Disconnection let it be!
It is nice to mention that islam encourage a sort of spiritual retreat during the month of Ramadan.

Thanks great advice

A wonderful post Derek. No distraction does give rise to creativity - as you eloquently quote. Indeed after reading Herman Hesse's Sidhhartha, I was inspired to post this post : https://angulam.com/2016/05/22/three-magic-words-for-success-from-herman-hesse/ - his formula for "deep work" (and unplugged at that of course!)

Just returned from a 3 day weekend with no Internet access. Glorious!

Thanks for this. Now that I think about it I'm much the same way. Travelled for 3 months to South America, had little wifi, no phone, and just wrote. The clarity is incredible. You see what you want, and you're far more creative, especially if you sprinkle in a bit of nature into the fold. Lately I've been doing the opposite. Listening to everything. Following every link. Getting in discussions that just don't need to be had.

Thanks for the reminder.

Great post! Now I just need to figure out how to stash my kids away for a few months...:)

Hi Derek,
Thank you for the reminder. The internet feels like someone is yelling at me all the time. Sales-funnels, take my course, make a course, plug-ins, sell, sell, sell, buy, buy, buy.
I miss creating.
I had more fun being me, before everyone started telling me I had to be like them.
Hoping you are well, and that you can find time alone to be you.
xo
Pamela
“before everyone started telling me I had to be like them” : great point! Thank you. — Derek

Thanks Derek. You're fortunate to be in a long-term relationship. How does the "disconnect" strategy work for you in the context of being in a family? I can sometimes escape for a solo overnight camp-out, but as a family man it's difficult to be disconnected for longer periods than this.
I disconnect with my kid 2-4 days a week. We go out into the middle of nowhere (beach or forest or whatever) and poke around in nature all day. It's ideal. — Derek

Thanks for the affirmation. Every August this: no tech, no clients. Bali this year, various deserts/woods in the past. I just took 3.5 days off tech to finish a project and the World flipped. Vonnegut's story of the father of the ballerina comes to mind each time my phone pings. Again, thanks for the affirmation: fortunately my clients are receptive to this thinking. Best, Derek. Martin

I love this idea and struggle with it.

I feel that there is no middle ground, Derek.

You're either all in with your social media, blogging, etc or off the grid.

There is no success in the middle.

Naval was interviewed by Tim Ferriss and when asked of his definition of success he said it's "when you no longer play the game"

He explained the game IS twitter, fb, etc.

You're busy being busy, NOT productive.....

You're busy watching and comparing yourself to everyone on twitter or instagram and then you don't think clearly bc you think someone else's moves are the "right moves"

I believe you said in James Altucher podcast it's great for people to be rich bc then you have "fk you money"

It seems like, Until then, you gotta get in the game bc you build trust and attention through all these connection points: fb, twitter, IG, snap chat

My preference is NOT to use those channels but, I listen to HOW people tell me they found out about me and it's majority from the social channels

I too miss the days of NO cell phones, etc.

Disconnect is my goal!!

Love your work, Derek!

Thank you!
There can be a middle ground. Spending most or even some of your time offline. Then signing on in short bursts to connect and show your work. — Derek

You're one of my favorite people Derek -- thank you for the counterpoint.

For anyone who's amped up by reading this post, Cal Newport's Deep Work is a book very much worth taking with you into the proverbial house on the Oregon coast.
Yes! GREAT book! Thanks for mentioning it. Here are my notes on it. — Derek

Great and simple advice; how do you execute it every day or is the execution only to go completely off the grid for days at a stretch?
either / both ☺ — Derek

Thanks Derek. I agree on many levels. Over the last year I've taken a few weeks of relative isolation to create something (different each time) and have found those weeks to be distinctly memorable and responsible for creating some very important things in my life. I'm setting up for another right now, and look forward to It...

"flow" is exactly what i was thinking, derek ...

it's a beautiful thing

I call it being in rheomode - where that intense-yet-joyful focus brings to the surface YOUR originality which then gets labelled as innovation or creation when it meets the world outside.

