Media empresses swear off technology for the holidays
Overdoing it during the holidays is easy: Theres food galore, drinks you adore and parties that leave you sore.
But three media power players vowed not to go overboard in one area of their lives: technology. Arianna Huffington, president and editor-in-chief of Huffington Post Media Group, Cindi Leive, editor-in-chief of Glamour and Mika Brzezinski, co-host of MSNBCs Morning Joe, teamed up to unplug from their prized phones and slick laptops from Dec. 23 through Dec. 29 (a whole week!).
That meant no checking their e-mails every nanosecond or forging hourly tweets, and skipping their favorite TV shows, online games and social media sites in favor of more time with family and living in the moment.
As with breaking any addiction, these dynamos found it difficult to stay off devices and they had slip-ups but ultimately they felt richer for their experience. Here are their stories, as told to Kathleen Lucadamo:
Founder of Huffington Post Arianna HuffingtonPhoto: Getty Images
My youngest daughter, Isabella, made me lock my four BlackBerrys in a safe, to stop me from constantly checking my phone. The first day of the detox was the hardest, and I reached for my phone too many times to count, but it got easier each day. Instead of texting and e-mailing, I read two books and print newspapers, and worked on the finishing touches of my book, Thrive, about a new way of defining success I call the Third Metric. I dont remember the last time I read and wrote uninterrupted.
We were in Hawaii, and the office was closed for two days which made it easier to unplug but I allowed myself an hour a day to check in when the office was open. Boy, was it hard not wandering onto various Web sites once the computer was on but I knew one hour would quickly morph into six if I didnt control myself. At one point, Isabella, 22, came to talk to me during my online allowance, so I gave myself a few minutes more to make sure I got in my full time. Since my time was so restricted, I didnt answer every e-mail. That was wonderful. I had my out-of-office response plugged in, so no one was offended.
I had pre-programmed inspirational sayings into my Twitter account, but when followers read the feeds, they were upset because they thought Id broken my device-free pledge so I had them stopped.
It was also tough being in this breathtaking place and seeing incredible waves and sunsets, and not being able to share them on Instagram. But instead, I soaked in the beauty. The waves reminded me of the ones I swam in growing up in Greece.
Staying physically active was key to staying away from my devices. I took long walks with my daughters and did yoga. Normally, Id keep my phone nearby, even in yoga class, and sneak peeks at the screen when we switched poses.
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Media empresses swear off technology for the holidays