Going Offline To Reconnect
The Internet is touted as being absolutely integral to our lives and that may be partially true. However humans are not designed to be exposed to so much information day after day with no release; Being forced to go offline for a period helped offer a much needed reality-check on how to use your time online mindfully.
Last week a letter dropped through my front door - a notice from the local council. My areas power would be switched off for a few hours while some essential repairs were carried out. The notice stated that this work would take several hours, spanning the entirety of the working day.
The day of the shutoff arrived and right on cue all my screens, lights, devices etc. all went black. The power was off. Perhaps most pressingly, the internet was down too. Not a huge deal personally but given the current context of working from home, an inability to access the internet effectively renders me dead to the world for a few hours; Cut off from emails, chats, and updates.
This sudden disconnect was ok however, after all I could still work offline for a period: Reviewing documents, writing a few blog posts, generally tidying up any remaining work that needed done. I sat down at my desk, flipped open my laptop lid and pressed the power button. Nothing happened. I pressed again. Nothing.