Using The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe as an analogy, the wardrobe is but only that state of solitude or mediation or focus, that readies you for receiving the magnificence of Narnia.

I hope I haven't lost you?
melanie

The question is how to integrate technology in our lives in such a way that we don't have to disconnect with it, but having various filters to the general news/social/random content might help.

Wonderful as ever, sir. Have you ever been on a meditation/meditation-like retreat for any significant amount of time (ten days or more)? If so, how does that silence/unplugging-but-still-in-a-group atmosphere compare to being away-but-active? What one loses in being able to follow creative urges, one gains in quality of creative output after the event?
I haven't, no. Maybe some day. — Derek

yes best things are created without outside influence.
To be honest these days it is very hard (depending on where you live) to be off the grid. the internet is almost everywhere on most people their phones on the tv's also on some refrigerators. certainly in the Netherlands it is hard to find a secluded place certainly if you do not have a big bank account.
And to be honest it would also scare me a bit but at the end of the year I am going off grid for a while (not entirely sometimes do connect) because I will be going to Uganda Africa for 35 days to be with my wife

Hi Derek, it's funny how todays thought speaks to me. I also feel that I am best when doing abracadabra - building a business where there was none before. I recall spending time sitting on a beach in Rio for a few months, simply contemplating life, on my own, zero distractions when I was in my early 20's, almost 40 years ago.Thanks and continue well.

Thank you for his post Derek. I needed to see this at this point in my life. Most greatly and gratefully appreciated! I totally hear you about the need to disconnect.

Yep. That still and quiet place is where we find our souls. Definitely unplugged.

Awesome Derek!
I agree, got rid of t,v. 3 years ago, started writing more songs, reading more, growing.
Thank you for your inspiration. Keep up the great work, the best is yet to come!

I've tried that this before when I decided to sell my iPhone and get a regular phone. It was magical, stressless, and I was doing much much more things than I used to do. I got two certifications, and I was really happy. but after that period... things got back to what they used to be..

My job involves so many emails, I need my phone because I always move and I need navigation apps to drive, I also need an app for notes, and I need texting apps like Whatsapp/Viber/Skype to communicate with my overseas relatives and friends.

Believe me, everyone wants this especially in this annoying world, but it's hard for most of us, for many reasons, I list three below:

1. Financial: job = salary = monthly bills and responsibilities to be paid. so quitting a job is impossible.
2. Economical: looking at the market these days and considering myself (most of people) aren't entrepreneurs or startup owners, quitting a job would be the same as jumping from a building.
3. Educational: I’m a computer guy, I study all the time and use the internet (yes, that connection) to research and learn.

It’s not about quitting jobs, sure, and staying home. but what I want to say in a more realistic way, is that we’re connected because we’re forced to, connected because we don’t have other options.

I loved your post more than you could imagine.

Hey Derek! Great article. Having that solitude is key to really tapping into your creativity. I've had some profound experiences traveling solo around the world. (Including Wellington, NZ. :) and on a vision quest in the Vermont woods. Thanks for the reminder that we need to unplug to reconnect with ourselves at a deep level.

Thank you!

Love!!! I am an introvert who naturally loves silence and I also do so much more work (better work) when left completely alone. I would absolutely love to go away like you did in order to move myself to the next level.

Thanks for your wisdom Derek - always much appreciated.

Great advice. I fear that the majority are going the other way. Looking around, I see so many looking down at their phones. Walking, driving, at work, in the store, everywhere. Hours and hours each day. Surely the National GDP will reflect the lack of work getting done!

I remember reading "The Compound Effect" by Darren Hardy and I think it was the very first page he wrote "Everything you need to know to become rich is already in your head. You know all you need already"

That line has always stuck with me because I now look at ways to use that knowledge to create value for others.

One of my personal mantras is "buying and consuming COSTS you money while selling and producing MAKES you money."

I remind myself of that anytime I'm on Facebook too long. Thanks for the wisdom Derek ☺

Right on. Absolutely.

How often do you need to to this?
Doing it all the time might not work?

