Day 17 - Unplugged

Better day….improvement over the prior day. I did break down and spent about 15 minutes researching something I just couldn't take anymore. I needed a mental reprieve from the constant battle, and the subject was driving me nuts. I got home early from work, was fried after a stressful day, and decided I needed a 15 minute break from it all. Once I was done, I felt better, and was productive the rest of the evening.

Stress seems to be a contributor to my 'internet need' so to speak. Seems that when I become stressed, where some resort to food or alcohol for comfort, I must use internet and mindless games to escape. Not a terrible terrible vice, but definitely something I need to keep in check. Too much internet/TV = more stress because I don't get things done. So just need to stay in control of the time when I come out of this challenge. I have considered several options….likely I will limit access to after a particular point in the evening (say after 7 pm), or limit it to a particular amount of time each week. As I get closer to the end of the 30 days I will hammer out the details a bit more.

Other then my 15 minute break, was a good day. I didn't have any mistakes, felt better about the challenge, and later in the evening again did some mild meditation and worked through some thoughts about my career. I seem to be 'finding' myself so to speak, and I find that to be very odd. I seem to be putting some pieces of a puzzle together about me and my strengths in my career, and how to make those positives work for me in making my job more satisfying. I also seem to be developing more confidence in my ideas, which I am starting to attribute them to a lack of access to internet research (it’s a stretch, but continue reading).

Previously, if I had an idea, my first response would almost be to see if someone else is already running with that idea…or to look up additional info on my thoughts. In the end, I believe that stopped my own personal thought process on the subject, and I would incorporate my idea with someone else's thoughts, and progressively that thought process would fade as my own, and belong more to someone else. By breaking that cycle, I can ponder my thoughts longer, put into action some of these ideas, and work them as they fit into my personality. In turn, I think my confidence is growing because of this. Very interesting turn. I am not saying this is a 100% rule and the only cause of confidence increase, but its definitely looking like a large part of the package. Possibly avoiding google and research on personal ideas until after I have put more time and action into them would not be a bad idea.

I am repeating almost every evening some of the thoughts I have had, trying to remember to stay on track with those work action plans, and I believe I am making some progress. I have also come up with many ideas of how to work for myself instead of my current employer….but still be paid by my current employer. In essence, doing the job I am paid to do, but doing it in a way where I am working for myself and not them. The manner in which I complete the job definition is open to interpretation, where I believe I can benefit from greatly in my career satisfaction.

Day 17 Results:

• Work Productivity - High
• Home Productivity - Med/High
• Energy about challenge - Medium but high by evening
• Physical Energy - Medium/low (some back pain)
• Mental clarity - High

Day 16 - Unplugged

I had one minor slip up today, looked up a map and a quick vacation price, about 3-4 minutes online. It was outside of my rules, and I knew it. Staying off the PC games, staying away from TV, all seem to be REAL easy at this point. But those 5 minute pops online to quickly look at something seems to be my hardest obstacle at current.

I had less of these mistakes near the beginning of the challenge, and find that now I am fighting even stronger urges to do this or that. My husband is shopping for a new dirt bike for me, and I desperately want to look up info on it, shop around for prices, look at accessory costs. We were talking about going out of town in the summer, and I want to research that. People are chatting on Facebook, and I did not turn off all email notices, and so I am tempted to go make a comment or two (namely because they are from long lost friends I haven't chatted with in years….who I want to at least tell I am 'unplugged' and will chat later….but don't know if I should do that…grrrr).

So I think I am at just another bump in the challenge, and I just need to take a deep breath, and plunge forward with my rules and goals still firmly in place, unchanged, unwavering. I managed just fine the first 10-12 days with rarely even a teeny mistake, so I just need to hunker down and stick to my guns at this point.

Starting to get a little frustrated with my lack of ability to 'look up' info, and even have asked my husband to look up several things for me because I HAD to know, as I knew a small look up could turn into an hour of browsing if I wasn't careful. Must say this is really the first time in this challenge my energy about it has faded a bit, but I am determined to do a full 30 days. Keep reminding myself of those who said I could NOT complete this challenge, because sometimes the 'goals' get fuzzy, but sometimes I can get additional energy from the competitive aspect of completing this challenge.

Day 16 Results:

• Work Productivity - High
• Home Productivity - medium
• Energy about challenge - Low (seems to be a large crash from the day before)
• Physical Energy - Medium
• Mental clarity - Medium

Day 15 - Unplugged

HALF WAY THROUGH!

