I unplugged this week. And now I feel like I just returned from an expensive spa!

We have had this week’s vacation planned since – well, since we signed up for our little cottage last year around this time.

Usually, on vacation, I load every electronic device I own along with our usual luggage. In years past, I have found vacations to be my most productive writing time. But for some reason, last year and this, I’ve been dismally unproductive. As I analyzed why that was, I studied my behavior on the vacation week we took in June. What I discovered should have been predictable, but took me by surprise.

Every time I turned my computer on to write in the wee hours of the morning when no one else was awake, I took a “quick look” at what emails and social media posts I’d missed since the previous morning. Next thing I knew, the world around me was wide awake and all I had done was respond to what I found on line.

Result: absolutely no writing emerged from my right brain or my computer. I came away from vacations feeling like a dismal failure.

Heading into this more recent vacation week, I had just completed a block of 10,000 words for my new novel. I decided to take a PLANNED break both from writing and my obsession with emails and social media. I arrived at this morning feeling refreshed and not the least bit guilty about the near-total detachment from obligations of both the writing and on-line variety.

Of course, I had to spend much of today catching up, especially on emails, since that’s where I get most of my bill-paying reminders.

But now, bills paid and email box delightfully empty, I’m looking forward to diving into a day of productive writing when the birds wake me up tomorrow morning!

Lesson learned: unplugging and just going with the flow is both refreshing and good for the soul.

Try it!