My good friend turned me onto you, and I'm glad he did. I got fired from my job last year July 2015. I spent 6 months attending a whole bunch of weddings which was a curse and a blessing. All my friends decided to get married just when I was fired. Just my luck, but I managed to go to all but one. I'm glad I went to them though. I needed to be around people more than ever at that time. I started a new blog on Jan of this year (2016). Actually started two (findingswamy.com) (veganswamy.com). Not trying to plug, but would love if you looked at it. I'm 31 and asked myself lots of times if I'm doing what I should be? I have savings to last me the next two years which is nice and all the reason to never work for anyone again. II started making YouTube videos, reading a lot, writing a ton, going on nature walks, meditating, and generally being alone. Solitude is wonderful. I see how valuable time is now. My circle of friends are smaller. I don't care to go to bars or clubs. I used to be obsessed with dating and women. Still obsessed with women, but not on any dating apps. If I find her one day, it will happen. I have trust because I trust in my own efforts. Solitude has instilled in me a very important value. It's important to love yourself, and I do. Mr Sivers you are an inspiration. Happy for all your success and thanks for sharing your perspective with us. I'm on a natural high as I just meditated, so if this response is jumbled a bit, my apologies from the future me. Good day!

Hi Derek,

In truth if you do not spend time deeply into something you cannot possibly master that skill and embrace it as your own, ultimately leading to something unique that challenges what is being done at present. Also, the brain itself forms to adapt to the environment you are dealing with, so keeping undivided attention into the thing you pursue should be prioritized in order to not let the atrophying nature of life to creep in. What is not maintained will eventually rot and disappear.

You have not been posting lately.

Great to know that you are still with us!

Schitterend! Ik ben er zelf erg goed in trouwens ;)

Oh, how I miss being productive on a computer that's not online per default. Wait, I could just pull this grey cable out of this little black#0+$M§$%%§%

This is an automated bot, created by Simone Brunozzi.
He's currently disconnected but I'm sure he would like to let you know that he would have much appreciated your post today :)

(Ah, wish it were true!)

I wish I had the chance to disconnect more often then the two week
vacation.

I agree--solitude is healthy but it can be overdone..

Club Airplane Mode :)

How do you disconnect now that you live in Singapore?
People everywhere, not many pay the extra to have a car in order to have transportation, libraries are always crowded, etc.
You can always turn off your phone for a few hours, no matter where you are. — Derek

Great post! One of my favorites. I've always wanted to vacation alone in some state park cabin with a few of my favorite books and my bicycle.

I would have to agree, that for creativity you have to unwind a bit, and be alone in your thoughts . But you can't take too much time , there's. Big world out there with many people that can use help, so ya got to get back in the game!

Yes, you obviously made solitude work in the same manner as the Buddha and the many sages and holy folk who came before and after. I doubt Christ brought any distractions with him when he checked out and disappeared in the desert for 40 days, as the story goes. Thanks for recent emails. They were motivational.

My husband and kids and I live far away from extended family who are all loving and awesome, but I never would have done half the things that I have done if we were close to them - too much input, not enough down time.

This post speaks directly to me! I saved up to take a year off from full-time work with few plans other than to work toward being the best version of myself. My year off has absolutely changed my life. Like you, I unplugged, read, exercised, followed creative pursuits and kept in touch with only those closest to me. I've never been so connected to my body, mind and soul. I now know what I truly want and the direction in life that will bring me the most joy, the opposite of what I thought I wanted for years. I'm so glad to have discovered the power of disconnecting at 26 and can't wait to see what's next. Amazing.

Absolutely love it! Totally agree!

I went on a ten-day meditation retreat a few years ago. As was requested, I didn't read, write, talk, use electronics, or even make eye contact with anyone. I'd meditate with the other attendees for an hour at a time, for a total of 10 hours a day, and most of my other waking hours were spent laying in bed - thinking.

It would have been torture if I'd been ruminating and worrying, but it was actually fun to get an idea or question and think about it for an hour or two at a time. After making progress this way, and having many interesting ideas, I really looked forward to these uninterrupted periods. They became as attractive as YouTube is to me now. As I'd prepare to think about the various ideas I'd accumulated throughout the day, I felt a bit like I was getting into a super-fast spaceship - I knew I could get somewhere really interesting, even if the destination was unknowable in advance.

