Downtime – What I Do Offline to Recharge

Technology is everywhere now.

From the moment we wake to the time our heads hit the pillow at night, we are constantly being bombarded with emails, text messages, beeps and buzzes. For me personally, I do most of my work from my MacBook or iPad, and truth be told my iPhone is never far from reach.

And so, because of this, it is absolutely vital that I intentionally take time out to:

switch off, tune out, and recharge…

Here’s what I do:

Work Out

The gym is my counselor and Kettlebells my medicine. If I’m feeling stressed or agitated, a bit of exercise is my cure-all. It’s amazing how just breaking a sweat can clear your mind and put things in perspective.

Surf

I am privileged enough to live ten minutes from the beach in the surf capital of South Africa. And nothing recharges body and mind quite like a surf. Even if the conditions aren’t great, just being out there in the water, surrounded by nature, is enough to settle my soul.

Hang Out with Friends

As a total extrovert, hanging out with good friends, laughing and chatting, is possibly one of the greatest ways I recharge my batteries. Being married to an introvert however, this isn’t always easy – but over the years my wife and I have figured out our own little rhythms where we each get what we need, while respecting each other’s own unique wiring.

Watch a Movie

I’ve always loved a good film. It forces me to switch off my technology, abandon the worries of my day, and allows me to immerse myself in a story – hopefully a good one – for a few hours.

Of course, each of these are simply things that work for me. You may hate watching movies or even exercising. The point is not the activities themselves, but rather the idea of finding something that will help you to switch off that phone and take a break.

How often do you spend online? It’s time to take charge and recharge!

6 Replies to “Downtime – What I Do Offline to Recharge”

  1. I try to spend at least a few hours away from my phone or PC a day. Sometimes I try to spend the entire day away from them. It’s not easy though. Once I got into a routine it’s easier but the first few times I had turned off my iPhone I was constantly looking over at it wondering if I was missing any important emails, calls or texts. It’s a little worrying how evident my life revolves around technology when I’m away from it for any prolonged period of time.

    Because of that, I’m making a conscious effort to distance myself from it even more. I’m now trying to stop myself from checking my phone as soon as I get up in the morning and make sure I’ve had a shower and breakfast before I pick it up.

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  2. yap, i do workouts and hang outs hehe.. sometimes i hate my iphone husband handed down to me, because it takes too much of my time, i email, i chat, i blog, i watch with it, so it hurt my eyes big deal sad to say.. but… that i have to work on… i believe being able to quit smoking 3 yrs ago, i can discipline myself on this better, yah? hope so… 🙂

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