Take Time to Unplug: Disconnect to Connect

After getting out of bed this morning and pouring myself a cup of tea, I quickly ‘connected’ to my blog’s lifeline to you through my iMac computer. It is time for me to ‘plug’ back into the cyber world and get back to work, even though I am aware of the importance of knowing when to unplug. No matter what business you are in, I think you will find this little post interesting…

• One of the mind-boggling benefits about the Internet and social media sites like, Twitter, Facebook and Youtube is how quickly we can connect with ‘friends’ and new ideas from around the world.
• The downside of this is that while we ‘connect’ to our computers, cell phones, iPads and more, it is easy to ‘disconnect’ and find ourselves missing precious moments with loved ones, hobbies or even our jobs, an important things like painting!
• Research proves that humans are not meant to run like computers, operating a high speeds, and constantly multi-tasking for long periods of time. Prolonged periods of being ‘plugged in’ causes irritability, anxiety, short attention spans which ultimately inhibits creativity and can cause burnout.
• There is even a ‘National Day of Unplugging’ which starts at sundown in March and encourages people to close their laptops, put down their cell phones, stop their status updates on Facebook and Twitter, and unwind. Well at least we have a lot of time to plan for this day to ‘unplug’ in advance – lol!

Remember, people and especially artists are designed to move rhythmically between spending energy and renewing energy. As I mentioned in the popular post, 10 Ways to Overcome Mental Blocks and Boost Creativity, it is important to give yourself a break from technology. I did this last month on my 3 week visit to New Zealand. Far from home and at locations with little or no Internet access, I really was able to uplug! It was strange at first. But, I pre-scheduled a few blog posts and tweets and let it all go – and it felt great!
But, after a few days back home, I find myself ‘plugged’ back in! The short little video is a beautiful and gentle reminder of the importance to “Disconnect to Connect” I hope you enjoy it! I better go paint…
~Lori
PS. I found this video on my friends Facebook page. For great blogging tips, please checkout Yan’s site, http://www.bloggingtip.net/
You might like to check out these other articles:
New Zealand: Painting and Playing in the ‘God Zone’
5 Unique Ways to Brainstorm Out of a Creative Rut
6 Ways to Keep Your goals to Yourself to Achieve Them
I enjoyed reading: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tony-schwartz/disconnect-to-connect_b_506518.html