Running a virtual business requires a high degree of connectivity. My clients are virtual; most of my team are virtual. To serve them well, I must stay connected via email and social media channels. I am nearly always tethered to my iPhone.

That my company is a social media one compounds the issue. If I’m going to preach the importance of showing up on social media channels (and believe me, I do), then I have to show up. Toward the end of the day Friday, I had had enough. I turned off my cell phone, people. Powered it off. I closed my laptop and closed my office door.

I can tell you about what I did this weekend, but it’s what I didn’t do that is more significant. I didn’t look at email — not once. I didn’t sneak a peek at Facebook or scroll through tweets. I DID NOT DO IT.

I did power my cell phone back on sometime Saturday morning, mostly because I wanted to contact friends about fun activities we might enjoy together. I may have answered a random text or two from my team. But I did not look at email or social channels; not for a moment.

While sitting at the hair salon on Saturday, hands idle in my lap, it occurred to me how I’ve spent every other appointment mindlessly checking email and scrolling Facebook, which seems kind of silly now. Leaving my phone in my purse – it was wonderful.

I loved my unplugged weekend so much, I might make it a monthly event. Because I took off an entire weekend and nothing catastrophic happened, I have hope that there may be a real vacation in my future (not a working one.)  

I loved it so much, I found myself dreaming about reverting to a flip phone. Because admit it — I’m not the only one who’s contemplated chucking my iPhone in a sewer or tossing it into a lake. Am I?