Sometime in the afternoon yesterday, I remembered that I planned today, the day after Christmas, as work day. I remembered that I have a client call this morning at 8 am. And I remembered that I haven’t blogged in far too long.

Even though I love my work, I recoiled. It’s Christmas! What was I thinking to plan work for the day after?

It’s hard for me to switch between being offline and online. No modulation for me; I either do all in, with staying connected as a near-obsession, or (less often) I disconnect completely, and I loathe to even look at my iPhone.

I decided a couple of weeks ago to try one day offline, a technology Sabbath. And, I think it will work well for me; I think it will help me maintain more balance and perspective — if only I can figure out this process of re-entry.

photo credit The Wandering Angel 

In the summer, when my girls enjoy daily trips to the pool, I ease in. One step at a time, slowly acclimating to the cool water. My girls, on the other hand, jump right in, every time. There’s that moment of shock, of course, and at times there are squeals and giggles, but, soon, they are splashing and playing, and completely adjusted it, while I am still on the stairs, still trying to “get used to it first.”

When it comes to work and staying connected, I am not sure it works to ease back in, unless you count the requisite lurking I do on Facebook, catching up on what everyone’s been sharing, before I share something myself.

Instead, re-entry to my online life requires that I just jump back in.

More than three weeks without a blog post? Write one.

Three days, no tweets? Send one, another, a half dozen.

Find a conversation, join it.

It’s the advice I’d give a client, and the advice I need to stick to myself. Whether it’s been ten weeks, ten days, ten hours, or ten minutes, the secret is to jump in.

Tell me something! Do you struggle to reconnect after time spent offline? How do you conquer the problem of re-entry? Do you jump back in, or slowly acclimate?