My Week Unplugged & How it Helped Me as a Blogger
I took one week in the woods to unplug from technology. Join me for the low-down on the unexpected ways it helped me grow as a blogger and small business owner.
Prepare to be shocked and amazed: I went an entire week “unplugged” from technology. Well…almost.
With the exception of one hour each day (to tame the email beast and make sure my blog hadn’t gotten sucked up into a blackhole in cyberspace), I closed my laptop and tucked away my phone for some rest and renewal. I needed it. And it was divine.
And you know who helped make that possible? These fabulous guest bloggers who spoiled you rotten with their amazing posts:
- 7 Tips for Finding a Wedding Venue by my parents, Carolyn and Jay
- 6 DIY Skin Care Recipes by Gabby of Essentially Eclectic
- Wall Unit to Kitchen Hutch Makeover by Thalita of The Learner Observer
If you haven’t already read these gems, I encourage you to check out each one of them for some D.I.Y. inspiration that is going to rock your polka-dotted socks off. (And thanks again M & D, Gabby, and Thalita for sharing such brilliance with my readers!)
My Week Unplugged
So, where in the world was I during my week unplugged?
That’s right. I was deep in the woods of Wisconsin at HoneyRock Camp. Mark and I attended Wheaton College, IL as undergrads, and HoneyRock is considered the northwoods campus of Wheaton. It also serves as a camp and retreat center year round. During the last week of the summer season, the camp is filled with incoming Wheaton freshmen and transfer students for what is called Wheaton Passage. Students are placed in “Passage” groups and paired with a student leader and Wheaton faculty mentor. They spend a week together engaging in purposeful challenge, academic study, and lots of late night campfires in preparation for their first year at Wheaton.
Being up at camp with the “Passage” students made Mark and me really miss college actually! (Has it really been 12 years since I was a freshie?)
While I never got to enjoy HoneyRock as a Wheaton student, Mark sure did…as an incoming freshman, then as a counselor, and now, he gets to return as camp doctor. That’s what has brought us to HoneyRock these past two summers. I mean, I cannot think of someone better suited for the job: as a peds. E.R. doc. with training in wilderness medicine and a love that runs deep for HoneyRock, Mark is right in his element. Plus, he gets to play on the water during his “off” hours…the same waters where he first learned to sail.
This is our second summer doing the camp doctor gig. I even had an official job of my own this summer as resident photographer. I got to tromp around camp with a fancy HoneyRock camera around my neck, snapping photos of students in action, trying not to be too much of a “creeper.”
Here are some of my favorite photos that I captured:
We even partnered with a “Passage” group and joined them for some of their activities. Mark taught them how to sail! As per Dr. Howell’s instructions, Mark was to only give them technical instructions without any physical demonstration; it was part of the challenge for that day. Mark was such a good instructor, though, that they all sailed successfully, and not a boat capsized or needed to be towed in. Not sure if that was an epic fail or an epic win!
It has become an annual tradition for us to read aloud to each other during our nighttime fires and s’mores roasting, and what better to read aloud when you’re in the middle of the woods than The Hunger Games! Last summer it was the first book in the series, and this summer it was Catching Fire. Pretty apt title for a campfire read, don’t you think?
Nothing calms the soul more than a sunset canoe ride. And nothing makes me snap pictures like the paparazzi more than spotting a bald eagle up high in a treetop. Apparently, that sort of thing is a daily sighting in the northwoods of Wisconsin.
Our friend and Mark’s groomsman Brent even flew out to spend a few days with us up at camp! Yes, this is the same Brent from our epic rest stop at the Indian River Citrus Center with the zillion and one taxidermied gators. Anyway, although Brent’s home is in Seattle, he really appreciates small town life. And that is one of the many things I appreciate about him!
I think the most memorable moment from our trip had to be after the commissioning service on Ski Hill. The students broke out into song as they journeyed from the hilltop through the woods on a torch-lit path. Long after they had disappeared into the mist, we could hear the haunting rounds of “Amazing Grace” and “Let Us Adore” wafting up from the valley like the howls of coyotes. An invisible choir heard for miles around….