I can say that the last two weeks have flown by. Cruising right along at this point.

Yesterday was pretty productive. Work seemed less productive, but later in the day, I realized I had gotten quite a bit accomplished, just nothing I had originally planned, so it felt less 'successful'. Oh well, keeping up well, and now progressing to some great work ideas that I am extremely excited to implement.

At home in the evening, I worked on dinner and clean up, but can't say I did much after that. Probably could have been more productive, but on the flip side, had a nice evening with the husband. So will focus on that positive aspect.

I had two minor hiccups in the day. Well, technically three. I emailed back a friend whom I rarely talk to, and it was several emails back and forth…which I probably could have ended much sooner if I had stuck to my guns better (and still wouldn't have been rude…). I popped on a menu website for local restaurants as I thought a special event I needed info on was this week. I found out it is not until next month, but found myself exploring the menus. When I reminded myself that the event wasn't until after my challenge, I realized I needed to get off and wait to research it until later. Then at home, I had about half a dozen facebook friend invites building up in my email inbox. I finally broke down and accepted the invites. Almost started exploring the facebook website, but realized my folly, and logged out.

So all in all, I would say my 'errors' were equivalent to about 15-20 minutes of time. Not bad in the course of an entire day. Although I have had many many days out of the 15 with 0 minutes of slip ups, so must remember to stick to the 30 day rules.

I will say though, my mind is working so much better and progressing forward with ideas quickly. If this is the effect after just two weeks, cannot wait to see where I am at in another two. I am also seeing that I am not NEARLY as much in need of the electronic entertainment and access as I was previously. I plan on keeping some limits after these 30 days, just to make sure I don't go overboard again. I don’t' think this will be hard, because many of these unplugged habits are just becoming second nature at this point. Husband and I are spending more time eating dinner at the table together for example, and this is something I see carrying forward easily into the future. Also, with me not turning on the TV, even the husband is watching less.

Day 15 Results:

• Work Productivity - medium/High (still had some verbal conversations I could curb)
• Home Productivity - medium/low
• Energy about challenge - Very high
• Physical Energy - High
• Mental clarity - High

Day 14 - Unplugged

Much better day today after an up and down weekend.

Got caught up on a lot of tasks at work, which is good, because I have some upcoming projects I will need to focus on that will need more of my attention. Still have quite a bit on my to do list, but I am making good progress all the same. I still have those moments where I want to go on the internet, and I question what I should be able to do or not. I tried to check a menu for a lunch later this week, this because of my food restrictions, and I felt that I again was distracted into doing more research then was necessary for the task. Had another incident where someone really wanted to know something non work related, and I succumbed to a quick look up on google. Both of these probably should be counted as mistakes, but when I realized what I was doing, I quickly exited the internet and reminded myself to stay aware.

Home wise, did a few small tasks last night, but wasn't home much. I read a bit in my downtime, and still feel comfortable doing that. I am accepting that I cannot expect myself to work 100% during waking hours, that is just not possible at this stage in my challenge and discipline (and not necessarily aligned with the goals I set forth in this 30 day). Maybe I am cutting myself short, but I do have to realize when I am biting off more then I can handle right now. Maybe in the future I can try that if I feel it’s a good direction for me, possibly in a shorter challenge period to start and see how it goes. Depends on my future goals.

Still nay-sayers who laugh at my challenge of the month, stating they have tried it for a day and failed…..or that its silly to give up internet, why would I ever want to do that. I chuckle, give them encouragement to do something that helps them grow in whatever way works best for them, tell them that with each challenge like this your discipline and skills grow. I will say that my discipline has definitely improved over the last several years, and that I am finding my failures are less about discipline, and more about my focus and direction. I tend to take on this or that will nilly, with no set plan in place to accomplish the task. I think doing 30 days will be the next step in my growth, teaching me how to focus, how to set forth a plan that has the chance to succeed. I am excited for what I might be able to accomplish now heading down this path. I am also excited to see if maybe I can apply these 30 day challenges to my career in some way, and grow by leaps and bounds.

But first I am going to focus on the challenges I am driven towards, the ones I can seriously get behind and stay motivated to complete. One thing I am having to do, is not jump the gun on future tasks. I already have lined up my next 30 day, but find I am trying to implement parts of it into this month already. I don't want to get overwhelmed, and run out of steam, so trying to remember to FOCUS on the task at hand first, and continue from there.

