Switching off in a switched on world

I recently read “Thrive” by Arianna Huffington and it has inspired me to make some small changes to my life. She talks about switching off devices to spend quality time with friends and family, saying that even though she works in a 24/7 news world she makes sure she takes time out from being “on”.

I’ve written before about how I’m addicted to my phone (you can read those posts here, here and here), so the idea of switching off completely both appeals and fills me with fear.

We live in such a switched on world, where social media moves so quickly that it’s easy to feel that you need to be “on” all the time. Particularly in the world of blogging.

But I have taken the decision to switch off, as of tomorrow afternoon, for 2 weeks.

MacBook Air and Samsung Galaxy S3. Switching off in a switched on world. www.FranglaiseMummy.com. Parenting and lifestyle blog.

How my devices will be: closed and off.

We are going on holiday en famille to France for a fortnight, and as much as I love working on this blog and Franglaise Cooking I do need a break from them. From emails. From social media.

I need to switch off.

We recently went on holiday to Bluestone National Park in Wales, and it was a fantastic family holiday. But I stayed connected. I blogged about our time there, at the time. I tweeted. I instagrammed and I facebooked. And I came home feeling like I hadn’t really had time out.

So this time I will be going old school. My phone will only act as a traditional mobile phone – for phone calls and text messages, oh and it will be my camera too of course 😉

I’m looking forward to quality family time, with Hubs and with our girls.

Children playing in a baby's cot. Switching off in a switched on world. www.FranglaiseMummy.com. Parenting and lifestyle blog.

I’m looking forward to spending some switched off, lazy, time with these two.

So don’t expect any blog posts over the next two weeks. There will be scheduled tweets and Facebook updates with old blog posts you might like to check out, but I won’t be online. And you know what? I really can’t wait.

If you want to know what I’ll be up to it’ll be something like this:

  • Sleep
  • Eat (cheese, charcuterie, fresh bread, croissants and other numerous French treats)
  • Drink (wine mostly with a pastis or two thrown in for good measure)
  • Play (with my girls, mostly in my MiL’s pool I’m guessing)
  • Chat (with Hubs, with my in-laws, with our friends in France, just chilled out chatting)
  • Read (book after book after book, I have been known to get through a book a day on holiday, and I can’t wait to lose myself in my Kindle)
  • Switch off 100%

And when I come back I intend to carry on what I have recently started, which is switching off completely from the internet by 9pm every evening, and earlier if we have guests or if Hubs and I are having a date night.

So what do you think? Do you/can you switch off from your phone/tablet/computer? Or do you feel the need to stay connected even when on holiday?

Whatever you do, have a lovely time and Bonnes Vacances!

P.S. If you have any idea of where I live and are considering burgling us whilst we’re away, be my guest, I hope you enjoy getting round our menagerie of 1 dog and 3 cats who are house-sitting while we’re away, in order to steal a 6 year old TV which is the only thing of value we own that won’t be with us 😉

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19 Responses

  1. jo says:

    Have a great time – sounds like the perfect recipe for a reinvigorating family holiday, Good tip about switching off by 9pm at home. Hope you’re not tempted while you’re away! J x
    jo recently posted…Sports DayMy Profile

    • Franglaise Mummy says:

      I switched off from social media last year on holiday but carried on blogging, I actually found it quite liberating in the end, so I’m pretty sure I won’t cave this time 😉

  2. Ha ha I can totally relate to thid. Funnily enough I am just about to pub a post on my blogoholicism and am setting about implementing some boundaries for my blogging (gosh I’m 35 for petes sake) – have a fab holiday 🙂
    Tom @Ideas4Dads recently posted…‘Combatting Perfectionism: Seeing The Magic Through Their Eyes’My Profile

    • Franglaise Mummy says:

      Thanks Tom, I had an incredible holiday and switching off was the absolute best thing I did, I can’t recommend it enough! I’ll check your post out now.

  3. It sounds like a great idea to have a proper break. Enjoy!
    Alexandra Mercer (Life of mummy) recently posted…Pregnancy diary: 18 weeks, baby 7My Profile

    • Franglaise Mummy says:

      It is the best thing I ever did, I switched off so totally, it felt truly WONDERFUL!

  4. Good for you! You won’t be reading this comment as you’re already on holiday 😉 but I hope you have an amazing time away from all things blogosphere. I completely accept that I’m addicted to my phone/laptop/social media but I do try to switch off every evening – you won’t often find me on Twitter past 8pm unless it’s a scheduled one. Can’t wait to hear all about your adventures en France when you return x
    Michelle @ Bod for tea recently posted…Ideas for Summer holiday learningMy Profile

    • Franglaise Mummy says:

      It was absolutely incredible – the best thing in the world, and I had such an amazing holiday thanks to being switched off 100%. Bliss 🙂

  5. Mrs Teepot says:

    You brave lady! I don’t think I could switch off like that, I’d go bonkers!
    Hope you’re having/have had a wonderful holiday!

    • Franglaise Mummy says:

      Thank you – it was truly wonderful and I loved every minute of it, so much in fact that it took me 24 hours of being back in the UK to want to switch back on again and several days to go back on social media. I highly recommend it!

  6. Katie says:

    Fabulous idea Sophie! I am very envious, have an amazing time won’t you 🙂 x mmmm wine and cheese…
    Katie recently posted…Hell hath no fury like a kid who prefers someone else’s spadeMy Profile

    • Franglaise Mummy says:

      Thanks lovely, I had such a blast! I ate on average 2 baguettes a day, drank lots of wine and over-indulged in cheese and charcuterie too – sheer heaven! And the total switch-off just added to the wonderful holiday feeling 🙂

  7. Pauline says:

    I’m very impressed. I have no such aspiration this year, I’m taking the laptop with us when we’re off to visit my parents in a week’s time. I will be doing the same things as you, with added facebook! I’ll probably post a couple of things in the nearly three weeks we’ll be in France so I won’t be exhausting myself either.

    The main reason I will not switch off completely is that as much as it will be an amazing relaxing time, it will save my sanity in what is sometimes quite an intense time. Staying at my parents has its challenges and although we won’t be there long, I will welcome the escape.
    Pauline recently posted…Not a toddler anymoreMy Profile

    • Franglaise Mummy says:

      I LOVED the escape from reality and the online world – I had not a clue what was going on with anyone other than the people I physically saw, it was absolute heaven and I can’t recommend it enough! Although I do understand your wanting to escape onto the internet too.

  8. Mari says:

    I can’t tell you how much I agree with you hence why it’s taken me 10 days to get back to the lovely comment you left on my blog.
    Huge hugs – buon divertimento and see you in September xx
    Mari recently posted…Buckingham Palace tours – A Royal Day OutMy Profile

    • Franglaise Mummy says:

      Thank you lovely – it was such a wonderful break and the time off being switched on was just wonderful 🙂

  9. I always like to leave the blogging behind when I’m on holiday and you’re right… it’s important to switch off and spend quality time with the family. Hope you’re enjoying all the wine & cheese!
    Izzie Anderton recently posted…Regatta LifeMy Profile

    • Franglaise Mummy says:

      We had an incredible time, helped a great deal by my total switching off. The wine and cheese were just amazing too 🙂

  1. 05/09/2014

    […] school summer holidays passed by in, what feels like, the blink of an eye. I switched off from the online world completely for the two weeks of our family holiday to France, and after my digital detox I only […]

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