Dedicated Slow Days: A Resolution I'm Keeping

During 2019, one of the ways I resolved to take action on slowing down was to take one day off per quarter to focus on being “unplugged”. While my business doesn’t quite allow for full days unplugged, the idea of doing non-digital tasks became the focus with a very limited amount of screen time.

First things first: resolutions do not stick if they lack quantifiable, actionable steps. If you have a resolution like “I want to slow down more” try putting some numbers on it. For me, I chose “I want to unplug for one day each quarter”. Taking an extra day off per quarter seemed doable, and although very difficult when the day nears closer, I stuck to my guns on this so I could officially check the resolution as done at the end of the year. The result? I am definitely doing this again in 2020.

P.S. how the heck does one find time to take a whole day off from work? Check out all of my tips for time blocking. On unplugged days, I move all of my tasks away to other days. Yes, this causes busier days that week, but nothing feels better than a day off mid-week and I don’t mind the trade off.

What defines an “unplugged” day? Here’s all the parameters I decided to put on the day I choose:
-A day my husband could also take off for quality family time
-A week day
-A day that didn’t have other appointments or meetings

On our unplugged days, we purposely don’t make any plans**. We don’t set alarms, we take extra long dog walks, we limit our screen time, and lastly we eat what we love. It’s time to just be together and there’s true magic in taking a week day off. There’s something about bonus-ing yourself with the gift of time, space and freedom even if it’s just for a short bit. It doesn’t cost anything and it feels just as good as when I buy something expensive for myself.

**In full disclosure, this is very hard to do. The idea is to avoid having a structure for the day, but it doesn’t always work out. I try not to sweat it if my unplugged day isn’t perfect because after all, it was still some time away from the usual. Seeking perfection fuels stress which is the opposite of the goal here.