Day 14 Results:

• Work Productivity - medium/High (had some conversational distractions early in the day)
• Home Productivity - medium (was not home much, but got a few things accomplished)
• Energy about challenge - Very high
• Physical Energy - High
• Mental clarity - High

Day 11-13 - Unplugged

Long weekend……lots of ups and downs as this challenge goes.

Day 11 was Friday, it was a good day, no issues that I can recall. Productive at work, came home, and was quite productive through the evening before we had company join us later on.

Day 12/13 was Sat/Sunday, and things got a bit tougher. I finished some books I had from the library, and with nothing else to read, found I was drifting to old habits when I needed a break. I was quite productive both days, got a lot of small projects done, cleaning, ect. Overall, I was feeling very happy with my accomplishments over the last couple weeks. Problem being, when I wanted a bit of downtime from the constant work, I defaulted to my old standbys. It wasn't much, but enough to remind me of my challenge, why I am doing it, and how I can avoid mistakes in the future.

On Saturday, I worked a lot on the two PC's we have, cleaning up files, installing my new back up hard drive, getting an old PC back up and running (had some CPU issues), ect ect. Because a lot of the time was spent waiting while things installed, I ended up goofing off with pc solitaire in the downtime. Bad idea……found I was drifting to that more then work. I also was getting very frustrated with some problems on one of the PC's, and really needed to walk away to clear my head, which seemed to drive me to more bad habits then not in my stressed state. Later that night, after working most of the day, I really just wanted to sit down and relax for an hour before bed. With no book, the TV was already on, next thing I knew, I was vegging in front of the TV again. Grrrr.

Sunday, same issues. Was very very productive all day, but when I wanted to take a break, I didn't know what to do. Accidentally watched another hour of TV at one point. Later in the evening, I dug around in my closet, and found a handful of books I hadn't read that a friend loaned me in the past. Not a perfect choice, but helps me stay unplugged.

I think my open definition of a goal of being more productive while being unplugged has led me to some conflicts. Just HOW productive do I want to be, and how much downtime can I have? I have resorted to things like yoga, meditation, and some more productive options in my downtime, but is it too much to ask me to not have any 'free' time to do what I want during this challenge. I have decided there are just too many hours in the day for me to say that I am supposed to be on my feet and 100% driven all 16-17 hours of awake time. Granted, I need to keep my reading to a limit, I do need something for myself each day at this point in my abilities.

So my mistakes over the weekend were not that bad, in the sense they gave me some reminders of what I was doing, why I was doing it, and how to stay on track going forward. So two hours of TV, and a small amount of PC solitaire I am not going to slate as a complete failure, but more of a hiccup. I will focus on my accomplishments of the weekend, and back on track we go.

On the flip side, I did some have very clear moments in all that time. I made some decisions on the timing of some large issues over the next couple of years. I decided on the items I need to focus on at the moment, and what direction I want those to take me. I also put together a nice visual reminding me of my goals, focus, and how I can stay true to myself and my nature. I had some nice discussions with the husband, and even though we didn't see much of each other, what time we did have, was very pleasant and good.

Day 11-13 results:

• Work Productivity - High
• Home Productivity - High
• Energy about challenge - Medium (had some good and bad times, energy faded, but rebounded after some regrouping Sun afternoon)
• Physical Energy - High
• Mental clarity - High (had a great weekend of working on some big issues with resolutions and outlines for the future)

Day 10 - Unplugged

One third of the way through!! But really, I am SOOO not counting down the days. The only time I seem to be aware is just in these posts, and maybe if someone asks.

Did much better then the prior day of a few slip ups. Still a little light on productivity at home, but no mistakes in general, and happy with that. When I finish up my latest book, think I will be taking a break from books as well, help prevent any avoidance of some items around the house I continue to put off.

Feeling super emotional the last couple days, and not entirely sure where its coming from. If I was doing some type of serious food change, fast, cleanse, ect…I would seriously call this a detox type reaction, because that is what it feels like. I am not ready to chalk this up to a TV/Internet detox reaction, but its an amusing thought. I would research it…but of course, that is not allowed. So I will just chuckle and speculate for now :)

Day 10 results:

• Work Productivity - Medium/high
• Home Productivity - Low (crashed when I got home, but later couldn't sleep)
• Energy about challenge - High
• Physical Energy - Medium
• Mental clarity - Medium/low (still overly emotional, though not as 'lost' as the prior day)

Day 9 - Unplugged

Today was a bit rough around the edges…probably the most I have 'pushed' my limits thus far. It also didn't help that I seemed far more emotional and vulnerable then I usually am. I had less clarity and more confusion, do not think this was a challenge related issue, more just a personal shift of unknown reasons.