You can’t get that on a computer screen.
How My Week Unplugged Helped Me As a Blogger:
- I was more productive in less time. Since Mark had one hour in the health center each day, I decided to do only one hour of “work” online. I would actually set a timer on my phone, hit start, and then it was go time! I quickly discovered that I was way more efficient in that one hour than I usually am at home over several hours. Each day, I had a priority list of things I needed to get done (i.e. check email, respond to comments, promote the guest post on social media)…and when the items on that list were finished, then I could get lost on Pinterest or Facebook. At home, it’s usually the other way around. I might need to change that now.
- It dispelled the myth that your blog won’t grow if you’re not online. Get this: during one of my days “unplugged” last week, my blog experienced the highest pageviews in the history of The Thinking Closet! Crazy, huh? So, this idea that your blog won’t grow if you’re not online to make it happen…well, it just isn’t true. Sometimes, a big site will link to a post or it will get picked up on social media…and you might have nothing to do with it! In fact, it’s a pretty humbling experience.
- I was afforded the space and time to dreamcast on paper. As much as I love my lappy, nothing quite beats a good dreams and goals session on the fresh pages of a journal. It’s hard to believe, but The Thinking Closet is coming up on its one year blogiversary–this September 6th to be exact! In fact, it was at HoneyRock last summer when I first started seriously considering starting a blog. My, how much has happened in one year’s time…. So, this summer, I devoted several hours of journal time one afternoon to dreamcasting for this upcoming year. I even dared to venture into some big ideas for The Thinking Closet…ideas that scare me and excite me at the same time. The kind of ideas that only come when we carve out the space and time to dream them. Do you dream up ideas like those?
- It gave me a second wind! Coming back, I feel reinvigorated…about blogging, about teaching this fall, about a lot of things. It makes me think I should unplug more often! In fact, Mark and I have talked before about implementing a true Sabbath one day a week and having a part of that ritual be the powering down of electronics. Remember what Erin from Living in Yellow said: “Feed your life; it will feed your blog.”
Your Turn!
What do you think about all of this unplugging business? Do you set aside time in your day or week to unplug? Have you taken any measures to improve your efficiency when online? I’d love to hear your two cents, dear reader.
And this week’s Friday Five is going to be focused around this idea of unplugging and taking time to step away from technology, so if there are any links you think I need to see, feel free to share them in the comments below!
I’m Not Alone!
And a huge thanks to everyone who commiserated with my story of seller’s remorse…and for those who shared their own stories of remorse, and not just as sellers, but as lenders and give-away-ers. If it was possible, I’m probably an even bigger hoarder now than I was already thanks to you people. {Smile.} From here on out, I have no plans of ever giving away:
- baby clothes
- maternity clothes
- over-stuffed arm chairs
- dress forms
- food processors
- crock pots
- bookcases
- audio recorders
- ticket stub collections
- sapphire pendants
- grandmothers’ rings
- electric guitars
- Christmas pajamas
- mid-century modern furniture
- vintage linens
- treasured childhood toys
- books of all kinds
- elephant collections
- racing bikes
- rubber stamps and ink pads
- bedroom sets with makeover potential
- stainless steel bowls that could be upcycled into lampshades
But ya know, I think Jessica said it best in her comment: “Oh well, it’s just stuff, right?”
It is just stuff. And as much as I miss my collection of aqua Ball mason jars, I doubt that I’ll be thinking of them when I’m on my deathbed. Instead, I hope I’ll recollect all of those sunset canoe rides on Long Lake with people I love.
It’s good to be back.
Just re-read this epic post and it made me so happy to see the photos and read honey rock life through your eyes. I’ve said it before, you are a natural at camp. Great post.
Thanks, buddy! Thanks for introducing me to HoneyRock, and for sharing some of your favorite places and pastimes with me. Canoeing with you on Long Lake is now one of my favorite things to do in the whole wide world. (And thanks to Brenty, we have an awesome photo to commemorate that. Win.)
