Recapturing Your Creative Flow, by Andra Watkins

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Recapturing Your Creative Flow, by Andra Watkins

Digital Detox. Two little words that, when placed side-by-side, sound like something that might happen at a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous.

Yet, for the past couple of months, I have been experimenting with a version of digital detox, my own release of the shackles of constant connectivity. I embarked upon this journey because, as a writer, I found my creativity zapped by the glowing screen. When my mind should have been wandering to find the next epiphany or chewing on the next plot point, I was lazy. I opted to text/e-mail/blog/Google+/Facebook/Twitter/Tumblr.

mouse n pad Digital detox was my way to try to recapture my creative flow. It isn’t a complete divorce from social media or the internet. Instead, it is a structured schedule that rations my use of the online world. Once in the morning and once in the evening, I’ve given myself time to be online.

My plan might not work for everyone, because the key to my digital detox is control of my schedule.

I work for myself. Therefore, I have more control of my schedule than some readers. I also don’t have children, which may prohibit a few readers from adapting some of these techniques. Still, even for a long weekend, I think almost anyone could do what I did, because………

I went somewhere without access to the internet.

A friend has access to a family cabin in the mountains of North Carolina, and she graciously reserved a week for me. It was built, Swiss-chalet style, in the early 1970′s, and the family opted to keep it rustic. Hence, no internet connection.

Because it was on the back-side of a mountain, I also had practically no phone signal. It drifted in and out, leaving me little choice but to put the thing away and focus on what I went up there to do, which was:

Walk aimlessly without being mowed down by a car; and
Write.

Because it rained three of my five writing days, I had even more time to write.

to do clips How I changed my habits at home:

I have scheduled one hour in the morning and one in the evening to deal with all things internet, except on Mondays, when I have commitments that keep me online for several hours in the afternoon.
I made a timed checklist of tasks that I must complete online during each hour. You can download a copy of it by following this link: Andra’s Digital Detox Lite Checklist.
At all other times, the internet will be turned off at its source, and my phone will be set to silent to focus on offline tasks. I thought about simply disabling my wifi on my computer, but it is too easy to turn back on.
In the past, I worked at my desk with multiple online tabs open at once. I probably lose an hour a day just going back and forth between tabs every time something new shows up. No more. I now work with one tab open at a time, and I finish what I was doing before checking anything else.
Other than Foodspotting (to which I am horribly addicted but only share food pics there), I will not take my phone out at the table. More often than not, I now leave it in the car.

My Digital Detox Lite is a work-in-progress. It requires me to be kind to myself as I stumble. Still, my mind is much less cluttered than it was before I started. I write more and make better creative connections. I don’t feel the crush of stress that I once did. My program has reintroduced balance to my life.

Perhaps, it will do the same for someone else. Good luck!

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Andraʼs Digital Detox Lite Checklist

Every Morning: 1 Hour

• Respond to blog comments (10 minutes)

• Post blog to Google+ (with photo, not link) (2 minutes)

• Post blog to Pinterest shared boards (2 minutes)

• Share out Triberr posts for day (5 minutes)

• Post daily quote on Google+, Tumblr, LinkedIn and Twitter (2 minutes)

• Read and respond to emails (10 – 15 minutes)

• Read blogs, comment and like (20 minutes)

• Miscellaneous wild time (4 minutes)

Every Evening: 30 Minutes – 1 Hour, depending upon volume

• Respond to blog comments (10 minutes)

• Respond to social media comments (10 minutes)

• Thank social media folks for shares (10 minutes)

• Read and respond to email (10 minutes)

• Read blogs, comment and like (20 minutes)

Other than the times designated, the internet will be turned off at its source. The phone will also be set to silent, except during the above-outlined times.

Follow Andra

Please visit Andra’s blog: The Accidental Cootchie Mama

You can follow her via: https://twitter.com/andrawatkins and http://www.facebook.com/andrawatkinsauthor

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Copyright Andra Watkins 2013. All rights are reserved Internationally. You may not reproduce it in any form, in part of whole, without prior written permission. That includes usage in forms such as print, audio and digital imaging including pdf, jpg, png etc. A fee may be requested for re-using this work if it is for a commercial venture. Link sharing and Pinterest pins are most welcome as long as Andra Watkins is the attributed Author.

Except for Andra’s photo and blog header, the images on this post are Copyright Cate Russell-Cole 2013. No images on this blog may be copied, captured, or altered for your own purpose without Cate’s prior, written consent.