My first slip up was at work, I started looking into a bill from a gas company, and next thing I knew, it was 15 minutes of me researching why the gas rates went up, what they had filed with the state, ect ect. Most of the research wasn't even for me, it was for a coworker who lives near me. When I realized my level of straying, I shut down immediately.

Then when I got home from work, my Dell order of a back up hard drive and new webcam arrived. Did I plug in the back up hard drive and get to work on PC clean up like I was supposed to? No, of course not, I plugged in the webcam, and played with that far too long. I even messaged my brother to see if he was available to test the webcam for a bit since I had read of some compatibly issues between Vista and the program I wanted to use. We didn't chat online, but probably had 10 messages back and forth, and I was playing with my new toy for FAR too long.

I ended the evening on the PC with some actual clean up work and some minor research on operating systems and optimizing vista. Will continue to work on overhauling the two PC's we have over the weekend. Just need to stay disciplined and stay focused. If I stray again on the PCs, might have to just hold off on the clean up task until the challenge is over, we shall see.

Sigh, bit disappointed in my performance today, but overall, its not that bad of a hiccup. 9 days in, and that’s really been my only issue thus far. I will take it as a lesson learned, move forward, and monitor for any similar problems later on.

Again, still happy to be on this challenge, and not truly missing any of the things I have given up. I do think now and again about couple of online games a bit, maybe a TV show will flash on the screen my husband is watching and I will want to sit for just a few minutes, but those feelings are just a passing thing, and I easily move past them. It probably bothers me more when I cannot pop into google or something similar to get more information on some random subject. I knew before, but definitely realize it more now, that I have a bit of an obsession with 'knowing' everything I can about something. If I have a question, I HAVE to look it up and figure it all out.

On a positive side, I have sent my husband off to look up his own information more and more, which is making him MUCH less dependent on me for PC related issues. I know that my curiosity and overwhelming need to find things out tends to lead me to look up information for other people far too often, this has been a good 'break' from that, and likely will be something I will try and continue post challenge. Feels good to part with some of that self created dependency.

So onward I go.

Day 9 Results:

• Work Productivity - Medium (was a frustrating day but not related to challenge)
• Home Productivity - Medium (strayed to new webcam)
• Energy about challenge - High
• Physical Energy - Medium
• Mental clarity - Medium/low (had an odd day where emotions were high and finding a clear head more difficult)

Day 8 - Unplugged

Back to work on day 8, was reluctant to stay on 'work' tasks, so had more pressure to try and get on the internet and find distractions, but I still managed to avoid the net and email. Did resort to a bit of verbal distractions, but wasn't a huge issue. Things are getting easier, still some sticky moments now and again, but at least it isn't an all day battle.

Have had some nice productive discussions with the significant other the last few days. Lots of talk about future plans, our goals, working through some sticking points. I believe that the clarity I am experiencing is starting to come full circle. The ideas are becoming clearer, I am able to discuss them on more concrete levels with DH, it feels more productive then usual. I am laying out the foundation to put these plans in place, but since a lot are PC related, still pushing those to later in the challenge when I have completed more non online projects before tackling these ideas. Taking a step back, and working through more details BEFORE I jump on the computer to implement seems to be working. The real measure though will be if the plans are put in place and completed, versus left half done as I am very prone to do.

One thing I am more amazed about in this whole process, is the fact that I have managed to post a daily update in all this time, and that has been my ONLY emails outside of work related issues. The act of being consistent about updates, combined with the fact I haven't strayed and started posting online, researching website set up info, ect ect, that’s almost a bigger accomplishment as compared to all the other pieces of the challenge. This is turning into 'unplugged + writing daily'.

Now that I am past the initial push of this challenge, I might back off the daily posts unless I have something significant to update. I do like the act of going over the previous day in my head, reminds me of my progress and any issues I might need to deal with better today. So maybe a quick mini post would be in order each day just to stay in the habit.

