Going Dark: The Conclusion

I know it's been a while since I had my "low tech" week, but I wanted to write about how it affected me! Just to refresh your memory, here were the ground rules:

1. I will keep my cell phone turned on during business hours, as it is the only phone number that my clients have to reach me. I will not use said cell phone for personal use except for emergencies.

2. While I am at home I will turn off the following: my computer, tv, Wii, and cell phone. The kids will not be following the same rules, but their use of the television in particular (and thus, the Wii) will be restricted to when I'm not in the room.

3. I will check my personal email once a day (towards the end of the day) only to answer emails that require a timely response. I realize that even though I will not be using email to communicate, others who do not read this, may try to contact me by email, and I don't want to be rude by not responding.

4. I will not access the internet for any reason other than something directly related to work.

So how did I do? I did great as far as the TV and Wii were concerned. I did not watch anything on purpose (except for what you'll read below) and even went to bed without the TV in the background for noise. My husband was very excited about the latter.

I was in the middle of trying to sell a house that week (only my second this year) so I was on the cell phone and computer quite a bit more than normal, but it was all for work! I was also interviewing for a job with someone who preferred to communicate through email, so I had to check my personal email more than once a day. I think I only responded to one personal email and made 2 personal phone calls on my cell all week.

All in all, I'd say I stuck to the rules pretty well, until Thursday night (Day 6). Burn Notice was coming on that night and I had been a little stressed. I rewarded myself with a little TV and then I couldn't stop! I stayed up for 3 hours watching shows on the DVR. On Friday I went back to no TV though!

What did I accomplish during my black out? My to do list was this:

1. Write in all 3 journals that I started when I was pregnant with each of the boys
2. Clean out the boys' closets
3. Sort all of the clothes that don't fit the boys into Good Will bags and bins for the next one to wear
4. Take all the bags of clothes that we don't need to Good Will
5. Complete a few sewing projects that I have been asked to do
6. Mail some gender neutral baby items and maternity clothes to Michelle
7. Read at least one book!
8. Buy the boys' school supplies and get them ready for the first day
9. Put my Disney pictures in a photo album
10.Play at least one card game or board game each day with the kids.

Well, as far as this list goes, I failed miserably! I did #8 and started #7. I actually read (almost) every night before bed, which was quite a change for me. Unfortunately, I didn't pick a very fast paced book so I only got about 200 pages in. As for the rest of the list...well...I didn't even attempt most of it! I did play card games with the boys (every time they asked) and I updated Cohen's baby book, instead of writing in his journal. I did do a little organizing in his closet, but there is still a long way to go.

But all is not lost! Even though I didn't make it very far on my to do list, I did get a lot accomplished. I sold a house that week, which was great, but it also meant that I didn't have as much free time as I normally would have. All of that aside though, I came to some important conclusions during this process...



1. I can go to sleep without the television on!

2. I spend a lot of time of time on Facebook and reading blogs, but in the end, it's part of what keeps me sane! I noticed during my black out that I didn't really have a way to declutter my mind. For me, getting on the computer and surfing, reading, playing games, etc, is a great way to forget about what's going on for a few minutes. I found myself a little more short fused this week without it.

3. Balance is the key! Technology is a wonderful thing if you don't let it control your life! Without the distraction of technology I was more willing to play cards with the boys or take them outside. We spent more time together as a family too!

4. I rely on the internet for everything! It seemed like every 5 minutes I needed/wanted to look something up, whether is was a phone number, address, recipe, etc...It was really hard not having that resource at my fingertips!

5. And finally, I can conclude that there is no need to "Go Dark" again in the near future. I have seen the light and it is bright! As long as I maintain the balance, I think I'll be just fine!