Apropos to "Silence is a great canvas for your thoughts." I can't provide provenance, but I think I heard that Mozart said, "Silence is the canvas upon which music is painted."

"You get no competitive edge from consuming the same stuff everyone else is consuming."
I really like that. It's so easy to feel you need to keep up with all the information flow, to be on the same level as others. But I have to say its hard to just disconnect so completely - like 5 months- and get on with the act of producing. I dont know that I have the guts to try.

I wish!!!
kids,husband, parents, family,.....
I have those things, too. You can always make a few hours for yourself, turn off your phone, and focus. — Derek

Great post and some replys take what you say too far. My family (brother sister, kids etc) vacations are all about their phone sleeping late and TV. Ridiculous as we are in the NC mountains. Anyways to do what you did was very cool but it sure took a lot of discipline and solitude that some of us just could not do. I would have been going to town once a day for the hell of it. And who could live in solitude without getting something we do not need from Amazon. A book maybe etc May try it someday but a week in good climate, with sun and my bike and running shoes

Thanks Derek. I think as an introvert this comes easy for us. I always wonder how hard it is for extroverted type people to be able to unplug..

True!

Oh, how I can relate to this article! I just told my significant other for the past three years, that I really need a break to focus on my music, and to network with new people/re-connect with old friends and musicians. Told her she really needs to focus on her career as well, and that we need to throw ourselves into our passions. I do get burnt out from time to time with the music biz, and need to take a break to re-charge my batteries, but then, it's time to dive-in again!

How firthcoming Derek. I decidex to close my personal Fb page 2months ago to concentrate on creating and being in a more spiritual space. Yes indeed.

SO TRUE!!!!

I thank you so much for saying so!

I think it doesn't make sense to some people. Maybe people who don't have a need to create?

Derek,

This hits home. Lately I've been feeling guilty because I haven't been reaching out to friends much nor answering my phone. I've secluded by self for about two months working on writing music and learning theory. It's been depressing at times, but once I let go of the guilt, it's good. Although I feel bad for 'shutting people out' it's been great dailing and focusing on my craft. I feel like this past two months has helped me get back on track and take things to a better level skill wise.

Point being; it sux trying to explain to friends why you haven't talked or hung out. However I know that This disconnecting was necessary for me to advance. And will prove extremely beneficial.
Hopefully I can throw a big celebration party with all my friends and family round this time next year.

Exactly where I am right now, only I'm staying connected in a disconnected sort of way because of responsibilities. The solitude is everything to me right now. I carve out grand canyons full of it. It is rewarding. Its funny how it feels like I'm over indulging in time, like a time-binge. They come looking for me. They worry. And then they wonder why I know all those groovy new guitar licks!

I think this has become a lifestyle for me. There are seasons that force me into the fray, but I always end up finding pockets of escape.

I think its a combination of solitude and reflection. Solitude removes all the distractions, which is very healthy for a giga procrastinator as myself. But its important to reflect, both in your thoughts, in other people and the world around you.
My brain seem to generate more output, when tickled with inputs, but to get the work done, i need solitude, occasionally with loud music. Loud music distracts the ego, while the self creates :)
May i recommend the author Erich Fromm, who wrote that the only truly fulfilling thing in the human life is: productive activity (or in my world, productive creativity)..
"To have or to be", "escape from freedom" and "the sane society" are my favorites, in that order.

Today we mostly make parts of things in our work life, its frustrating, you create something, but its only part of something.. a piece of code, a part for a car... how did you feel the last time you created something from scratch? Your own thing, all the way through and shared it with the world?
Try make your own vegetable garden, i bet the foods taste much better.. try make a piece of furniture, might not be pretty the first time, but with practice, i bet that piece of furniture, will be both better quality and will never be discarded like we do with the cheap stuff now a days.

Oh and Derek a special thanks to you i got inspired to start programming javascript - its a f**** awesome tool man :D messing around with JSON connectivity atm.
w3school taught me more than all the books i bought at amazon ;)

Great post!
And featuring an awesome picture from my country!