Loved your blog, Lauren. Looks like you had a simply grand time. The wonderful photos made me quite homesick for Michigan. The WATER!!! I hope you realize how lucky you are to have ALL that WATER. Living here in South Australia that is something we are sorely lacking in.
It’s good to be unplugged if it can be managed. I live in hope! Lists, now you’re talking. I’m the queen of list making. Best to you and yours from me and mine.
Dinky Di
That’s a good reminder to appreciate what we have, Di! Earlier tonight, Mark and I sat on the dock, just taking in the sunset on the water. It was divine! Wish I could send you the view, my list-making friend from down under!
Wow! You’ve only been blogging for a year? I’d thought much longer. Congrats on your upcoming blogiversary
Thanks, Jenny! Some days it feels like just yesterday I started my little WordPress.com blog, and other days, it feels like I’ve been blogging since the womb! Ha ha.
Awwww! It looks like you guys had such a great time! Yay for the chance to unplug a bit! I’m excited to see what’s coming up next for The Thinking Closet!!!
~Abby =)
Thanks for your excitement, Abby. You are such a fantastic cheerleader of a bloggy buddy! I feel similarly excited about Just a Girl And Her Blog. Happy Labor Day weekend to you!
What a beautiful post, Lauren! It even made me cry! I’m so glad you had time to be unplugged with the love of your life and your thoughts and dreams. The photos you captured tell such a vivid and beautiful story. Love the one at the end of you and Mark together too! Do you think the camp needs a camp pharmacist to assist the camp dr for a week? I might know one in Texas who would volunteer.
My ladies’ Bible study/discipleship group underwent 48 hours of being unplugged last year and it was wonderful! Amazing how much time there is in the day when you say bye bye to technology for a bit. Love you and your thoughtful reflective spirit. Thanks for sharing and inspiring us!
I totally believe in unplugging! We spent a glorious week in Oregon earlier this summer (recap happening this week on my blog!), and I just could not get over the quiet, and the sun, and the crispness of the air. We didn’t spend nearly enough time soaking it all in (I’d still be there now!), but it was glorious.
Oh, and your timer-setting idea. GENIUS! I’m doing it from now on!
I’m feeling relaxed just looking at your pictures. I am a Wisconsin native and enjoyed many a trips to the middle of nowhere growing up. We’re taking a short family vaca next week for a couple days. i might try this unplugged thing, maybe just from my blog to start. It could do a lot of good, a fresh look on things when I return maybe. Thanks for sharing.
I enjoy reading your blog and nominated you for a Liebster award. http://www.creativeramblingsblog.com/a-liebster-award/
Sarah
Creative Ramblings
What a fun trip! Love the pictures. Its my dream to go camping some day.
PS I totally agree with the unplugged thing. If you stay away from the PC most of the day, the one hour you get, turns out quite productive.
I can’t say anything more than what has already been said before my post. Dittos, dittos, and more dittos.
Thanks for another great blog!
That sounds SO amazing! I find I have to unplug for several days in a row at least every other month or so. We get really sucked into our laptops around here and I find it helps me not get burnt out, because as you know, there are always a million MORE things you can be doing to grow your blog – you’re never “finished.” Just paid for our next unplugging vacation and I can’t wait til it gets here!
I couldn’t wait to check out this post because I’ve been craving details of your week unplugged. And boy does it sound delicious! Laur, those pictures are INCREDIBLE! You are a professional photographer now, it’s official. That hammock one! And the one seeing all the students in the boat!
