I’m back!

Vacation to South Carolina was wonderful.  I truly enjoyed the break from just about everything.  If you followed along.  I used the time of vacation to take a break from the block and just about everything social media and digitally related.

What did that mean?

Well, here’s a rundown:

• The Stretched Blog had the worst week of traffic ever.
• The Jon Stolpe Stretched Facebook Fanpage “People Reached” statistic dropped by over half.
• My Klout score dropped by a point.
• My Empire Avenue “stock value” dropped by 3e.
• I missed out on many new blog posts.
• I fell behind on my e-mail both personally and for work.
• Essentially, I lost ground – from a digital perspective.

But…

• I spent uninterrupted time with my family.
• I enjoyed floating in a lazy river.
• I read most of Bob Goff’s book, Love Does.
• I played in the warm ocean waves of Surfside Beach, SC.
• I sat on the beach – and I even got a little sun tan and some sun burn.
• I played miniature golf at a cool course in Myrtle Beach, SC.
• I slept in.
• I ran along the ocean.
• I laughed, lived, and created new memories with my wife and kids.

So was the digital detox worth it?

Absolutely.  It was a bit of a challenge at first.  I haven’t taken a real break from the blog in about a year.  And I’ve certainly plugged into social media and to many other blogs over the past few years that I’ve tracked and added to on a nearly daily basis.  But as the week went along, it became a bit easier.  I really needed the rest, and I especially needed the time to focus completely on my family.

I’m still processing what that means for the future.  I still intend to write every day.  I still intend to be engaged through social media.  But I need to find the right balance.  This time of digital detox was a great reminder.

Will I do this again?

Well, actually, yes.  I won’t have a choice in just over a week.  I’ll be heading to Guatemala with my daughter on our church’s high school missions trip.  I’ll be unplugged for just over a week.  But, it will be okay.  I have a couple of great guest bloggers lined up.  (I could use a couple more if you’re interested!)  Besides, I’ll be hanging out with my daughter doing some great things!

All in all, I’d recommend an occasional digital detox.  It will give you new perspective.  I will give you more opportunity to get back to living.  It will still be here when you get back.  Go for it!

Have you ever taken time for a digital detox?  How did it go?  Was it difficult or easy to let go of everything?  What did you learn from the experience?

(What was your favorite repost that ran over the past week or so?)