idea we’re psyched about: 52 nights unplugged
Photo copyright Ariel Meadow Stallings.
Seattle author and self-confessed internet addict Ariel Meadow Stallings has come up with an idea so simple and yet so brilliant, she was featured on The Today Show just three weeks after posting about it on her blog. 52 Nights Unplugged is just like it sounds: “One night a week, I am going to completely unplug from anything with a screen,” Stallings writes. “This means no computer, no cell phone, no movies. I plan to focus instead on the other things I like doing like writing letters, crafting, organizing, dancing, going for walks, cooking and making tea, writing in my paper journal.” I’m someone whose day starts and ends on the computer, so this idea struck a chord with me — and obviously I’m not the only one. So starting tonight, we’re adopting 52 Nights Unplugged in our household. If you’d like to try it, there is a place you can track your progress and share your thoughts — online! Join 52 Nights Unplugged here. –Mary T.
February 27th, 2008 at 5:34 am
I have decided to “unplug” four nights a week — Mon through Thursday. I spend my workday in front of a computer, and get home at about 6:30. It makes the evening seem longer and more enjoyable if you’re not in front of the TV or computer. And I find it’s allowing me to go to bed at a decent hour, so I can get up and go for a morning run at 6 am!! I think 52 nights is a great idea.
February 27th, 2008 at 7:21 am
awwww, i love Ariel!
March 3rd, 2008 at 5:20 pm
I think this seems like a great project, but it really says something about our crazy world that unplugging ONE NIGHT a week makes it onto the Today show! I think we could all probably stand to unplug three or four nights a week.
March 6th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
[...] 2. Turning off the TV and computer doesn’t have to be just one night a week. Susanna, for instance, unplugs Monday through Thursday. “I spend my workday in front of a computer, and get home at about 6:30,” she says. “It makes the evening seem longer and more enjoyable if you’re not in front of the TV or computer. And I find it’s allowing me to go to bed at a decent hour, so I can get up and go for a morning run at 6 am!!” Learn more about 52 Nights Unplugged here. [...]