People talk to me all the time about their “technology vacations,” when they put the phone on silent, walk away from the laptop, power-down the tablet, and engage in an activity that doesn’t involve technology.
For the most part, I do have breaks from technology – when my husband and I go to dinner, we interact with each other, not with our phones; we only have one television in our house – in the family room; I read actual books – on pages, not screens; and I have a strict no-phone policy when I’m working with my horse.
A few years ago, I updated first non-flip phone and bought an actual smart phone. I’ll admit that I thought having a case that matched my car was pretty cool… (Go ahead, techno-gurus, roll your eyes and groan).
I had that phone for five years (which, my husband told me, is unheard-of!). Once I’m comfortable with a piece of technology, I really hate to change. It means I have to devote part of my creative brain to technology, which drains my energy.
Fast-forward to Sunday afternoon. I was loading a bag of fresh-from-the-hens eggs into my car and placed my phone on the roof. My husband was in the car with me that afternoon (otherwise, the roof would have been down). As I accelerated up the hill, I heard something bounce against the side of my car.
In horror, I turned the car around. My husband plucked the phone from the pavement and inspected it for damage. It had shatter-proof glass, but the inside sported about a dozen horizontal cracks – I couldn’t press or swipe, no matter how hard I tried.
My husband ordered a new phone for me, and it was delivered two days later.
That was TWO DAYS without my phone! During the beginning of the work week. At the start of Spring Break.
For a freelancer, the inability to take calls from clients, or conduct phone interviews, is nerve-wracking. I sent emails to all of my current clients and referral sources, explaining what happened.
Now, I’m faced with re-building my contact list, bidding adieu to the photos that weren’t saved to the Cloud, and learning to use a new piece of technology.
I’m also considering taking Sundays off from the phone from now on…