I get that “efficiency” you spoke of when you had only a limited amount of “screen time.” The unplugged topic has been one that is near and dear to my heart. I don’t know why exactly…perhaps it’s because I’ve been sucked into the world of email, social media, and the internet at times. And I don’t come away from it feeling more alive or human. I walk away feeling drained, foggy, and strangely wanting more. That was partly the beauty of L’Abri (laptops were locked up in a cabinet everyday, except our day off). I actually didn’t even bring my laptop….I relished the freedom! But when I did borrow someone’s laptop to check into the world, I had my list, too. I HAD to prioritize and be more efficient. There’s a balance there that I’m still trying to find, by God’s grace. And I can’t help thinking (as you said in one of your past Friday Five posts), less is more. Like you and Mark, my hope is to establish a Sabbath/screenless day once a week. Actually that sabbath sermon Mark shared greatly inspired me in that direction! It’s hard to know how to practically interact with technology/social media on the everyday, ground level. Okay, enough now, Lisbeth. Looking forward to your Friday post, if you couldn’t tell already! 🙂
p.s. That pic of you and Mark in the boat at the end= the best.
p.p.s. I REALLY want to go back to HoneyRock someday soon. This made me miss it, a lot. Would it be cray cray for me to join one year?? Or maybe we could do that family reunion there sooner rather than later!
Yay, Laura! What an amazing experience. And love hearing all the blogging wisdom you picked up from being unplugged! Very helpful and much appreciated.
Oh and just fyi: I’ve found the very best way to get my teenage daughter’s attention is to say “You’ll be unplugged if…” Just for future reference my friend.
Cheers to you and yours,
T
Oh good ole Wisconsin! Great pictures and so glad you had a wonderful time! Looks and sounds like a blast!
It was an honor for your dad and me to write a guest post while you were at Honey Rock! Thanks for the privilege!!
It can’t be 12 years since you were a freshwoman at Wheaton,can it? Wow!
Could Mark guest post sometime about his experience as the camp doctor and DIY remedies? 🙂
He is such a good teacher that I’m not surprised his sailing instructions were sufficient for a successful experience!
You did a great job as photographer; your artistic eye is evident and your skill has grown over the years! Each photo told a story and I felt full in my soul with much joy reading about the students who were singing in the night as an invisible choir. Haunting and beautiful image that (as you noted) couldn’t be captured with a camera.
You know Dad would have be delighted to have seen that eagle, too!
What a great friend Brent is! He seems to love joining you for unique adventures!
I agree with those commenters who said they relaxed as they read this. I did, too.
Looking forward to hearing and seeing the exciting and scary ideas you have for your 2nd year of blogging.
Let me add my congrats to Christine J as the Silhouette winner.
You were so wise to unplug for most of the day and discipline yourself with computer technology while out in the “wild”.
Lastly, I appreciated your lessons learned from being unplugged!
You and your sister have challenged me to seriously consider decreasing social networking time…so thanks to you both I will be making a change regarding this–at least for one day a week!
xxooxxooxxoo
Laur,
What a great diary of your trip into the woods in the Lake Country with your woodsman and lakester. I loved reading it as if I was there. And I loved hearing about the freedom you experienced unplugged (and the efficiency of your hour step back thru the looking glass each day).
OK, two questions:
What the heck is that gray thing with the holes and stuff growing out of it?
How come the s’mores have no bite marks?
Love,
Dad
What an amazing experience!
What a great post and the photos are fab. You are a talented photographer. As for being unplugged it is an interesting thought. Life is so much about balance and getting the balance balanced. LOL! 🙂
Wow that was an amazing experience Lauren! I want to do that too. I love Lakes. When I was about 13 years old I went with my dad and a couple of friends of his to a Lake {don’t remember the name} in Colombia. I loved it. It was surrounded by lots of pine trees and it was cold so we made fire and play a lot. It was so much fun. Then Before getting married we went to the a Lake in a mountain in Venezuela {the state It’s called Merida} and it was awesome!. After reading your amazing story, I definitely want to go again, the bad thing is that I’ll be in a desert for a while LOL. But this is going to stick in my mind LOL. Thanks so much for sharing all this… you certainly make us revive it just like you lived it!
XOXOXOXOXOXO
Cami
Wise words Lauren, I tried to do the same during this holidays but I realized I’ve became some kind of addicted to internet…. Next time I’ll be out, I’ll read this post again to remember important things!!
