“Almost everything will work
again if you unplug it for a
few minutes, including you.”
— ANNE LAMOTT
MY CUTE HUSBAND AND I just returned from a week at The Palms
in Turks and Caicos and, believe it or not, I left all forms of technology in a
drawer back home. People thought I was crazy or just didn’t believe me—I
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was surprised by the reactions of my friends.
We were the high-bidder of this trip in the 2015 ISPA Foundation Live
Auction and took the opportunity to disconnect before the craziness of
the upcoming holidays. While traveling, I was reminded of a recently
watched TED Talk by Paolo Cardini about monotasking, which is the
conscious decision to do one thing at a time. Cardini’s argument is,
“people don’t just cook anymore—they’re cooking, texting, talking on
the phone, watching YouTube and uploading photos of the awesome
meal they just made.” He questions the efficiency of our multitasking
world and makes the case for monotasking. I really did not want to
multitask while on vacation, thus, the decision to leave all electronic
devices at home. Again, the funny part about it was the shock
people had when I told them I wasn’t taking them. There were even
a few skeptics who didn’t think I was actually going to do it. Many
asked, “Why would you do that?” Upon my return, many friends
asked me if I had really done it and a few did not believe me! Funny—
how technology has changed our lives.
We often share with the media that the spa experience gives us permission to pause. For me,
this pause is best served when I give myself permission to unplug. We are all blessed to live and
work within an industry that encourages that pause to truly re-charge ourselves. ISPA’s most recent
research on millennials shows that being away from technology causes the millennial generation
even more anxiety, so they may choose not to put it away. I hate that for them but then again,
I remember when all I had in my car was an AM radio…
When was the last time you truly unplugged? And, why would YOU do that?
—LYNNE McNEES, ISPA PRESIDENT
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PULSE
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December 2016
TO GET INSPIRED
by Cardini’s TED Talk,
visit the TED website
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Lynne Walker McNees