I have been on vacation since the end of last week and until about thirty minutes ago I was offline for almost 120 hours (almost five full days.) By offline I don't mean checking mobile email or anything like that. I've been completely off the grid for five days. Tomorrow I'll be back home buthad to was able to get away for a bit this afternoon after discovering a coffee shop with free WiFi just down the road from where we're staying.
It's a funny thing to be offline for so long when my work and many of my non-work connections and communications happen online as well. I'm the kind of guy who checks email 20 times a day so I wasn't sure how I would do. In fact, I don't recall the last time I was completely offline for this long. It's been at least a few years since I did this. Here are my thoughts on being completely offline for five days:
1. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I actually didn't miss it too much. I think there was only one time when I wondered what was going on in the rest of the world...like on Twitter and on some blogs.
2. It was good thinking time. The closest I got to the Internet these last several days were the last six issues of Wired magazine. It's made for some good thinking time. The problem any of us face when we're in our regular routines is that we don't take time to really think thing through. I admire people who carve out time in their days just to think. I used to do that more than I do now. This trip has been a good reminder of the fruit of unhindered thinking time.
3. It was a good reminder of the offline world. When you work and play online you can begin to think that everyone else is there too. This time away has provided a lot of time to observe the offline world and be reminded of how many people aren't even thinking about it.
*Bonus: It was great to find a WiFi connection. I was almost giddy with excitement when I pulled the laptop out and got online a little while ago. I'm reminded of how much I really like what I do and am thankful for the opportunity to do it.