You know how I go on about walking the talk of personal time, about leaving work behind and actually honoring that time. Well, this past weekend I got the opportunity to test that. And I say “opportunity” with air quotes, because it wasn’t exactly my idea.
I went glamping. For those unfamiliar, glamping means camping with an air conditioner involved, which tells you something about my relationship with the outdoors. We landed at a site out in the country with no internet access and next to no cell service. Just trees, quiet, and a stubborn lack of bars on my phone.
Here’s the part I want to sit with. I brought my laptop. Of course I did. I take it everywhere, the way some people carry a wallet or keys. It’s become an appendage. But it didn’t matter. There was nothing to connect to. No Wi-Fi to fight with, no signal to chase around the campsite holding my phone over my head like some kind of ritual. The laptop stayed closed the entire weekend. Not because I decided to leave it behind. Because the choice was made for me.
And once the option to check out mentally was gone, something else happened. We read books. We talked to people. We actually socialized, the old-fashioned way, the way people did before every quiet moment came with a phone in hand. It sounds almost quaint to say it out loud, but it was fabulous.
Here’s what stuck with me afterward. I didn’t unplug because I was disciplined. I unplugged because I had no other option. And that’s worth being honest about, especially if you coach others on boundaries and presence the way I do. If it took a dead zone in the middle of nowhere to get me fully present, what does that say about how much willpower is actually involved when the Wi-Fi is working fine?
So next time, I’m thinking about skipping the accident and making it intentional. Turn off the cellular data. Turn off the Wi-Fi. Force that same disconnection on purpose, without needing to drive two hours from a signal to get there. Because clearly, when it happens, it works.
Take care, everyone. Go for success, do your best.
