Sorry! I'm In #digitaldetox

I had originally blogged about my first experience with #digitaldetox a couple of years ago when my family went on vacation to Florida. It was a refreshing experience and I am finding that this holiday season offers another wonderful opportunity to power down, look up and be present to enjoy every moment with my family.

Today, @JenBadura and I are celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary.  I find myself reminiscing about how drastically things have changed in the last twenty years in regards to technology.   I must admit that when I think back to my first cell phone, I kind of chuckle.  It was an effort to even text on that device!  Now look at our devices.  Wow!  How things have changed.  It is so easy to share about anything with the click on one button.

Yes, I share a lot with the technology that we have today. Like I said in my previous post, I love to Tweet, share my story using Instagram, pin recipes and other things I deem "cool" on my Pinterest page, and I find myself blogging more and more.   Being connected is one of the best things that has happened to me as an educator.  I am surrounded by educators from all over the world and I learn something new every single day.

Being connected can also be a hindrance.  It's so easy to constantly check the apps that allow us that connectedness.  It becomes a habit.  It can be a distraction.  This video on The Harbor tells that story perfectly:

THE HARBOR - DISTRACTIONS from THE HARBOR on Vimeo.

Earlier this school year I wanted to eliminate one of those distractions.  I deleted my school email from my phone.   Yep, I survived.  I just check it when I get to school and I will check it via my computer on Sunday evening to see if I have anything that needs my attention right away Monday morning.

What about deleting all those other apps that we use like Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Vine, Voxer and Instagram that we find ourselves checking several time throughout our day?

Check out this post titled "Why I Took Facebook and Twitter Off My Phone" by Chris Wejr. It's pretty powerful, and I can totally relate.

So, it's time to disconnect...

You probably won't "see" me around much until the first of the year.  I'm going to try another round of digital detoxification.  It felt so good the first time!

Instead,  I'm gonna dig out my old camera and take pics the "old fashioned" way.  I'm gonna go hit some golf balls with my kids.  I'm going go to the gym to shoot some baskets with my family.  I'm gonna do some more cooking with new recipes that I have found.  I'm going to read a lot over break.

Most importantly, I'm going to focus on being present.  

I think we all could do a better job of this...

Happy Holidays to each and every one of you!  Enjoy this precious time with your families.