Come visit Georgia! :)

I never thought at this, I feel that you are right. I'll do it asap. Thanks Derek, greetings from Turin!

It sounds very easy to me to iolate yourself if you don't have family (wife, kids) around you. I don' see how I could have done it. How should I pay for it? How did you manage to do it financially?

Focus! is the operative word. To quote- R W D' Lawerence "Life is like a field, you only get out of it, what you put in"

Derek, thank you. I've been struggling with this, because I KNOW that being alone is best for my creative drive and i'm also happiest when i'm creating the most. But it's not the Internet or the phone that I have trouble cutting myself from, it is people.
There's a struggle when people care about you. They want you around. They feel rejected when you take time for yourself and it doesn't matter how much you explain, there is all this resistance in them that suddenly makes them more clingy and insistent. It's almost like magic: say you're taking time alone and they become stressed, they invite drama in their life to keep you there.
How do you (Derek and you, reader of this blog) deal with this without being a complete jerk?

You've got it right between the eyes. Two questions: Do you feel an addition would be to have a focus or challenge for the disconnect period (like a post about x or a movie scene to end the movie)or do you leave it void?

Josh Waitzken talks about 'priming' the subconscious and then 'tapping' it as part of the creative process. Do you have a process or do you go with the flow when you disconnect?

Thanks Derek - You always help break my rat race view of the world.

Leon

Having disconnected our satellite TV, just that has helped my creativity. We have apps. I streamline exactly what I want to see and hear. This week I saw several great music docs on Zappa, the Beach Boys, the Beatles, and recording techniques on Lynda.com.
I am interested in healing the physical & emotional body so I listen to HowardWills.com love prayers and YouTube interviews. I can do anything while listening and without resentment and anger. Ie. Doing mundane chores doesn't bother me when I listen to these enlightening words of light.
Blocks are removed and it puts me in a positive realm . A non judgemental frequency. So I have done a 360 and listen and view exactly what I want without commercials and random news. I follow my favorite people on Twitter for latest news of interest and humor. I monitor what is important to me and my environment like weather, air quality , fire and flash floods, whose birthday it is and who died.
We escape to the lake and the pine trees and enjoy a good dose of nature, then we come home and do qi gong .

Thank you Derek for your insight, all your others as well. I agree, I need time to think in quiet or while doing something creative. When I don't take this time I get very unsettled, like I'm missing something some elusive, yet vital, thing that's on the tip of my brain. People wonder how I get so much done and the answer is by spending a lot of time not "working" and just as you pointed out, that's when I get my best work done.

My favourite take away though was "You get no competitive edge from consuming the same stuff everyone else is consuming". I am going to accept that as permission to stop worrying that I may be missing out; on "news", facebook posts, twitter (I can't even decipher some of the drivel).

This piece has my name written all over it. I love solitude & silence and yet am so disconnected from it in recent months. Try living with an extrovert!

Moving to London in September and actually looking forward to some disconnect.

As a religious Jew, we disconnect friday night till saturday night every week, no electronics. We focus on spirituality and family and community.
It's a great thing!

Agree that you need a lot of space to create. I don't watch TV and try to not get distracted. It's been a great summer with new songs emerging. I've also gotten into some of the best shape I've been in.

Yes! Thank you for the reminder that unplugging is the way to creativity. I'm going to get off the computer and go play my guitar now. ☺

You are so right! But how many people nowadays would have the courage let alone the opportunity to do what you did back at 22 years of age? Money is a must. In order to get money, most people (ok, unless you're a politician or a career criminal - what's the difference I hear you ask) have to work for a living. There's precious little chance to get cut off from social or mainstream media in a working environment. I am in the fortunate position to be more or less isolated now, as you were as a youngster. I am in the countryside in the middle of nowhere not too far from the Arctic Circle. I can but agree whole-heartedly with your comments, isolation is magic for creativity and one can get in touch with nature and one's very self, and I sure need it at the moment since my partner passed away just recently. Long walks in the forest and no contact with anyone but the birds, squirrels, butterflies and hedgehogs, beautiful. I am finalising my partner's book. Thanks for your help with that. Most people today wouldn't even have a chance of contemplating peace and quiet for one hour, let alone for days or months. Yes, I am on the internet, but there has to be some opportunity to connect to the outside world otherwise you wouldn't be reading this now :)