Big big hugs
I love this. I love the idea of a week unplugged, although it’s just not realistic for me right now (I’m an online student). Maybe after this semester and before the next one I’ll spend only an hour a day online like you did. We’ll see 🙂
Oh yeah, and those pictures are amazing!
You two are spoiled! Sanibel and Captiva will now seem dull. I recall your Uncle Lee almost launched the summer camp at Honeyrock back in 1972. So glad you had this wonderful opportunity for “rest” and “service.”
i WAS RELAXED JUST READING ABOUT your week! I have also recently reconstructed my day to not be aimlessly checking email and instead do hour long bursts etc- it helped- not sure if I will be able to stick with it but I know it was worth the effort! I loved your pics too! that week looks like so much fun and well needed rest!!!!
Sounds like a wonderful getaway in a perfect place! When we first started traveling several years ago we were frantic to find internet connection and phone service. Now it’s — meh, the world will still be there and don’t even bother to take advantage of hotel wireless (which isn’t always that great anyway!). We need that time together — and individually to be alone and think things through — and to dream big things. The world is not only still there when we get back — somehow it is magically better! Congratulations on the upcoming anniversary and may all your big dreams come true!
I agree with you. I love unplugging! That is why we go on cruises so often! Last year while enjoying Europe I only went on the internet 3 times out of the 17 days we were there and only for 10-20 minutes at the most. I got back and wasn’t ready to be back to reality and plugged in. Sounds like you guys had an awesome trip!
Words of wisdom from one of the wisest! I LOVE the idea of setting a stopwatch. I really need to do this. As a new blogger, I definitely suffer from the “if I don’t feed it, it won’t grow” syndrome. So it’s good to know that these things happen at their own pace, without me sitting behind the computer for hours on end. This post also made me realize that over the last few months, I haven’t been feeding ‘me’! (I mean, I eat good!! Mashed taters and all!) But spiritually, emotionally, all the things that REALLY matter! It’s high time I get out there and feed what matters… and what matters will survive and grow on its own!!! Love you!
What a lovely post, Lauren! And photos! You’re such an inspiration!
Okay first of all, that photo of Mark in front of the sunset looks photoshopped. I mean, whaaaaat!
How awesome! I also love the photo of the young lady by the water! (Side note: those kids spazzing out on the basketball court?! That would’ve been me! haha)
Second of all, WELCOME BACK!! Is it weird if I say I missed you?! Because I did!
But I’m really happy that you got to take some time to relax and gather your thoughts, and more importantly, to dream! That’s always nice. Cannot wait to see what you have in store for us!
I also have an idea for a feature we could do together, but I will email you about that – oh, and be sure to get back to me regarding the giveaway, because YOU WON! Yay!
It’s good to have you back <3
PS: I have an article that isn’t necessarily about unplugging, but I thought I’d share nonetheless!
http://jamesclear.com/taking-action
And another one! This one is actually one of my faves
http://www.thefreedomexperiment.com/2011/10/28/55-gentle-ways-to-take-care-of-yourself-when-youre-busy-busy-busy/
Love, love, love this post Lauren. I’ve had this tug at my heart lately to just stop. To unplug, step away from the blog, and just get back to the “why” – why I started blogging in the first place, why I love writing, why I love creating…
Beautifully written – I can almost feel your peace and relaxation through your words. Lovely photos, too. So glad you had a great time and enjoyed being unplugged. I’m looking forward to watching you make your dreams a reality!
Looks like you all had a fabulous time! As I was reading through, I kept thinking that Long Lake sounded familiar…sure enough, we were there in 2011.lol John’s hometown is about 60 miles north east of Waukesha County! As you know I like to go exploring when we’re out of town and John had suggested a day trip to the Kettle Moraine on that particular trip.;)
Being “connected” can be such a time suck as it’s easy to wander off on a tangent. I think having a list of tasks that need to be finished (and sticking to that list until it’s accomplished) is the smart way to go about it. Glad that you’re back and refreshed, ready to take the craft world on again!