Isn't it ironic, don't you think? My experience of UnPlugging

This will be probably the most ironic post I will ever write on this blog or any blog I might do in the future! Why I hear you ask?

Well.... I am digitally writing about an excellent DYC workshop I took part in last Saturday hosted by Chris and Aidan from the wonderful Unplug.ie which explored what they called 'the digital age of distraction' and how we can 'become masters of technology' instead of allowing technology to be our master.

Intrigued???? .... Read on!

                                   
                         The Marker Hotel, Grand Canal Square, our kind hosts for the day

                                        
                    The Marker Hotel is located in the trendy Grand Canal Square area of Dublin

Photos thanks to my fellow DYC member David Lalor @david_lalor

This is our annual time of the year for making resolutions... new year, new resolutions- but how long do any of them last...? Based on this idea of resolutions, this workshop was a great way to start 2017 as it gave us time to think and reflect about how we operate in this 'age of distraction'. The UnPlug workshop was run by two fantastic people Chris Flack and Aidan Healy who gave freely of their time to us in the DYC. The workshop was about what we could do to... well... UnPlug from our devices and electronics... but that wasn't as simple as just switching them off- it explored how not to get consumed by our laptops, phones and other devices but to use them more productively when working with them.

This was interesting like this article on Twitter from The Guardian which looks at our 'increasingly screen-based lifestyles' and talks about how there can be a rush to a switch it off and shut it down policy (this is the common cry favoured by my parents  😠 😠!!!) as a way of cutting down on screentime. But just as in the message from Chris and Aidan, this is not necessarily always the right approach and we need to look at the 'content and context' and qualityof what we do online as opposed to the quantity of what we do... Sound advice as I learned when writing my blog!

Why?h

I noticed that while writing this blog I also popped into Soundcloud to stream some music and got a little distracted in looking for new music as I was online and could do this... I was also guilty of spending some time looking for funny YouTube videos and trying out my new Google Chromecast, and in and out between I checked my WhatsApp messages too- so the picture of my lack of productivity is now becoming clear! The UnPlug workshop greatly increased my awareness of how easy it is to get distracted when trying to do more productive things. They gave us tips on how to get rid of those distractions and how to stay aware of how much time you are spending on our devices whilst also recommending some good apps to help with 'unplugging'.

The workshop made me more aware of how much time I'm spending on my phone and laptop on social media and games every day when I could be working or studying (even though I'm in TY) and also how I could use some of my time to unwind and relax and become more self-aware. The importance of unwinding and relaxing was in the news this week as we saw with the ruling in France about the 'right to disconnect'. Should we need a law for this?  Could we see a time when laws like this will be needed in Ireland?- maybe not if we learn to unplug and recharge our personal batteries.

Aidan giving us an overview of the UnPlugged programme

The workshop was a real eye-opener for me as I use social media quite a lot and it is amazing yet frightening to see social media from a different perspective, to see it from the business side of things instead of the 'dolled-up side' that we see in our day to day lives. As a teenager I see social media as a platform to communicate with my friends- but there is a deeper (and maybe darker) side - companies use algorithms to tailor our content and essentially draw us in to their commercial webs. No harm in being more aware of that for sure!

Our DYC workshop with Aidan and Chris talking about information overload

UnPlug.ie organise workshops for corporate clients and also do work with students and young children and can be contacted via their website www.unplug.ie - I would recommend checking out their site and their programmes.

Reflecting on the UnPlug experience, I think that the workshop will make it easier for me to keep my 'new' New Year's resolution - to be more productive while also unplugging :-) I'll keep you posted on my progress 😉


*A HUUUUUGE thanks to Chris and Aidan from UnPlug for providing the workshop (and treating us to pizzas afterwards 🍕!!!) and to The Marker Hotel for letting us use one of their meeting rooms for the day