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April 29, 2012

Go Away

What I really mean is, please join me (and thousands of families) for Screen Free Week 2012. Turn off your screens and turn on Life. Ditch the commercials.

Think of it as a Digital Detox, the way you might eat fruit only, for a week, as a food cleanse, to give your body a break from all the sugar, fats, meat and other hard-to-digest ingredients of our modern diet.

This year, Screen Free Week is happening 30 April to 6 May. It was originally named TV-Turnoff Week, but has been expanded to include all the screens from which it seems so hard to tear ourselves away.

I know: for some of us it is impossible to go completely screen free: the screen might be part of our job description, moms need to receive timely mesages from school, and so on. But we can at least cut our screen time to the absolute minimum, cut all "recreational" use and focus our eyes at infinity instead of at 24 inches.

 

I'm looking forward to:

Use a few muscles other than the ones in my thumbs or index finger.

Bake bread; go to the library; garden; generally hang out with my children.

Make music. Mmm - maybe not on a kalimba.

Do spring cleaning. In my case that's good for a Screen Free Month.

Go outside: barbeque - biking - badminton

Have a date with my mate.

Meet some neighbours.

Maybe even build a cello box.

....

What: you're still here?
Go away: let's get moving. Enjoy your screen-freedom, see you when it's over, May 7. Or not. We might like it so much we'll decide to extend our screen vacation.

5 comments:

  1. This is such a great idea.I may not be able to do this the whole time but I am going to try to do it some. Thanks!

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  2. how did you get on? We haven't had a TV for 12 years, but I'm aware I use the computer far too much. Yes, I need it for work but I use it for leisure too and waste countless hours frittering from one tab to the next. I'd love to hear more about your experience and whether you got to do some of the things on your list...

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    1. I had rather a wonderful week! And a few things may stick in the longer term, such as a new house policy to switch off the internet connection one day of the weekend - and my newly started cello lessons. More at http://www.cellomomcars.com/2012/05/post-digital-detox.html

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  3. So glad it worked out for you. I am trying to get a 'no screens on Sundays' rules in place. My DD is fantastic, I'm mediocre and my husband is useless at it! Maybe I should just turn the router off ;)

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    1. You're right! We find turning the router off is the most straightforward way to stay away. It's a matter of flipping a switch, but that's just enough of a barrier. It makes CelloPlayer (who has no screen to look at) very happy.

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