Digital Detox the aftermath – side experiment 2

I have to admit that having done the digital detox a couple of weeks ago has been really good.  I have decreased the amount of time that I spend using the glut of electronic devices that we as a society really depend on.

Around the middle of last week I decided to do a little side experiment after digital detox week.  The experiment?  Go 12 hours without using my cellphone.  Probably seems like a trivial thing, but when you communicate with friends and family using digital means, there’s not much else you can do (unless you have some cups and string).

So yesterday I gave it another go.  Going 12 hours without my cellphone.  I turned off my cellphone right at 8am just as I was leaving the house to go to work.  So at 8pm later that day, I would be switching back on.

In order to avoid any temptation or “accidental” turning on of my phone, I stashed my phone in my bag during work.  It felt a little weird not having my phone by my side, but it was also a bit of a relief.  I knew that if anyone was going to call me with something urgent, they would leave a message.  And I could decide later when I switched back on if it was necessary to return the call/text message.

I walked to a coffee shop that I like on Queen St. West, to get some healthy food (I had been eating a lot of junk lately) and some tea after I finished up at work.  Instead of busting out my laptop and mooching off the free WiFi at the coffee shop, I decided to read one of the books I borrowed from the library.  It was actually a nice relaxing bit of time to myself.  And I was sitting about 10 feet away from the open window, so I would do some people watching from time to time.

After I was done at the coffee shop, I walked around about an hour and a half (in flip flops, which I have to get used to walking in since the weather is getting much nicer).  I was going to take some pictures like I did on Sunday afternoon at the harbourfront, but there was nothing that really caught my eye.  Oh well, maybe I’ll have better luck next time sometime later this week.

Before eventually heading home, I ended up at an Indigo bookstore, where I purchased a book on digital photography for my dad, so that he could learn how to upload photos to his computer as well as getting comfortable with the settings on his digital camera.  I keep teaching him but he keeps forgetting and I worry that when I’m no longer in the house, he won’t have anyone to turn to to help him out if he forgets.

When I got on the bus home, I switched on my phone.  It had been a little over 12 hours since I had shut it off.  I had a couple of voice messages and text messages.  After I got off the bus, I started thinking about how great it was to have all that time to myself and not have to worry about anyone else.  I was just smiling and laughing and thinking to myself as I walked from the bus stop to my home.

Having that time to myself and not having to worry about responding to messages or answering calls was kind of nice.  I love my family and friends, but as my friend Don told me once, I have to learn to channel some of that love inward.

I might give it another go later today.  I’ll have to see how I feel about it, but it’s definitely something that I recommend people try.