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Getting Off The Grid

Getting off the grid Last Friday I went hiking in the White Mountains in NH.  I needed some time to myself.  I didn’t want to see pixels on a screen.  I didn’t want to see bits flying by.  I work hard in front of a computer all day and needed to see what all that working is about.  I needed to recharge.

What I Did

I walked.  I sweated.  I took pictures.  I chatted with other hikers.

I saw animals.  I saw beautiful foliage.  I saw water.  I saw a blue sky.

What I Didn’t Do

I didn’t Tweet.

I didn’t go on Facebook.

I didn’t read or send email.

I didn’t text.

I didn’t read any blogs.

I didn’t watch any YouTube videos.

I didn’t use my cell phone.

I didn’t check-in on Foursquare.

I didn’t worry about privacy on the web.

I didn’t worry about someone stealing my documents.

Solace

For a whole day I was off the grid.  The world continued on.  I needed a break from the flying pixels and bits in our connected world.  I also reflected on my business.  I noticed that not seeing the latest information at web speed was okay.  Sometimes we get so caught up in the minutiae of the latest tweet or blog post that we forget the big picture.

The fact that I could have been connected from the top of a mountain is a really cool thing.  I could go online and read the weather forecast or find a restaurant to have dinner.  I could tweet that I am up on a mountain and even post a picture.  I could have a business call from 6000 feet, but I decided not to.  It’s great being connected, but sometimes it’s great not to have the compulsion to chronicle everything I do and think.  Sometimes it’s important to take some time to assess and think.

My business is helping people protect the information critical to their business.  Whether it’s trying to understand privacy, document security or how the right processes affect your information, my job is to help you sleep better at night.  Sometimes getting caught up in the latest internet meme or latest gadget becomes a distraction.  Sometimes we all need to get off the grid so we can focus on what’s important.

Today I am connected with everyone and everything again.  It’s nice, but it’s nice not to be on the grid sometimes.

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