Day 8 Results:

• Work Productivity - Medium (had a few fellow EE distractions throughout the day)
• Home Productivity - High
• Energy about challenge - High
• Physical Energy - Medium (still pretty store, but able to get more done today)
• Mental clarity - High

Day 7 - Unplugged

Wow, a week in, and still on track. This has to be a record for me :)

No issues today, maybe caught some inadvertent TV while doing some tasks in the kitchen, as I am not restricting my husband's TV watching during one of my 'trials'. But outside of that, I had no issues today. Relaxed maybe a bit more then I wanted to, it ended up being a recovery day after our ride on Sunday. Boy, I know I am out of shape, but this drives it home more then needed. My legs get so sore its like my joints won't function correctly when I try and walk. Lol…oh well, it was fun, and glad I got a good workout in even if I can barely walk today.

Some pieces are starting to come together on the tasks I have been pondering on lately. Ideas I have had previously, but haven't necessarily put all the parts together to make a true plan. Part of the goal of this month was to take those high level ideas and start to hammer them out into real possibilities. I think I am going to continue to abstain from PC access even if its for research on these 'work' type projects. I have enough items to still think over, that I can continue working out the kinks and draw up a to do list to work on later. I suspect if I get a few more things done this week and over the weekend, there is a chance I might start tackling that to do list for work projects in the second half of this month. For now, going to still abstain from internet access even for work, its best at this stage. I have plenty of household projects and chores that I need to continue tackling first.

As I head into day 8, things are getting much easier. Do I still find myself wanting to get on the internet? Of course, big time. But does it consume as much energy as it did previously, definitely not. I haven't had the urge to plop down on the couch in front of the TV yet either. Course, having books on hand pretty much takes care of that, but I will slate books as better then TV any day (even if they are fiction). Still probably need to cut books back a bit more, but I am going to focus on the positive that I have stuck to my guns for 7 days, and feel good about that.

I have already started coming up with ideas for my next 30 days. Probably going to be a combination meditation, yoga, and early rising plan. Likely will be done in increments, working each item up to optimal amounts over about a two week period. Need to probably invest in a new alarm clock and possibly a stop watch of sorts. I think I can come up with the stop watch type item through other items I already have at home, but frankly, I hate my alarm clock, I am programmed to hit snooze over and over on it…I think I need something new and different for a challenge involving waking up at a set time 7 days a week. Nothing fancy, its possible just a new sound will help start the challenge off right. Will also probably be putting it across the room (husbands going to love this one) LOL.

So off I go into day 8…..

• Work Productivity - NA (off work)
• Home Productivity - Medium (not very mobile, but got a few kitchen items complete)
• Energy about challenge - High
• Physical Energy - Medium/low (super sore from previous day)
• Mental clarity - High

Day 5-6 - Unplugged

Not a bad weekend, Saturday I did several projects around the house, did some cooking and stock making, and in general had a very productive day. Sunday we went riding on the track (dirt bikes), most of the day. I had set aside that I could watch a couple hours of the play off game this weekend at the start of the challenge, so I did watch about half of the steelers game from a table while we ate dinner out. As soon as the game was over, I noticed I was lingering, and immediately reminded myself TV time was over.

All in all, still a success and I have kept to my outlined habits. My husband asked me a few times for information on this or that, and I told him he would have to browse the internet himself :). I was happy with what I accomplished over the weekend, and with the day off from work today for the holiday, should continue that trend.

I did finish my two books from the library, and after a super productive Saturday, decided to go pick up a couple more. I had hesitated, because I didn't want to default to too much reading, but at this point, after a LONG day of projects and cleaning, I really had no way of unwinding outside of some exercise and meditation. I am working that in this month a bit more, but it isn't officially part of this challenge. Sometimes I take on TOO much at once, and crash. I would like to stick to my outline for 30 days which is still very drastic for me, and if decompressing with some reading in the evening works, I am going to continue for now. Likely my next challenge will involve more meditation and yoga, so will tackle that on the next go around.

Result of day 5/6 -

• Work Productivity - NA (weekend)
• Home Productivity - High
• Energy about challenge - High
• Physical Energy - Med/high
• Mental clarity - Good

Day 4 - Unplugged

Today was probably the hardest day to get through. I didn't slip up, but I probably 'pushed' the limits a little bit. Its a friday at work, bit more relaxed, people talking about movies, or events. I did have a lot more side tracks and distractions through the day, and a lot more drive to try and do 'justified' things on the internet. The only thing I did do, was look up a recipe online from a cookbook I have at home, as I was heading to the grocery store from work, and forgot to write down the ingredients before I left in the morning. I caught myself reviewing the recipe, looking at comments about improvements, and even clicking on a similar recipe before I realized what I was doing. I immediately shut the internet down when I realized I had lost track of my single simple task.

