Summer Breaks: So Very Refreshing!

Sneaking away from home without laptop in tow is the best form of relaxation, especially with the waves at your feet, sun up above, and sand all around.

Catching A Break

Last Friday, I did something I hadn’t done in several years: I left my home with my family and headed away for a five-day, four-night seaside excursion. We’ve been away several times over these past several years, but there was a big difference this time: I did not have my laptop with me nor did I stop by the local library or cyber cafe to check my email.

Yes, I was internet-free for several days and that short bit of freedom was a welcome relief.

Blogging In Advance

I knew back in early June that I would catch a break, but I wasn’t certain until a few weeks ago that I would actually be able to leave my laptop behind. Because I write for several blogs with some of that writing done on a daily basis, I knew that in order to get away without blogging, I’d need to write many articles in advance. Without doing that it would have meant me logging on at least once daily, writing for several hours, and checking my email to respond to feedback. Certainly, not my idea of a vacation.

My good planning paid off!

To give myself a needed break, I started to blog ahead about two months ago. By the time that I left for vacation, my most popular blogs each had a week’s worth of articles in queue, scheduled to appear in the wee hours of the morning thanks to WordPress’ scheduling capabilities. Each blog is set up to ping the internet and with select backlinks added in, bring visitors to each site.

It worked.

4 Benefits of Traveling Laptop Free

The benefits of not being wired for several days included:

• Spending extra special time with my wife and children.
• Exploring the area where we stayed by visiting a museum, aquarium, shops, restaurants, etc.
• Not being rigidly scheduled which meant we could all relax.
• The chance to consider other important aspects of our lives without a computer getting in the way.

Though the trip away was a few days shorter than originally planned, it seemed as if we were away for much longer. No crowds to deal with, no spam mail to cull through, and no fires to put out. Even if one or more of my sites were to go down, I knew that I’d be able to restore everything upon my return. Thank God, no mischief took place while we were away.

You Can Go PC Free Too!

I am sharing this with you to say that you can put the laptop away for a few days and head out too. What seems like urgency often isn’t, not important stuff that simply can wait. If you still haven’t taken a break this summer and have plans to escape, consider going internet-free for at least a few days.

You’ll feel better and those you are with will enjoy your company; what could be better than that?

The Aftermath

The Thanksgiving holiday was enjoyable for my family as we visited nearby friends to celebrate the day with them. The balmy weather — 78 degrees by mid-afternoon — seemed out of place, but nobody was complaining. I think mostly everyone was grateful that they didn’t have to fly or hit the road, competing with millions of other travelers in their quest to get there.

Lots of folks are off today, but I decided I would work in order to stay well ahead of several writing deadlines which are looming over the next four weeks. I did decide back in September to make Friday, December 21st my final day of work for the year. Our children finish up school on that day and our plans are to celebrate Christmas at home.  I may do a little bit of clean up stuff between Christmas and New Year’s Day, but I won’t be doing client work. In order to give myself some extra time off later, that’ll mean stepping up the pace now.

For some people having a long weekend for Thanksgiving is a must. Their jobs are all-consuming and/or highly stressful and the extended break is one way for them to recharge and refocus.

Personally, I am thankful to be able to call most of my own shots and not have to answer to the man. I still must please my customers, but not having someone in authority breathing down my neck makes self employment all the more desirable.

Did I mention that I am thankful?