7 Days with no media.
I recently went 7 days with no phone, computer, internet, television, music, movies, books, newspapers, or articles…no media of any sort.
Why did I do it? For the experience. I feel that media has become so ingrained into the fabric of our society, and each of us, that I wanted to take a week to separate the man from the machine, to see what it felt like, and if it made any difference.
I didn’t make any predictions, about how the 7 days without media would affect me, because I did not want to influence myself to subconsciously seek out results that would support my predictions…
To give you a little background information regarding my relationship with media. I use my phone everyday, my computer 5-7 days out of the week, internet all the time, television is rare for me, but music, books, and articles are part of my daily routine.
Overall:
It was a really good week, it felt like a refreshing cleanse. Taking a step back from everything, helped me slow down, and enjoy life in a different way.
Observations:
The Phone: Phone’s make our lives easier - through communication, finding information, staying connected with the world…
I missed having my phone, It’s how I stay organized, keep track of the days, and time, everything actually. The big thing about seeing the time, is it helps me with productivity, because I set blocks of time for tasks. But not having my phone allowed me to stay focused and engaged in activities for longer periods, because I would lose track of time. For example, one day I went for a hike that was supposed to be 90 minutes, but I had no idea what time it was, so it ended up being 195 minutes (which I enjoyed).
Usually I don’t mind not talking to people or interacting with other people over the phone, but surprisingly, not being able to call or text people, made me want to call & text people. So I have a new found appreciation for our ability to communicate, with whoever we want, when we want.
I want to emphasize, that it was an extremely great feeling not taking my phone with me places. Not having it felt like there was a load off my back. I didn’t find myself reaching for it to occupy time, or just checking it to check it. It felt good to feel like it wasn’t attached to me.
In the future, I would like to take periodic breaks from my phone, to remind me that my phone, isn’t a part of me, and I don’t have to have it with me all the time. Life goes on without it. This week also made me realize how dependent I had become on my phone to operate my day to day life & schedule.
The internet:
Even though I knew I wasn’t going to be using the internet all week, I found myself thinking about it, A LOT. What I missed most was all the information….
We have access to so much information, right at our disposal, that adds a lot of value to our life.
I bring this up, because we can look up anything at any time to make our life easier. For example my week without media led me to dig a vegetable garden & plant over 100 vegetables. Now I did it, and it took some time, but I know It would’ve been easier with a “how to plant your own garden,” or “best vegetables to grow together” etc… but I survived without it and that’s my point, although all this media, can add value to our lives, it’s really you and I that determine the value it adds in our lives.
Television:
Confession, the first night of the 7 days, I was weak and I watched 3 minutes of a movie, I’m not going to say which movie, but it happened, and I found the strength to turn off the t.v. lol.
Did I miss television? No, not at all. Would I have enjoyed watching a movie? Definitely. Do I feel like I missed out by not watching any television for a week? Not at all. This was probably the easiest out of all media to stay away from yet it’s the only one I gave into, so I thought that was interesting….
My issue with television and why I wanted to give it up, is because our brains are less active when we watch T.v. than when we are asleep. I don’t like to put myself in a vegetative state & I feel like television does that to me. It’s really that simple, and don’t get me wrong I enjoy movies and television, I just feel that for the majority of the time, there is better use of my time these days.
Music:
so I believe that music is a subtle influence that is always playing out in our lives. What we listen to I believe is absorbed by our subconscious mind, and that there is a reason why music can affect your mood, and emotions.
That being said, I love music. I feel that it can be a distraction at times, but I also know it can be beneficial in many ways.
Not having music this week, the place that I missed it most was when I was working out. Not having my workout playlist to pump me up was rough at first, but it led to my workouts being extremely focused and thorough, so I really have no complaints.
The other place I missed music, was when I would drive or go for a cruise, but listening to the sounds that nature provides, and the world around us, was therapeutic, because it left me alone with my thoughts.
Books:
Like I said I love to read, and I read my book, “Tap into untapped Potential” everyday. So it was unusual not reading anything for a full week. I missed my books. I missed learning new things through the written language. Don’t get me wrong it was a great week, but i really do love books, and feel that out of any forms of media, reading a book was the one thing I would have liked to include in my activities for the past week.
Takeaway:
Going the 7 days without media wasn’t difficult, it was actually refreshing, revitalizing, and rejuvenating, for my mind, body, and soul. I spent most of my time living in the moment, focused on what was in front of me.
At the same time having no media, helped me realize the role technology & different forms of media play in my own life…how much I rely on it, how it makes my life easier, and the ease and access we have to everything around us, because of it.
The ability for us to find out information in a matter of seconds is something I take for granted everyday, but most significant realization I had, is that the future is now….The future is not 50, 100, or 200 years away, technology is already running society. It is the framework for the modern age, and we’re living in it…