#HolidayMode

I’m turning my phone off.

Mostly. Well…from time to time through the holiday. Like…for sure on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day…except for the odd peek or two!

#HolidayMode.

Last week, Telus sent me to dinner where I sat around a table with the #ECMChat moms, Laura Snow and Heather Nolan…along with Heather’s husband Brent, and we put our phones away…checking in at the last-minute to make sure all was well…then ordered drinks, appies, dinner and dessert…and enjoyed one another’s company!

Without Tweeting our amazing appetizer choices or pictures of the fake “olive tree” at Ela. And without Instagramming our dinner plates as they arrived.

I admit…it was a challenge.

For one, my work is done for the most part in this social media platform…I’m “on” all the time connecting with people, keeping clients happy, staying tuned in to what’s going on within FB, Twitter, Instagram and Google + and in some cases…more than one account on each. I’ve taken multitasking to the extreme but for me…while I get great enjoyment from it…there’s also a “work” component to what I do. I “work” 24/7 trying to build this business…switching to #HolidayMode and taking away my control…was a little daunting.

Second…I’m a single mom with teens running amok and I need to know where and who and what and when…at all times. The night of the dinner and #HolidayMode challenge, I had one at work and needing to be picked up at some point, and the other on the ice. The kids knew where I was, what I was doing…and how to reach me in the case of an emergency…my phone. But, with it in #HolidayMode, how was I to distinguish their call or text against others? Simple, I put a special ring tone on their contact information so I knew that while I was doing this challenge, they could reach me if they needed me.

The didn’t need me.

We had real honest to goodness conversation with one another where I found out Laura’s husband’s name and what he did for a living (Hi Trevor…cool job ya got there!)…got to know both ladies (and Heather’s husband) on a more personal level rather than a “work” level…and of course we had a grand ol’ conversation about what’s ahead for East Coast Mom Media and #ECMChat in 2015…not once, checking our phones.

Totally tapped in.

When supper was over, I had numerous notifications, text messages and tweets…but not one of them were urgent.

This holiday, I plan on taking a little time off (as per my post yesterday…and after this post today…and possibly one tomorrow or the next day ’cause who am I kidding!) BUT…I want to have a little more control over where and when I choose to use my phone and social media…rather than it having control over me.

I need to find the balance, between work and life.

And everything else in between.

So…this Christmas, see if you can challenge yourself to put down the phone. See if you can challenge your children. Spend a little time with one another without the outside distractions that are ever-present.

I’m officially on #HolidayMode. You can reach me…I just might not get back to you right away.

The Tall Blonde arrives home from France this evening…let the holidays begin!

THANK YOU Telus for treating me to a fabulous dinner last week! Thanks for working with Curtains in 2014…and I look forward to our continued relationship in the New Year!