the phone.  Disconnected to reconnect.  

For Starters, Use Your PTO

For starters, please at least take your vacation – even if to just walk around the block.  Did you know that over 55% of American’s DO NOT take all their PTO?  For those wondering, PTO stands for “Paid Time Off”.  It’s mind boggling to me that people are so jammed up in their (unhappy) WORK LIFE that they prefer to leave PAID days off on the shelf.  But hey, that’s American work culture for you.  Did you know that France REQUIRES employees (by law) take 30 days off from work?

Don’t Stop There → Cut The Cord

The way I see it, unless you’re running the entirety of the world’s water supply, you can / should disconnect while on vacation.  Fine, I get there are commission-only or contractor jobs & people with families – but still, can you really not afford a 4-day break from it all?  Here are 10 reasons why it’s key not just to improving your vacation 100x, but to living a happier life over all.  

• Recharge the Battery – Did you ever go on vacation but look at your work stuff so much you feel like you didn’t even really get the break you needed?  Just like computers, phones and cars die without being refueled, so do our bodies & minds.  Vacation itself only gets you 50% battery.  The rest comes from disconnecting.  
• Technology Fatigue – The average American looks at their phone 50 times a day.  How many times a day do you look out the window?
• One Email Can Break The Day – Ever wake up on vacation excited for the day, pick up your phone while drinking coffee & read an annoying email with some “issue” at work?  Now your brain is swirling with thoughts on how to calm the situation rather than enjoying the peace of the morning coffee & perhaps, beautiful view.  
• Respect! – People will respect your desire to do this. Hands down. They’ll respect how seriously you took the planning & proactiveness even more.
• If Your Business Can’t Run Without You, You’ve Got Bigger Problems – I don’t care if your CEO, EVP, or head of nothing.  If you leave & business can’t go on, you’re either doing something illegal or stupid.  Plan, communicate & delegate.
• New Perspective – Step out of your damn shoes (or slippers, these days) & take a look at things from another angle.  It will be refreshing.
• Brilliant Ideas – Not only will you get a fresh perspective on things when you truly disconnect, you’ll come up with some of your best ($$-making) ideas.  
• Did You Realize The Earth is Beautiful? – I mean, not to sound like a tree-hugger, but if you put your phone down for more than 10 minutes or a day, you’ll realize how beautiful things are.  
• Reconnect with Nature – When you get away from the dings & the bells of computer/phone life, you’ll find new peace, joy (& ideas) by listening to the sounds of nature. 
• Mindfully Finding Peace of Mind – It’s not just about recharging, seeing the world’s beauty, finding new perspective and spending time differently.  It’s about relaxing, being present, & mindfully enjoying how amazing those moments really are.  

How to Disconnect

I know from experience, it’s hard to disconnect.  But it’s really not THAT hard. Here are a few ideas to put in your hip pocket to make it a bit easier to disconnect from a work & general life perspective.  It will pay dividends.

BEFORE

As they say, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”  About a week before you go away, start thinking about what you need to do in order to properly disconnect while being away – whether it’s for 3 days or 14 days.  

• Schedule Vacation at An Appropriate Time – Kind of obvious – but you’d be surprised.  Consider what calendar sensitivities your business has and schedule around these (i.e. quarter end, month end, etc.).  
• Make it Clear You’re Closing Shop – Tell your boss, your colleagues, your clients.  Tell your parents, your family.  Hell, tell your kids! (I don’t have any so I’d assume this is probably tricker…).  Warn people you’re disconnecting & that you will be very difficult to reach, but also how to get to you if there is an emergency.
• Plan Accordingly – For work stuff, you definitely want to sit down & build a “While I’m Away Plan.”  You know, who’s doing what, things to be aware of, etc.  Share it with enough time for people to ask questions if need be.  
• Update Calendar – Get coverage on important meetings or reschedule them.  Kill anything that’s not important. Maybe this will help you to realize that some of these pointless meetings should just be cancelled forever anyway :-).
• Knock the Big Things Out Before You Go – Think about what big or annoying things might happen while you’re away & get in front of them.  Not only will this show you’re proactive, but it will also help you relieve any random stress while you’re away thinking about what “might be happening”.
• Transform Your Out of Office Reply – Don’t just write the usual robotic OOO reply message that still leaves a window for contact… Make it clear that you’re away and responses will be non-existent.  Give 2 contacts for people to reach out to in your absence.
• Delete, Hide or Mute your Mail App – I already did this with Facebook (forever!)- worked like a charm.  You can do the same thing with your email app.  I did this in the Bahamas this past February – it was priceless.  You do know that you can just download it again, right?

DURING

It doesn’t stop with the planning.  This is perhaps the hardest part.  Keeping yourself on track.  I promise though, that after some focus & action over the first few days, you’ll build momentum and never want to reach for your phone again. 

Doesn’t Hurt to Try, Right? 

Once again, I’ve experienced how hard this can be. But the rewards can be astronomical from a mental, spiritual & even physical perspective.  I’m not saying to do it on every 3-day weekend, but I dare you to try it the next time you take a week off from work – and let me know how it goes. 

I promise it will be a truly rewarding experience.

Jeremy