After work though, no TV, no issues, just relaxed and did a few things around the house and finished a book up. Outlined some to do lists for the weekend, and re grouped after what turned into a difficult day for some reason. I don't feel that I did terrible yesterday, but I definitely had too many conversations with myself trying to convince me that I could 'stretch' the rules for something. Just need to stay steadfast.

Result of day 4 -

• Work Productivity - Low/Medium, too many distractions allowed to deter me
• Home Productivity - Moderate, ran a few errands and planned out some items
• Energy about challenge - Medium, was drained after the long day
• Physical Energy - Medium
• Mental clarity - okay to good, had some insights later in the night that were nice

Day 3 - Unplugged

The challenges continue

So, still holding to my guns, and getting more ammo as I go. No mistakes, no slip ups. Although I played wii for a bit at a friends, and while that didn't break any of the rules I had established (since my primary goal is to clear my head and not waste time at home and at work)…but I will say, I had some silly rabbits bouncing around in my head the rest of the night, and realized it was not assisting in any 'clearing of the mind' tasks I had set out. Not a big deal, 30 minutes of wii at a single friends gathering I am not going to get up in arms about, but don't think I will do it again during this challenge.

Folks around me just laugh and go 'why' when I say I am going unplugged. I only told one friend at work, but the word trickled out quickly based on my change in habits, or someone making a comment. They get a very flabbergasted look on their face, which just makes me laugh. Comments like 'I can't live without the news'…..and I want to ask "really, cannot live? Are you telling me ANYTHING different will happen in the world if you don't read some news article? Do you think you will be less of a person for not reading the news of today? What about all the negative influences the news has on your own personal beliefs? How bad is the economy truly, and how much drama is created by the news?" But for the most part, I explain my personal reasons, compare it to things like when one goes on a vacation they usually do something similar and it’s a nice reprieve (most people can relate to this comparison it seems). I mention how much work I am getting done at home and at work, and I am only on day 3.

One of the best lines I get is 'you will never make it 30 days'. These are the comments I NEED. These are the things that give me fire and fuel and determination. Maybe it’s a bit misguided to take comments like that into a challenge, but I do, and I use it. Its gotten me through tougher challenges, and I am a better person for it in the end. My discipline has grown with each path I have taken, so all I can say is….bring it on. My beliefs that put me in this challenge are 100% personally driven and decided upon. If I use some fuel in the middle of the challenge to spur me on based on a comment from an outsider, I just have to remember why I am doing this first and foremost.

Three days…doesn't seem very long when written, but the amount of obstacles I have faced seems much more then just three days. Coworkers spouting out 'plane crash in new york river', and my first instinct is to do a quick pull up of cnn.com. Look out the window before leaving for work to see traffic completely snarled, and I want to type in the local news website to look at where the accident is to plan my route. Trying to figure out what to cook for dinner, and I think about the websites I can visit to look up new recipes. A friend asks a question about something, and I am tempted to look up the info so I can give them an answer. People discussing some funny TV show they think I should watch the next night.

I would guess right now I am in the worst of it. I think if I can make it through the weekend, being home for three days from work and still stick by my rules, I think this constant mental battle will diminish. I am currently breaking some SERIOUS habits, likely an addiction of sorts. So I will keep pushing, and its going to get easier. Probably also should plan a few things outside of the house to help set me up for success. Should be doing an outdoor task for most of the day sat or Sunday. Monday, might make plans to see my sister for a couple hours before picking up milk for delivery in my raw milk co-op.

Result of day 3 -

• Work Productivity - Good
• Home Productivity - NA - wasn't home until bedtime
• Energy about challenge - High
• Physical Energy - Medium (feeling better, need sleep catch up now)
• Mental clarity - okay (still battling some decisions about reading and staying on track with tasks)

Day 2 - Unplugged

Day 2, complete. Phew. Bit harder then day one, but seriously, it wasn't that bad.

Work went well all day, had the 'urge' to get online quite a bit, but I would remind myself of the directives, and move on back to work. Got quite a bit done. Have to make sure I don't increase my face to face 'chatting' as another excuse to avoid work, but so far, I am happy with the balance I have struck. I did not break a single one of my 'rules', stuck to my guns, and no mistakes.

