Review of the book and some experiences of:
Ihre 14-tage Programm für mehr Kreativität und Lebensfreude

today we have to battle the dominance of internet and media, we have inherited a second job: that of “media consumer”
estimates vary, but it can take as much as 5 hours per day or 37 hours per week

Aim is to massively curtail media consumption over a 14 Day Detox, ideally:
no TV,
no private internet
no social media
no you tube
no online shopping
no news
no private SMSs/emails
no radio, no newspapers

4 key questions for a healthy use of internet and media:
o Is it doing me good, what I am seeing, hearing or reading?
o If not is it really important, what I am seeing, hearing or reading?
o Does it bring me further with my life goals?
o Does it motivate me to develop or help others or to support a good cause?

and in the quiet moments which arise:

  • what do i perceive in the peace
  • how do i feel
  • where are my thoughts going
  • what ideas crop up
  • what longings do i have to fulfil in my life

it’s about giving the heart a microphone, so you can hear it above all the noise

we have to create emptiness and boredom before we can open to something new

We Are Creators!
if we are to get back to this role, we have to curtail this usage and create space for this

SWITCH OFF program is about CREATION instead of INFORMATION

interesting tips/quotes:

being different is not a question of character
it’s a question of endurance/resilience
“Lieselotte Trutnau”

“One has to want to dream, in order to be able to dream”
Charles Baudelaire

“Give the soul/spirit a Sunday;
and give your Sundays a soul/spirit”
Peter Rosegger

from Monika Schmiderer:
“in der Tiefe liegt Klarheit.
in der Klarheit liegt Stärke.”

“Die Angst ist überall. Die Sicherheit immer in mir.”

About the 8 year old and 80 year old letters, with the quote:
“Die unerfüllten Kindheitswünsche von heute
sind die Innovationstreiber von morgen”

some tips for switch-off:
smartphone

  • use flight, night and silent modes
  • use of do not disturb function for calls (or allow repeated calls to get thru)
  • set whatsapp and sms message to incognito, so don’t get the notifications about person writing etc, which is distracting

mail program

  • go to manual mode for email send/receive or raise the delay when mails are retrieved/sent
  • switch-off notifications (since the training have moved to this anyways, since it was embarasing/annoying)
  • use auto-responder as an out-of-office

emails

  • pack with substance not immediacy
  • bundle questions
  • use of first line or out it just in the title if that’s all there is
  • use of templates – can extend the signature tool for this
  • call the person up!
  • get inbox in order, mmm
  • control which newsletter or newsgroups you really want to hear from
  • rules and filtering, use of folders, not too many but enough

web

  • multitasking is a myth, so deal with one thing at at time – relevant for me
  • reduction of tabs and windows – find this very helpful for me!
  • no social media – which I more or less don’t use now
    these last 2 can offer too many islands of diversion

at home

  • care with social media, it can easily trash an evening with nothing achieved
  • care with TV, it distracts from the here and now
  • de-throne the TV from its dominant position in a room, even enclose behind a screen/cupboard
  • youtube = TV

and more about media:
consumption, but only if it helps with creation or towards the goals we have set

sharing is caring, but think carefully and reserved – perhaps share a photo and quote only after a few days letting it settle with you

first reflect, then react

check hoaxes at hoaxmap or hoaxsearch

develop
real contacts, real feelings
music is a good entertainer as long as it suits the mood, playlists etc
books are a treasure trove
conversations are like salt in a soup
define times when you are offline, eg. from 9pm
use of a smartphone box/corner
rituals – for first and last thing of the day, whether it be meditation, journal writing, sitting outside on the balcony or exercise
the rituals help one to get a good night sleep and to get a good start, starts and ends characterise this

“Bei sich sein und be sich zu bleiben ist der Kern jeder Achtsamkeitstechnik.”

paraphrasing the ending comments:
“finally, life success is a combination of many things, including how well we know ourselves and how much courage we have, to follow our inner voice …
it comes out of consistency and passion, being authentic and true to oneself

it almost always starts with an openness to begin afresh, renew oneself and a readiness to go into the unknown, within ourselves, with family, friends and colleagues …
and every such meeting has the potential for a new beginning to follow one’s lifeplan

sharing your visions, experiences with others, will extend your freedom and creative power, spreading hope and confidence”

Resources

switchoff
YouTube Channel
Instragram: @monikaschmiderer