You are so right! But how many people nowadays would have the courage let alone the opportunity to do what you did back at 22 years of age? Money is a must. In order to get money, most people (ok, unless you're a politician or a career criminal - what's the difference I hear you ask) have to work for a living. There's precious little chance to get cut off from social or mainstream media in a working environment. I am in the fortunate position to be more or less isolated now, as you were as a youngster. I am in the countryside in the middle of nowhere not too far from the Arctic Circle. I can but agree whole-heartedly with your comments, isolation is magic for creativity and one can get in touch with nature and one's very self, and I sure need it at the moment since my partner passed away just recently. Long walks in the forest and no contact with anyone but the birds, squirrels, butterflies and hedgehogs, beautiful. I am finalising my partner's book. Thanks for your help with that. Most people today wouldn't even have a chance of contemplating peace and quiet for one hour, let alone for days or months. Yes, I am on the internet, but there has to be some opportunity to connect to the outside world otherwise you wouldn't be reading this now :)

Sounds amazing.. Seeing I haven't had that ever.. Wife 3-kids job, & 2-business's makes that pretty much impossible. Would love to get my creative part back for music. The biggest question would be where do i start once I make up my mind?
Thanks Derek, really answers a few questions thats been on my mind heavy.

IJ think you're right on target here; I also think that regarding one's art as his/her contribution to the community, sans ego, helps the creation of flow.

We need this more then ever now. We truly are to distracted these days. Yes, need to disconnect and feel the peace.

I've lived off the grid. It was good.
I still live in a cabin in the woods, but without the internet, i wouldn't be reading this and this is good food for thought.
Food is good...in moderation!

I just said no to work that came up just as I was preparing for a long overdue retreat. It felt so good!

Thanks for the link to this! Hope your well, have a great day and see this in 5 months haha

I appreciated this post. I recently built and moved into a campervan (while still working full time as a functioning member of society), cut out Internet, tv, social media etc.

I've had a lot of skeptical feedback so it is nice to hear affirmation from somebody who has benefited from a simplified state.

Thank you!

Totally agree, best thoughts and creativity come from solitude and silence, no distractions. I also love people but also love my own company. Being surrounded by natural beauty feeds the mind. No technology Is good for the soul and a refreshing absence of distraction to be with your own thoughts only. Thanks for sharing your post.

I agree whole heartedly!

Absolutely love this. Thanks for sharing Derek.

This is so true especially since I am experiencing something very similar right now. However, it wasn't by choice but by the nature of my work. And This is the most disciplined i have ever been in my life.

It is easier to be a copier but to be a creator takes great talent and skill. A stone carver takes a block of stone and brings into being a beautiful sculpture. A painter takes a blank canvas and turns it into a beautiful painting. A writer creates a book, a poem, a song, where none existed before. It takes talent, skill, imagination and hard work to create something out of nothing. A true inventor will invent something absolutely new, while a copier will take that invention and make little changes to it which might or might not improve on it.

Give a title to a songwriter and he/she will turn it into a song, while a singer will bring that creation to life, copiers will give their versions of the same song. Just imagine how God created this universe out of nothing, He spoke it into existence.

great advice!
i find myself allocating Saturday mornings just to clean my gmail inbox. that's half hour of meticulous rule tweaking, classification, some reading, and mostly deleting. (this is how i got to this post :)
it would be amazing to just quit my job, sublease apartment on airBnB, go somewhere, stop the inflow, and see what comes out.

Terrific post, Derek!

Enjoying the kind of peace that only comes with quiet.

Peace & Quiet,
Todd

I will try.

Disconnecting is so valuable, and undervalued today. Even if a long solitude is not possible, just taking a break from the constant input of noise every day or so can be a great help.

