It's OK to unplug. You can't imagine how hard it was for me to write that. If you know me, 
you know that I'm a hard-charging aggressive business person who is always looking for new, better, more efficient ways to do things. I'm not one to sit still long and if I do, it's because my body has overruled my willingness to run a hour past my energy.
With that said, I'm learning to unplug. This year has been an interesting one. I've seen a number of my friends and colleagues enter eternity. Most weren't planning on the change of venue, but it came nonetheless. Those friends and colleagues have been young and old. That has caused me to stop and think. I can't be an asset to anyone, including those I care the most about if I'm dead. So, I'm challenging myself to make some changes. You might consider some of these as well.
- Know when to call it a day. I'm prone to work long hours and get little sleep. I've decided that somethings can wait. No matter how much a client, customer or colleague yells for more time, a few extra hours rarely make a substantial difference. Clock out and recover from the day.
- Don't eat anything you can't pronounce or have to use a dictionary to understand. So much of the processed foods we consume today have a cocktail of chemicals in them to keep them on the shelf longer. If I can't pronounce or define an ingredient, it has no place in my body. I dropped diet sodas in August of this year. The ingredients were the reason.
- Take a walk. I say take a walk, but what I really want to see as a change in my life is to get regular exercise again. I have a cousin who was considerably overweight. I ran into him recently and he's a good 100 lbs smaller. He looks amazing. I asked what he had done, and it was simple. He walks 2 miles just about everyday, and he started eliminating processed foods and high sugar content foods. He feels amazing and it was simple.
- Feed your brain. Your brain is the computer of body and your heart is the battery. You only get one of each and if you take good care of them, they will last a long time. It is critical to feed your brain just like you exercise your heart. Do something that challenges you to think. Try something new. Read more, get involved in academic study, learn a new skill, write, teach a class, record a family history, find a way to challenge your brain to think. Do something.
- Learn ways to be more efficient in business and life. There are so many new ways to be efficient in business today. A great deal of modern business can be done in minutes compared to hours just a few years ago. Capitalize on these new innovations and don't fill in the empty slots that have been freed up with more busy work. Pick a number of hours you wish to work and stick with that the majority of the time. Obviously, there will be times when you work more, but make those the exceptions and not the rule.
- Turn your computer, tablet and phone off at a specific time every night. I closed my computer at 8:00 pm last night. I plugged my tablet into the charger right after, and I checked email one last time on my phone, and then I said good night to my three electronic masters. It was lovely. When I greeted them this morning, all three had spam, hot dating emails and offers from Nigerian millionaires to transfer millions of dollars to my accounts. There were a few people sparring on Facebook over politics, a couple cute animal videos and nothing worth keeping them lit after 8:00 pm the night before. I have my phone set to decline calls from 10:00 pm to 7:00 am. I did that to keep the west coast calls I was receiving at 11:00 and beyond from waking me up. Now, it is a habit. My family have VIP status so they can ring through. Other than them, I don't want to receive a call asking if 123 Main St is still active at 12:30 am.
That's my short list. Eating better, exercising and unplugging are my favorite things in my new schedule. Wish me luck. I'm just getting started, but the little I've done so far has been amazing. What do you think? Could you unplug?
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