Personal Development- Start Now

Disconnected Days

I have a problem.
A very serious problem.
It’s destroying my (productive) life.
My problem: I am easily seduced.
It seems I am weak.
Every day I set out to be disciplined.
Every day I promise I will not stray.
But every day somehow the siren’s song of email, texts, phone calls and social alerts always prostrate me.
I submit.
I give in.
And once again the grand intentions of my day are squandered in the vortex of reacting to the calls of other people’s agenda.
But no more.
I am no longer going to rely on my good intentions, my well-laid plans for the day or my will power to stay the course.

When I set out into the wide blue ocean of my day, where the siren lay, I am going to tie myself to my mast AND put wax in my ears.
I don’t need to hear their songs at all.
Here is the hard truth…
When I prioritize my day never does checking email or responding to unsolicited communications ever make my list, but somehow, someway it always seems to consume much of my day.
Is this true for you too?
We are living in drastic times.
The sirens have multiplied. They are now everywhere, all around us, all the time.
We sit in front of them all day, we carry them around with us in our pocket and even lay them next to our head as we sleep.
Their songs have never been so loud or so relentless.
Their songs have never been more tantalizing or more seductive.
We live in an era of constant and never ending distraction.
Drastic times require drastic measures.
Thus, my goal for 2015 is: 100 Disconnected Days*.
*Disconnected Day: A day focused on creative production or rest and recovery off the digital communication grid.
Yes, 100 days includes weekends.
I know that doesn’t sound difficult, but in 2014 I had ZERO Disconnected Days.
ZERO days where I was not connected/distracted by email, phone calls, texts or social media communications.
To go from 0 to 100 will be a giant feat.
To have 100 days completely dedicated to creative production and some revitalization will give me the foundation I need to crush the productivity of 2014, which was my most productive year to date.
How about you?
How many truly Disconnected Days did you have in 2014?
How often were the intentions and productive plans of your day sacrificed to the seductive siren’s song of email and the rest?
I invite you to join me on this challenge: 100 Disconnected Days.
Use them to do focused project work and/or to recover and revitalize.
Even just one workday and one weekend day would get you to the goal.
But be warned.
If you do choose to join me, this will be harder than it sounds.
The siren’s songs are so lovely and so beautiful and you are emotionally and psychologically addicted to hearing them.
Even with wax in your ears and your hands and feet bound, you will be tempted to surrender.
You might not think so now, but when you are sailing through your day it will be hard not to stray.
I ask you to keep in mind the incredible production, value and impact you can create once you are no longer under the spell of the wicked mermaids of distraction.
You will need the help of those around you to bind you tighter if they see you trying to wiggle loose.
Below is the auto-responder I have on my email during one of my Disconnected Days.
I suggest you use something similar.
It will keep you honest in the court of public commitment.

Subject: [AUTO] Disconnected…
…from The Matrix
Today is a Disconnected Day*
Know that your message has been received and will be dealt with when I plug back in.
-Darren
*Disconnected Day: A day focused on creative production or rest and recovery off the digital communication grid. Learn more about Disconnected Days here.
2015 Goal: 100 DDs.
This auto-responder helps keep me accountable to this goal.
If you hear from me on a day you receive this auto-responder then I have failed.
P.S. This message is AUTO generated.

Update: As of today I have completed 5 DDs.
Here is what I can report:

• It’s absolutely stupefying what you can get done in a day when you are able to be 100% focused and undisturbed for a full 24 hours. This alone is a HUGE benefit and a reason why everyone should commit to 100 DDs, and every leader should insist each of their people do so as well.
• In the stillness I am able to access a creative depth I would not have otherwise.
• During a DD I experience a great decompression of frenetic energy build up which has all sorts of additional benefits.
• Knowing I am not expected to be available gives me great emotional and psychological relief, thus full access to my power of presence.
• It’s training everyone around me not to be dependent on me, thus taking more leadership themselves
• http://darrenhardy.success.com/2015/01/disconnected-days/