I have to admit that I took three days off and did absolutely no work.  I didn't even have access to the Internet or email.  It was fantastic!  I highly recommend it to all you Type A, multi-tasking, think-you're-so-productive type business people who can't be away from your networks.  Trust me, your network will survive.  Yes, you'll return to a full inbox or Tweetdeck, but, frankly, most of it you'll be able to delete without reading (saves lots of time).  The fact is--if you count up the number of daily emails or tweets that deserve your time, you'll find that they're actually a very small percentage of the total you receive.  It's crazy how we let our precious time and attention be stolen by inconsequential junk.  But I digress...

I spent the last three days at one of the most beautiful places on the planet - Yosemite National Park.  Hiking, rafting down the river, eating and drinking things I shouldn't eat and drink, but most importantly, spending undistracted time with my family. If you want to see people looking their worst, visit Curry Village campground in Yosemite Valley.  If you want to see people at their happiest, go to Curry Village campground.  I hardly saw a cell phone the entire time. 

We all live such frenetic lives that the most common phrase we hear is "I don't have time to have fun."  That's ridiculous! Go to a country like Ecuador where they're not buried in time-saving devices and you'll find that no one worries about having enough time.  They have enough time to do whatever they want!  In the U.S. we tend to feel that we have to be continuously connected or we'll miss out on something.  Bunk! In three days the world did not fall apart, my businesses got along just fine without me (probably better), and I actually had time to think - what a concept!

Lowell Monke, an associate professor of education at Ohio's Wittenberg University, has written a lot of articles challenging the value of technology.  Recently, he asked a very profound question; "If these gadgets save you so much time, why do you feel compelled to be on them all of the time?"

Well, I thought about that, and I thought about how rejuvenating those three days were and decided to head out in a few days for a cruise to Alaska.  Just think how productive I'll be when I'm away from technology for a week!