Great reminder Derek! Several of my favorite albums were written by bands who locked themselves in a cabin (i.e. Bon Iver's for emma forever ago and Avett Brother's Four Theives Gone) Time to unplug!

Vipassana ftw — sort of being alone, together (and then of course gradually realizing what a veil the id really is). Ten days isn't five months, but if the discipline is there, it can sure feel like it.

I love this...

Amen!

Excellent Article. Appreciate that you put this into such simple words. Thanks !!

It is wonderful article. I would love to hear from you more.

I thoroughly enjoy your posts. Thanks for sharing. The irony is appreciated as well. Reminds me of the Nisargadatta Maharaj reply when asked about the desire to lose all desires: [paraphrasing] it is like the funeral pyre...it's the last one to get burned to ashes.

Thank you for these words - just what I needed.

So well said Derek! And it's funny, because that's the very thing everyone is afraid of.
Seems like all of the secrets to living more fulfilling lives always lie beyond the doors clouded in fears.
Thank you!

I used to think about the life without Internet. Just me and some good books, I can stay in my room for the whole vacation. But I see a lot of amazing websites and blogs, just like yours, they give me so many great advises and story about life, business, .. So I think if I quit the Internet, I'll miss lots of things in my life. Can you give some advice for me plz ?
books have all the best stuff — Derek

It is a very good advice but almost impossible when you have children.

thanks very helpfull , what book did you read in that time , can you mention a few. thanks
Here are a few. — Derek

Great article! One of my favourite things us spending time in places where there is no mobile coverage - there is nothing quite like disconnecting

Hi Derek! I couldn't relate more to this. I think mastering a skill until creativity comes almost intuitively can only be done in solitude and without the endless distractions of our favorite devices. Great read! Henning

Disconnect to reconnect. I would love to hear any advice you have on how to successfully set up a length of time to unplug. How do you budget, plan and execute a solitary disconnect?

You are right on but our young people now will find it very difficult to pull back due to the magnetic draw if the new wave of social media and tech products. They are becoming technical zombies I'm afraid.
Before that, TV was hard to disconnect from. It's always hard to disconnect - to miss out on the entertaining gossip and such - unless you feel the benefits are worth it. — Derek

Most profound thing I have read in some time.

Thank you.
Beth

Great piece of advise!! I will disconnect in order to achieve! Thank you Derek! Great as usual!

I agree. It is also a practice.

Disconnection ... Disconnection ... Disconnection !!!
I like to go for 5-4 days solo hikes when i feel that my spirit need to be left up again, 5 days of nothing but nature and exercise ... sweet!!

Great advice. I love that house on a rock. Its perfect.

thank you, short. simple. and just what i needed to read. thank you.

truth

My wife and I just came off of a 2 month road trip much of which was spent in National Parks which conveniently have no wifi or phone signal. That time was invaluable in helping us rejuvenate and get excited about what we decide to do next! I liked what you said about the vacuum helping turn inputs into outputs, it can be really easy to spend too much time processing all the inputs and not enough time creating.

This is a beautiful realization. However, it can be a power struggle when others in your life don't understand this. It's pretty liberating to communicate this and observe the acceptance or departure of others in reaction to your honesty.

I'm agree with you so much.In fact ,I study in school for three years. But in recent one year ,I almost disconnected with others, just reading, writing, thinking, though sometimes have bad tempers,totally, I get the most wondrrful feelings I havn't experience in the past.It's so great.No one can know my feelings deep unless they have experienced by themselves.I'm a foreigner, forgive my English grammar,thanks～

Hello Derek:

Still grateful for you so graciously endorsing my book "Got Your Attention?"

And yes to disconnecting in order to increase productivity.

I wrote a post about that in case you're interested called, 'I''m not Anti-Social; I Just Enjoy Solitude." This is one of the biggest lessons-learned from my Year by the Water - the importance of being "alone with our thoughts" to go deeper into thought.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/im-anti-social-pro-solitude-sam-horn

Hope all's well with you. Please keep living your life as the iconoclast you are. It sets an inspiring example for all of us.

Sam Horn

So grateful for this. I felt like crying when I read it.

