A week off from the information grid

Hello, my name is Art, and it’s been seven days since my last connection to the Internet.

I just finished a week off work and with it, a week completely disconnected from the Internet. No websites, no text, no email, no cellphone. I completely disconnected from the rest of the wire world.

Partially driven by the high cost of mobile Internet, but mainly driven by the fact if you are connected, you are not really away. For me, the “off” switch was incredibly easy to maintain, My teenage children had a more difficult time with it, but still managed to be off the grid as well.

There was a time, not that long ago, when you went away, you left a number with your family. If someone really needed to get a hold of you, they would call you; otherwise people would leave you in peace.

Sadly, many people think they need to be connected 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Trust me, you don’t. The last thing people stuck back at your office want to hear is how good a time you are having.

Pulling the plug not only gives you a break, but it gives others a break from you. It’s a win-win for everyone involved.

I went as far as taking the battery out of my cellphone so it wouldn’t continue to download emails via a high cost connection. I did watch the news one day for about 10 minutes; there was no other electronic connection to anyone.

You really do not need to be connected 24/7. If I can unplug, anyone can.

I read a report this morning that parents should limit their children’s time online to help combat childhood obesity. I think it’s a great idea that could easily be extended to adults to help combat their expanding waistlines as well.