Do you find yourself in front of a computer screen too often? Are you someone who hustles and grinds without pausing during the day? If so, it might be time to unplug and briefly step away. This article will explain why disconnecting is good for you, and how you can practice regularly.
Disconnecting may sound bad at first, but it does more good than harm in the long run. Throughout this post, I will go over five key benefits of why disconnecting can help- particularly if you’re someone who runs a business.
UPDATED: DECEMBER 28, 2022
Five benefits to disconnecting online
As someone who has a small business, I tend to get caught up with things online. That was often the case in the past, but I’ve gotten better at it over time.
I’m more mindful of how I spend my time online, as it can help me retain my focus. It’s especially important if you’re looking to spend time doing tasks that move the needle.
Disconnecting from the internet and unplugging can benefit you in these five ways.
- Gives You A Much-Needed Break
- Reduces Stress And Anxiety
- Gives You An Opportunity To Connect Offline
- Allows You To Focus On Gratitude
- Puts You In The “Present”
Gives you a much-needed break
Let’s face it: A lot more people are spending more time online these days. According to one report, more than five billion people are using the internet now.
Also, an individual spends on average 415 minutes per day online; to put it another way, that’s seven hours a day. That sounds accurate considering most people work between seven-eight hours in a job.
In some cases, people may be glued to their computer screens most of the day. You can keep going and going without stopping, or stepping away for a little bit. Someone may sit in front of their computer screen for five-seven hours on a given day, while not taking a break in between.
Every now and then, it’s good to take breaks (short or long) to disconnect from online. Unplugging and taking breaks is essential for staying focused.
Reduces stress and anxiety
Unplugging regularly can reduce a lot of stress. Especially if you’re on social media often, you might come across a lot of negative people along the way.
Or, you may see some negative news headlines, which can cause a little anxiety. Learning how to avoid that noise and unplugging can help reduce the levels of anxiety and stress.
How often should you disconnect?
One best practice is to disconnect at least once a week. But if that’s not feasible for your schedule, I recommend to entrepreneurs schedule it every quarter. For example, take one weekend each quarter to relax and unplug from your regular schedule.
Gives you an opportunity to connect offline
Unplugging online gives you a great opportunity to connect in the real world. Whether it’s through face-to-face interactions or experiencing nature, it can benefit you a lot.
Sometimes, just going outdoors for a while can help bring more energy into you. For example, being out in the sunshine or exercising is healthy for you physically and mentally.
Spending time with my family
Most recently, I spent around half a day enjoying quality time with my grandmother. Usually, I see her a few times during the year, and I got to catch up with her a lot the other day.
So that was something I benefited from spending time with someone I admire and look up to. It’s good to connect and spend time with others you know, while not being online all the time.
Allows you to focus on gratitude
We don’t think about it that often, but spending a moment to be grateful help. While not being online, we need to spend more time practicing gratitude; in other words, being grateful for the things we take for granted.
If you don’t have the things you desire now, focus on the things you have at the moment. You can create goals to get the things you want, but at the same time, look at what you have right now.
Puts you in the “present”
This one is something I struggle with every now and then. But putting yourself in the “present” can avoid distractions from coming up. If it’s online or doing things offline, you want to be in the present moment.
Even when we’re online, we may think a lot about our past, or look ahead to the future. When we do that, we’re not focused on the current moment.
Not only does that happen online, but it can happen offline too. Identifying that sooner rather than later will help us avoid being distracted.
Final Words
Disconnecting online can help anyone, but especially entrepreneurs. As good practice, I recommend practicing it once a week. But if that’s not feasible for your schedule, do it on a quarterly basis.
If that’s spending a long weekend (three-four days) every three months, that can give you a nice little break from working. It’s something I aim to do every single quarter.
Take meaningful breaks from online activities by taking advantage of these five benefits. It can come a long way to reaching your goals, along with maintaining focus in the present moment.
Your Turn: Do you disconnect from staying online?
I would like to get your thoughts on this topic. Do you find that unplugging can help take breaks?
Do you find yourself spending too much time online? Do you wish you could reduce that time to do more meaningful things?
Which of the benefits resonates with you? Will you start taking action today to disconnect when needed?
Feel free to share your thoughts by leaving a comment below. I look forward to reading your responses, and I’ll gladly respond promptly.
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Eric is the owner and chief editor of notimekillers.com. He takes great pride in helping people manage their time and grow their businesses. Eric is a firm believer in financial and time freedom, as he believes in financial independence and taking ownership of your time. “Time is your most important asset. It can be your best friend or worst enemy. How you use your time can shape the future you desire to have.” In his leisure time, Eric loves to write and read whenever possible. He enjoys going for long walks outdoors while doing in-home workout videos every week. You can also connect with Eric via LinkedIn.
I agree with the practice of disconnecting! Counterintuitively, if you allow yourself enough rest and time to recharge – you are usually more productive and creative.
Staring at a screen leads to a point of diminishing returns. Thank you for the reminder! I think I’m going to shut this laptop down now. 😉
Hello Beth,
Disconnecting brings a wide array of benefits, for sure. Taking that extra time away to recharge can boost your energy and productivity.
I agree that staring at a screen for long periods of time doesn’t help. So it helps to step away and do things offline every now and then.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts- I greatly appreciate what you have to say. I loved your last sentence- that’s exactly what I’m trying to get across.
Thank you for this beautiful post on some reasons why we should disconnect. I personally feel like beining present in the moment is the most positive benefit.
It’s so important to see what’s going on around us, to experience the beauty that life doesn’t involve a constant screen. It reminds me a lot of how Buddhist try to live in the moment, and focus on the present surroundings at all times.
Hello Jessie,
Living in the present moment is one of the best feelings to experience. That truly is beneficial, and it can help us stay focused as well.
I’m not the biggest fan of being in front of a screen all the time. It’s not good for you, and it can have health consequences if you don’t address them.
I like the idea of focusing on the present- that can help us a lot. So it’s something to keep doing in the meantime.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts- they’re much appreciated.