I tried going tech free this weekend and it was a very difficult task. I did not realize how much I had become dependent upon technology until I did this exercise. It was really eye opening and I will have to try harder in the future to not be consumed by technology so much.

Thursday 9/22/2016

8:30am-9am

I typically begin my mornings with prayer and meditation….to gospel music. However, since I was going tech free, I had to do this in silence. This was not difficult to do at all. I believe it allowed me to be more cognizant of relaxing during meditation and prayer.

9:30-10:30

I showered and prepared for my commute to my assistantship in silence. I use the term silence because I have a small Bluetooth speaker that I use to listen to music while getting dressed. This was difficult because I am so used to listening to music while getting dressed for the day. However, I sang my favorite songs instead. I have to work on the lyrics to quite a few of them.

11am-12pm

I have to drive 45mins-1hr to my assistantship. Typically, I listen to gospel or R&B music while driving to and from; however, today I drove in silence and it was awkwardly refreshing. I was focused on the road as well as the natural beauty of the community I was riding through. It was especially nice to notice that some of the leaves had already begun to change.

12pm-8pm

During this time, I was at my assistantship, where I tutor students with their writing. I worked the entire shift with a student who needed help organizing a letter. Then I was bombarded with an influx of students who needed assistance with research questions. Thus, my entire shift tech free was painless since I was busy assisting students.

8pm-9pm

I drove home in silence. This was good to do because while I am already alert when driving from my assistantship at night, I was even more alert since I was not singing with the music. I am nervous when driving from my assistantship because it is dark and full of narrow, winding roads. Additionally, driving in silence allowed me to listen to my car and I believe I am almost due for an oil change.

9:15p-12am

When I had gotten to my apartment, I used the rest of my tech free time to prepare for my weekend trip to D.C. and read for class. I knew I wanted to take photos in the nation’s capital, so I opted to do my tech free day before I left. I prepared myself to return phone calls and respond to text messages in the morning.

I am amazed at how much I can actually get done without being distracted by technology. However, I really missed not being able to listen to music during this time. Music relaxes me and I listen to it frequently throughout the day. I think with practice, I can benefit greatly from not being so dependent upon technology.