The timing has ended up being a tough time to start this challenge, but not something I realized at the time. My monthlies started on the morning of this challenge, and usually for 2-3 days I am pretty immobile and uncomfortable. Yesterday was no exception, and neither was the day before. It doesn't really effect my ability to stick to the challenge at work, but by the time I get home in the evening, I am running on empty and need to relax and recover. I had intended my lack of TV and internet to keep me productive at home, but when you cannot get up and move around, it’s a bit limiting. I have resorted to reading quite a bit, which wasn't my intention at all. Good news is, this evening should be better, and I am almost done with the book in question, and that should help. And even with the reading, I have still been more productive then usual, and mentally, feeling pretty good.

My mind seemed a bit more focused yesterday at work. Its definitely too early to tell for sure, but I could see a difference in my focus levels and keeping my mind on track. On top of that, in the late evening I felt my head clearing quite a bit and some mild clarity on some issues I have been jumbling around in my head a lot lately. If this continues to improve, I will be quite pleased.

Result of day 2

• Work Productivity - Good
• Home Productivity - Low (still was not feeling good at all, resorted to reading, which wasn't entirely my best choice)
• Energy about challenge - High
• Physical Energy - Low/moderate (hoping to feel better into day 3)
• Mental clarity - Good

Day 1 End - Unplugged

So first day unplugged, not too bad.

Finished up most of any updates, emails, ect first thing yesterday morning, so spent the majority of the day holding up my end of the bargain. Found myself thinking about getting online to check this, kill some time over this, just a quick peek at that….but I didn't succumb to the temptation. My mind really wanted to cave a couple times, but I held off, and happy I did. I figure these first few days will be the hardest, as my usual habit is to avoid work both at home and at work, by getting on the internet, ect. So just need to change some habits.

At lunch at work I usually surf the net, so when I sat down with lunch, realized I had nothing to do but work. So I stared out the window at the view while I ate lunch, which I have a great view overlooking the mountains, so it was pleasant. Think I will join friends at a kitchen table in the future…avoid temptation at least initially.

Also found that with no TV at dinner, I ended up propping open a book to read while I ate. I think the husband and I will eat more meals together going forward. Just changing of habits right now.

I logged onto an online PC game last night, and managed to be off in about 3 minutes. Cleaned out my 'mail' system, and dropped a line to a couple people that I wouldn't be available. That was the last issue I had outstanding, and happy I didn't get 'distracted' in the process, just logged in, completed business, and out.

Result of day 1:

• Work Productivity - Good
• Home Productivity - Mild (wasn't feeling good, was still more productive then usual, but ended up going to bed early and reading more)
• Energy about project - High
• Physical Energy - Low (not feeling well)
• Mental clarity - Medium (I know I need to do this, still some mild background noise in head contradicting path, but feeling good and progressing)

Day 1 - Unplugged

So my plan is to unplug a bit from the constant 'information' flow that comes at you in today's world. No internet surfing, news updates, constant messaging and emails from friends and family, updates from forums, TV, ect. I have tried to cut back on things in the past, but sort of like cutting back on food, it doesn't stick when I ease into it, and I usually need something drastic to make it all work.

I need to get some clarity on my future paths, and the slow process isn't working. So I have decided a bit of a modern day vision quest might be in order.

First, I am looking at all items that 'suck' time from me. This of course would be TV, internet, PC games, messaging and chatting with friends, those type of items. On top of that, I analyzed items that are having some type of negative influence on me. News probably being top on that list, and while all the information I have gathered on the net about health and wellness, ect, is a GOOD thing usually, at this point, I have so many paths I think are probably right, I just need to just focus and go down one. Instead, I find myself mired up in too much information available, and not progressing forward.

So the goal will be to seriously reduce my time wasters and the negative influences on my clarity. Unfortunately the stress I tend to pick up sometimes from my family and friends could probably be on this list as well, but for now, I am not going to take any drastic measures with this piece. I might have to address this later in the path, but for now, I will just eliminate email and messaging, which will drastically reduce communication in general.

My ultimate goal from this is to achieve some clearness in my upcoming paths. I have a lot of ideas, but not a lot of clarity as to where I should go. Some of them related to my health choices, some career, some family. There is a lot of confusion, and I believe that if I can step back, look at it all through a clearer mind, things might come together a bit.

