Hardwood Floors August/September 2019

UNPLUGGED (Continued)

Whether or not we unplug from digital, the world isn’t going to stop. But as the future of the flooring industry and as "creatives," it’s up to us to quiet the noise – so that we can create and continue to propel the industry forward. So, when you see me in the airport chatting up a stranger, sketching in my journal, or soaking in a beautiful moment, you’ll know it’s intentional. Let us power off and create.

Unplugging has become key to my creative process. And my wish is that it becomes key to yours as well. Keep that pen and notebook in your bag. Pull it out when an idea or inspiration strikes. Start up a conversation with the person in the plane seat next to you. Sit in a local coffee shop and people watch. Walk through a museum and read every exhibit marker. Laugh out loud with your chin up. It’s within all of this living and all of this connecting and the moments unplugged that creativity – true creativity – will flourish.

Where do you go from here? How do you power off more often? Here are some simple tips from Digital Detox to help you unplug:

Start your day right: Get up, relax, and eat a healthy breakfast instead of reaching for the phone. Go old school: Get an old-fashioned flip phone instead of a smartphone. Domore: Pack your day full of person-to-person meetings where you commit to not reaching for the phone. Bring a book: Pick up a good read. Download an app: Get some tech help in monitoring the time you spend on the phone. Go on a digital diet: Reduce your time online by 10 percent. Take a mini break: Leave your phone at home for a day. Streamline your work: Ask that people connect with you only through one medium.

Get active: Jog or bike to work, phone free. Leave your work behind: Consider a work phone and personal phone and utilize out of office. Involve your friends: Invite your friends to keep you accountable. Lock up: Ask a friend or partner to take your phone for a bit. Set a strict technology bedtime: Your technology needs a bedtime, too. Schedule some free time: Schedule tech time and then turn it off. Be more in the moment: Go for a walk and soak in your surroundings. Just switch it off: Enough said.

Emily Morrow Finkell is an interior designer and CEO of EF Floors & Design LLC in Dalton, Georgia, a provider of hardwood floors and home furnishings, and an NWFA design contributor. She can be reached at emily@emilymorrowhome.com.

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