A day of rest, usually through association with a religious Sabbath day, used to be the norm. With decline in attendance for most major religions, Sunday shopping and our 7/24 culture, the idea of day of rest seems all but gone. In his latest book, David Rock talks about the impact of always being connected. Apparently studies show that this can decrease our IQ equivalent to losing a night’s sleep. I love technology and spend a lot of my life connected.
However, I think it’s time to re-institute a day of rest. The 21st century version would have two facets. First, it wouldn’t have to be a set day. You choose what day fits into your lifestyle and schedule. If you are a regular Monday to Friday person it might still be Sunday. However, if you are self-employed, part-time or just fully in control of your calendar it could be any day of the week. Secondly, the definition of this day of rest would be to unplug. No e-mail, facebook, twitter, IM, text message or sneaking online on your smart phone. Just unplug. I’m going to try my first day of rest this weekend. I’ll let you know how it goes – the next day.
.jpg)