Thanks.

This pegs the reason I live the way I do as describe in response to your "Now Hiring" email.

I will be hard pressed to explain why I responded to it at all. Could just be curiosity. Possibly nostalgic desire to see CD Baby continue. Maybe just satisfying the natural human urge to share the load.

Do you have tips for someone who's tried to quit social marks multiple times only to come crawling back to it? Additionally, tips for someone with add to focus on simply creating. Thanks Derek!
Change your password to something really long and hard to type. Set your browser to delete cookies every time it closes, and not remember passwords. Delete the social media apps from your phone. So now you *can* go log in to Facebook/etc on your computer, but it's inconvenient, and it's impossible from your phone. This helps a lot. — Derek

So true. It's almost as if we create the world around us, or it's created for us, like some sort of Matrix or something ;) As an artist, musician and designer, I think it's important to immerse yourself in what your peers are doing around you, to differentiate the good stuff from the bad stuff. But it's equally as important to silence the constant flow of mindless marketing from this world, and simply create! I only discovered you yesterday, b/c my aunt said you remind her of me, so you'll have to give me some time to catch up, but I'm liking everything so far, especially the music!! Keep up the good work, good sir!

Love the short but succinct article. It's exactly what I needed to confirm, as I'm about to embark on a few months of sabbatical and all I've read online about how to best utilize the time has been very general and superficial. Being interested in tech all my life, I haven't unplugged in a while, but looking back, all my best and most creative moments have been when I was away from the world's communication channels. I've had a few business ideas and string quartets in my head, so I can't wait to put it on paper and start producing stuff. Can't wait to see what happens. Thanks Derek!

Excellent

As an introvert person i know exactly what you describe. Last week i implemented the concept of deep work from the book of Cal Newport. It feels great to create. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

Beautiful! Thank you.

OMG, I so would love that solid time of solitude, especially on the coast of Oregon. I smiled with that idiotic happy smile just reading about it and picturing all the quiet time. I so agree with you, I'm the same way. It has nothing to do with hating people, but just having this time to be able to hear your own thoughts, which is becoming increasingly impossible with all the interruptions that are being shoved down our eyes and ears and throats. To be able to focus and really lose yourself in that activity. To start something and be completely relaxed about it, knowing that you won't get interrupted.

Great post

Disconnecting from large parts of the Internet made me more creative. It’s astonishing how fast the mind changes after a couple of days of limited input. If the mind is not busy processing an influx of information, it has to come up with its own ideas. I did a 30 day challenge and experienced above changes. It felt refreshing and I was much more content.

Just reading this now. This is fantastic, the best advice. I'm becoming aware of the clutter of information we consume every day. Most of the time has nothing to do with our goals or what we really want. Silence has become a priority for me.
Thanks Derek.

this got to me so much that I was on the very edge of crying!

Nice :D

this is a very inspirational piece It show that you can disconnect from the public world and do more with your life.

good post

Love it! Thanks!

Even though I try to call myself a minimalist, I am far from it. Recently I read the book from Cal Newport "Digital Minimalism" in which I first encountered the term "solitude" and really understood it.

In a world where we (or at least I) think that by doing more we get more, it's totally counter-intuitive to do less. I mean, waiting in line without an audiobook... those people are losers... but not me, I'm smart, I have my headphones on!

Now I'm thinking "at least I was not on Facebook"

After reading that book, I deleted my social media apps from my phone and suddenly, I have no idea (and don't care) what my "friends" are sharing on facebook!

In a super connected world, disconnecting seems like a super power!

Thanks for the article man, appreciated it

That’s pretty cool how many songs he wrote

it was kinda weird that she just was by herself for 5 months I wonder where she got the idea to separate herself from outside world for her to improve herself.
«she»? It was me. The “idea” came from wanting to work on my music without distractions. — Derek

This was a great article that I needed to read

I think she is right. We all need a break from technology sometimes and just relax and take time for ourselves.

That seems very intriguing, in my opinion. To not be attached with your device.

the internet does more harm than good social media takes our kids off whats really important like living life to the fullest.

Great article!