A Day Without Technology

Our class assignment from last week was to attempt to spend a day without the use of technology. For me, this included Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, and Pinterest. Unfortunately, because of my job as a nanny and Communication Chair position in a campus organization, I was unable to turn off my phone a computer completely for the full 24 hours. I did text and email during the day, but only for pertinent circumstances. Everything else I uninstalled from my phone and I’ve spent the last few days without.

I typically don’t spend much time anyway with social media or television, but it was definitely a new experience having no notifications on my phone from all the apps. I’ve kept the apps off my phone and it has been refreshing to not feel obligated to answer every single message, birthday, or update. I’ve found that I’m staying more focused on what I’m doing at any given time, rather than stopping to check something on my phone and then get back to work. I think this will be helpful in the upcoming weeks, when we are finishing up the semester, so that I can be sure that I am completely invested in my studying ans school work.

Generally, I think this is an important exercise for everyone to try every once in a while. It is obvious that many people spend a ridiculous amount of time using electronics, whether it be video games, social media, online shopping, etc, and not enough time focusing on the present. It seems as though we are so absorbed in the lives of others that sometimes we are lacking in the attention to ourselves and to the people around us in our own lives. I hope this becomes a more common realization and people are able to take a step back, leaving the technology aside to truly experience life.