Going Off-Line: Disconnecting … to Connect ….
“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes … including you.” Anne Lamotte, author
I wish you could have seen their faces. Twenty healthcare leaders looking as though they’d each individually been told the end was near. But the actual concern was nothing of the sort. It was February of 2018 and I was attending a leadership well-being retreat, and as we began the initial morning session, the facilitator made one simple request. “For the duration of the day, I’d like for you to put your cell phones on airplane mode and leave them in this cell phone ‘nursery’ (a basket).” He continued, now with a twinkle in his eye and wide grin. “Please know your babies will be just fine. I’ll put the basket right over here in the corner of the room, and if you’d like to come over on the break and just hold and coddle your phone or check to see if there is an emergency, that will be fine. Just don’t use it otherwise.”
At that moment, there was complete silence in the room, a collective look of complete dread (likely including me), and then then some nervous laughter, as if he really wasn’t serious. But he was, and concluded, “It was just over 10 years ago, with the release of the first iPhone, that these devices that you now believe you can’t live without became mainstream, and for many here, you’ve not unplugged since. Today, you have that opportunity.”
And we did. For three days, we reluctantly “unplugged” each morning at 8:00 and “reconnected” again at 5:00. By the end of the 3rd day, we realized the actual “reconnection” began to happen when airplane mode went to “on.” In that space, we “showed up” differently for ourselves and each other, and as a result, we were able to hear both our own and each other’s voices in an entirely new way. There became a depth and richness of interconnection that would likely not have happened otherwise. It was a profound time. And the fact that I’m sharing this story 4 years later indicates that for me, the impact was lasting.
Studies estimate the average adult spends more than 7 hours a day staring at a screen, including more than 4 hours on their mobile device, checking that little rectangle at least 50 times per day. When was the last time you “unplugged,” even for 1 day, and not just from your phone, but from other electronics (including your EHR) as well? Well, perhaps it’s time. Here’s an opportunity for you to do so, and join multitudes of others for the 13th annual National Day of Unplugging on March 4-5 (Link). Started in 2009, this “going off-line” awareness campaign promotes a respite from technology for up to 24-hours. Its intention is to help raise our awareness as to how we use our technology (or how it uses us …).
Why not give it a try?! Sometime in the next week, “disconnect” for a defined period of time (a day?) – no phone, no computer, no television, no radio, and no “smart watch.” Spend that time “noticing” your response. For some of you, doing so may be such a shock to your senses such that you are unable to do it for very long. Consider that important information. Then share with someone, such as your PeerRxMed partner, what you observed. In doing so, perhaps you’ll recognize that your “smart technology” may be smart, but it is in no way wise … and then following the path of wisdom by “disconnecting … to connect” much more often.