why am i going offline?

Can you remember what it feels like to not have a constant to do list running through the back of your mind?

Last summer, after taking two weeks off the grid in Colombia, I can recall re-entering my apartment post travel with a serene calm & clarity pervading my whole body, and mind. The things I had felt were utter chaos just weeks ago had faded away or clicked slowly into place and I was left with that glorious sensation that for at least the moment I could tackle anything life might present me.

I believe it is vital for anyone who wants to produce unique, valuable work for others to create time without the obligation to connect. We spend every other moment of our lives juggling commitments, messages, replies, posts, follow ups, and we start to believe we have to keep up ‘all the things’ to maintain life. Yet the truth is we don´t ... and the truth is the constant activity can actually fog over our sense of the bigger picture.

Letting go of it for some time gives us a break from balancing so much freakin’ stimulation. It empowers us to regain a clear view again and see our path forward in a way that feels possible.

It might feel odd, uncomfortable and even scary at first to surrender to the calm and stillness that’s left when the activity halts. We’ll have the twitch to just ‘check in’ … and our fingers just happen to open up our email app. But popping in to keep an eye on things re-ignites your ‘work mode’ and it brings back the to do list and all the obligations wrapped into that. The calm is effectively pierced.

I am choosing to go off the grid because that total immersion in calm, with all it’s intricacies and challenges, is what I’m aiming for. I’m sure I’ll stumble a bit along the way because I’ve realized to my chagrin I’m perfect. Yet I know that I know that at the other side of offline is a mind that comes home stronger, happier and more crisp - ready to tackle the question marks I´m wrestling with now. 

If you’re feeling inspired to try this yourself - join me! 

Find a day on a weekend to cancel plans, hold one totally open with nothing to do, or carve out 2 minutes to do nothing ... any amount of letting go is a healthy size.