The Joy of Aeroplane Mode

In such a connected age, selecting the Aeroplane Mode function on my iPhone just before take-off is one of the greatest feelings in the world! You know…back when we were able to fly freely?!

Is it just me or is it overwhelmingly liberating to know that, even if just for an hour, no-one can reach me.

All potential crises can wait (or sort themselves out while I'm 30,000 feet in the air), social media will just keep on keeping on without my input and all expectations of me are put on hold for that time...guilt-free.

I mean what can I do? I'm on a plane! My hands are tied!

It got me thinking about how sad that is though. That I only feel truly liberated when I'm on a plane.

How could I incorporate that feeling on land when wifi and 4G is within reach everywhere I go?

The answer was simple...just turn on Aeroplane Mode or the handy Do Not Disturb function when I'm not on a plane!

It may sound ridiculous, but I have been trialling this idea both when I need some "me time" and also when I need to concentrate on a task at hand with no interruptions...and it works!

Juggling several businesses, most with pressing deadlines, can be truly overwhelming and when you add the calls, sms', emails, social media notifications, heck even the doorbell sometimes, the noise can just get too loud.

So I decided to switch the noise off...and I relished the silence.

Switching on Aeroplane Mode or Do Not Disturb rather than turning my phone off or on  still allows me to utilise the apps on my phone that I may want to access. As a double whammy of silence, I also switch off my emails on my computer so that incessant dinging is also quietened.

I try to allocate several segments of the day to check my emails rather than being distracted by them throughout the day. In the spirit of honesty though, this is a constant challenge and, whilst my intentions are good, sometimes I do find myself reaching for the phone to "refresh" my inbox outside of these allocated times.

The bottom line is this though...regardless of how silly it may sound, if turning on Aeroplane Mode or popping my phone on Do Not Disturb makes me feel free, then that is exactly what I'm going to continue to do. 

Go on...try it...