My stomach tightened.
In our online meeting, Team Sasuga! had just encouraged me to go laptopless for 11 days! 😱
And then I realized that this was a GREAT opportunity to step out of my comfort zone and learn something new.
At least I would have my notebook and phone…
Earlier this year, I’d been lucky enough to win first prize in a children’s charity raffle organized by superstar young entrepreneur Hana Himura.
The prize was an 11-night cruise around Japan and South Korea. I just got back on Sunday.
So how did it go???
Being laptopless was actually okay.
I spent a LOT of time journaling, reading, meditating, and eating cookies on the balcony of our cabin.
Rather than the lack of a laptop, the lack of an Internet connection was more challenging for me.
Even though I had 4G or 5G when we were at port, we had several “sea days” and a day in Busan, where I had no signal.
Each time we docked in a new city and those little bars appeared on my phone screen, I was as excited as a kid at Christmas and started checking for messages!!!
I’d set my email to out-of-office, but I was still drawn to skim the senders and subjects and to scroll through the social media notifications.
The experience made me realize I’m more addicted to the dopamine hit of social media and email than I thought I was! 😱😱😱
So now I’m making a conscious effort to observe my device habits and reduce the frequency of checking for messages – especially on my phone.
Granted, some messages are important, but many aren’t. And truly urgent messages are extremely rare.
It’s a much more valuable use of my time to focus on more fulfilling things – like journaling, reading, meditating, enjoying time with family and friends, and the work that I’m most passionate about (coaching my lovely clients and creating and sharing content that I hope helps you) ❤️
I’m grateful to Team Sasuga! for their encouragement and for doing a wonderful job during my absence and to Hana for organizing the event where I won this amazing prize 🙏
If you spent less time checking messages, what would you like to spend more time doing?
Met LEMI member Danielle in Kanazawa
K-beauty spending spree in Busan
Picturesque Katsurahama Beach in Kochi
Above are just a few photos from the trip.
If you’re interested, you’ll find my ongoing “#laptopless for 11 days” series in my LinkedIn posts and in Instagram Highlights (and Stories).
FOR WOMEN IN BUSINESS IN JAPAN
The #LessEffortMoreImpact Movement for Women in Business (LEMI) is here to help. LEMI is an uplifting community for growth-minded women in Japan and beyond to do brilliant work without sacrificing our personal lives.
Our events and online resources focus on Connection, Care, and Courage 💕