Secondary goals which I believe will assist in my primary goals, is getting a few aspects of my life cleaned up. Getting some projects done around the home and at work will greatly relieve stress. I am frustrated with my motivation, so I intend to eliminate that frustration, and try to live up to my potential in several areas.

Rules of Engagement:
Just so I am clear on my path, makes it easier to stick to it, here is how I intend to become 'unplugged'

• No internet surfing or web browsing. I am to stay off the net for everything BUT, checking my bank account to pay bills, and to check the weather occasionally only at weather.com (since it could effect my ability to drive my vehicle, and any other location comes with other news). Everything else is a no go! And the two exceptions will be very limited basis.
• No PC games, period. Even solitaire.
• No text messaging
• No email, I will check email once each night as I have some billing that I need to be aware of, and a once a week milk co-op that I need to know if there are any changes. If friend or family member emails me, I will respond that I am currently unplugged, and they can call me if they want to chat. This goes for work friends sending emails as well. I will delete junk mail immediately, no sales, no 'maybe's', just delete.
• No TV. I have put a slight exceptions into this, and I believe the time involved is small enough that it will be okay. I want to see part of the Cardinals football game this weekend, will try not to watch the whole game. I have a super bowl party at my brothers on the 1st, and I am going to help support him socially (we never go see him), although it is unlikely I will watch much of the game while there. In total, this will average to less then an hour a week of TV, that is all. I am not going for 100% deprivation, so as long as I can stick to this outlined exception, I will be very happy with my progress. I almost removed these exceptions, but I felt that if I did, I was going to slip up more, and cause frustration, so I outlined an acceptable compromise.
  

Currently I am not going to cut out music or reading. Although music is restricted to what I already have loaded on my MP3 player, so I am not spending time researching and uploading new songs. I might re-evaluate both of these if I find I am reading too much to fill the time, or if music for some reason is holding me back from clarity. Music for me usually = more productivity, I use it for cleaning house and projects.

Today is day 1, and I am wrapping up a few loose ends so that by tomorrow I can be 100% unplugged. I wrapped up some purchases for my PC, since part of my projects this month will include overhauling two PCs at home of old files, loading a back up drive, and just getting them cleared in general (stuff I have been putting off for eons). I am emailing some friends, disconnecting some emails that come to me through forums, ect, and just in general putting in place all the set up to make this as easy as possible.

Changing over

So, I let the blog go stagnant, yet again. BAH.....I shall not quit. I shall change my habits so that the blog will not die...period....I will achieve this, my mind is set.

Here is a recap, since my last post was .....uhhh....October. (sheesh)

I kept to my partial raw trial for awhile, but I really started to feel worse. My stomach crashed, and I went back to my old standby of low carb high protein which seems to fit my body the best right now. I still eat raw veggies and snacks every day, ranging from 10-30% of my volume intake (not calories). I strive for 30% raw a day, and will keep that for now. I may do another 100% raw challenge attempt in the future, but my mind and body are not being drawn that direction currently, so I am following my motivation.

November and December were spent with a lot of family, a lot of work, and some struggles through a bit of manic mind and lack of focus. As the new year approached, I was already heading into my typical winter funk, brought on by I am sure a combination of holiday food habits, lack of sun, chronic work stress this time of year, and my struggle to balance my energy around family and friends.

I headed into January though with a purpose and motivation I have probably not experienced before. I have long had goals and ideas I have strived for, but the progress has been too slow for my liking. I came up with an actual plan to make those goals a reality, much faster, and more defined then I have ever drawn up. Now I am in the process of implementing that plan.

The heart of my plans to achieve my goals are to refine my discipline and focus. I feel like my discipline is very good after years of food restrictions and habit changing, but without the focus, my efforts have remained scattered. My changes come and go depending on my moods and energy, which is saying that each day or even each hour I could be on some new kick or idea.

30 day challenges are going to be a very large part of my training. I need focus, first and foremost, and clearly outlined 30 day challenges will bring that. Each challenge will be geared towards helping my ultimate goals in the end.

Overly optimistic you say? Ambitious? Well, ha, I have a surprise. I have already completed my first 30 day challenge with flying colors, and have 19 posts during that challenge that I will be adding to this blog!

I have post dated this entry back to right before my 30 day challenge, actual date of entry is 2-14-09. For 'flow' purposes, I have pre dated it so it falls before my next 30 day challenge entries.

So let the games begin!!!