Powering down : Field notes from TV turn-off week

In honor of TV turn-off week, I moved the TV to the closet on Monday morning. I like the room so much better without it, and I love that we can’t just mindlessly switch it on. I think we might have found a new home-base for it. My real challenge wasn’t dumping the TV though, since it’s hardly ever on. Unplugging the computer, on the other hand, was a bit more of a mêlée.

Actually, it was a wonderfully relaxing week. It didn’t hurt that the weather was near-perfect, and the magnolias, rhododendrons, lilacs, and cherry blossoms exploded into aromatic splendor. Instead of gazing at a screen and click-clacking away at a keyboard, I:

• Played and read with my baby.
• Made bread the old-fashioned way (I’d forgotten what a workout kneading is!)
• Read The Urban Homestead by Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen; Herbal Tea Gardens by Marietta Marcin; Spunk and Bite: A writer’s guide to Punchier, More Engaging Style by Arthur Plotnik; and When a Crocodile Eats the Sun by Peter Godwin.
• Laid on the grass and watched the birches and poplars sway.
• Brewed the first herbal sun teas of the summer.
• Took afternoon and after-dinner walks.
• Tended to our newest housemates – four adorable fluff balls (aka chicks).
• Relished long, still afternoons – just like the ones I remember from childhood.
• Indulged in naps snuggled next to my baby

Okay, so, yes, I might have replaced my computer time with lots of relaxing. It’s probably no wonder that I enjoyed the week. It was liberating to put my endless blogging and writing to-do list aside for several days. But, I did miss writing. I even found myself reading a book on word choice, a sure sign that one’s obsessed (or hopelessly geeky?).

The week’s lesson is that I need to unplug myself more often. So I’ve resolved to:

1. Take one screen-free day a week.
2. Only check my email once a day and look at Facebook even less.
3. Avoid the computer during family time.

I’m ashamed to admit that before TV turn-off week, I was checking my email three, four, even (ahem) six times a day. I’d be typing my password before I was even aware what I was doing. I felt jittery sometimes when I couldn’t check in, and I was always at least a tiny bit disappointed when my inbox was empty. Email and Facebook had become a way for me to procrastinate, to distract myself, to be mindless. Even worse, Internet-time had been getting in the way of things that are more important to me – quality time with my family, writing, reading, and creative projects. When I switched the computer off for a few days, that habit (okay, addiction) dissolved, and I felt so much more relaxed.

Even though it’s been nice to catch up on my emails and my favorite blogs today, I’m already looking forward to the next TV turn-off week (September 20-26). Last week, my house and backyard became like a retreat, and I so delighted in the long, quiet days.

If you feel like you need a vacation, but can’t get away, you might just try a few days without the screens. It could restore you.

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