Unplugged

Hi, my name is Ariel, and I’m totally addicted to the internet.

See me in this picture? I’m the one with the pink braids fiddling with my phone. There I am, out with friends, ignoring the good times because I’m too busy sending a text message and checking my email. I do this sort of thing a lot.

…Ok, I’m back. I had to check my email. What was I saying?

In January I went to a SparkNW workshop about finding a balance between technology and soul. For me, that meant dealing with my tendency to overuse the internet for all things.

I went into the workshop saying I’d like to be More present in the present. This isn’t just an internet addiction thing. It’s an ADD, monkey-brain, cultural thing too — but the internet sure doesn’t help.

And I came out of the workshop having made this decision:

One night a week for a year, I am going to completely unplug from anything with a screen.

This means no computer, no cell phone, no movies. I plan to focus instead on the other things I like doing like writing letters, crafting, organizing, dancing, going for walks, cooking and making tea, writing in my paper journal. I might also try picking up some new things to like such as watercolors, mail art, dance classes, attending lit readings, etc. I’m going to work on my next book, brainstorming by hand. (BY HAND, PEOPLE!) Regardless, one night a week I’m going to unplug.

Want to follow along with my progress?
Read the Unplugged blog. Because of course I can’t unplug without blogging about it! (Irony, is that you?)

Want to join in?
Please do! I’d love to hear your thoughts about why you want to unplug, what you’re doing with the your screen-free time, and how it impacts your life.

52 Nights Unplugged on the Today Show

21 Responses to “Unplugged”

The Life of Lou Ruppert
February 12th, 2008 at 8:31 pm

[…] Here’s a brilliant idea. Take a night a week and unplug from screened electronics. TVs, computers, cell phones — everything must go. It’s natural to prioritize the wrong things and realize you’ve gotten yourself into life-debt. You know, that feeling where it seems like the amount of things you need to do are greater than the time you’ll be alive. […]
Update on Personal Strategy Development | Agile Personal Development
February 13th, 2008 at 6:31 am

[…] a separate note, I just read on Lifehacker about the 52 Nights Unplugged blog, where the author Ariel is spending one night a week without any electronic screens (i.e. no […]
AmateurScribe » Blog Archive » The Screens Go Dark
February 13th, 2008 at 8:25 am

[…] from LifeHacker, it’s “52 Nights Unplugged“. Blogger, writer, and internet addict Ariel Meadow Stallings has launched this idea, suggesting that one night a week she’ll remove herself from her […]
“52 Nights Unplugged” « the tension is here…
February 14th, 2008 at 7:52 am

[…] that I need something like this. Maybe you do too? “Writer and self-described internet addict Ariel Meadow Stallings wants to be “more present in the present,” and for her that means reducing the amount […]
Get Inspired With Seven Days of Inspiration for Lawyers | The Inspired Solo
February 17th, 2008 at 3:37 am

[…] At her site, Electrolicious, she’s tracking her progress in a new project called “52 Nights Unplugged,” in which for one night each week for one year, she’s going to divorce herself from […]
Hostingailesi.com » Blog Archive » Internet Baglantisi Olmadan 52 Aksam
February 18th, 2008 at 4:45 pm

[…] sey (bilgisayar, telefon, televizyon, vb.) kullanmamaya karar vermis. Bu ekransiz aksamlarini da 52 Nights Unplugged adli blogunda aktarmaya […]
52 gecəlik internetsiz həyat | Blogran
February 19th, 2008 at 12:50 am

[…] telefon, media player)istifadə etməmək qərarına gəlib. Bu ekransız gecələrini də 52 Nights Unplugged adlı blogunda qəydə almağa başlayıb.Dediyinə görə beləliklə dostlarına məktublar […]
İnternet Bağlantısı olmadan 52 Gece … | Bosakurekcekenler.Com
February 20th, 2008 at 5:02 am

[…] telefon, televizyon, vb.) kullanmamaya karar vermis. Bu ekransız geçen akşamlarını da 52 Nights Unplugged adli blogunda aktarmaya […]
What Some Would Call Lies » This is the one with World-Wide Wednesday
February 20th, 2008 at 6:53 am

[…] 52 Nights Unplugged - Ariel turns off everything with a screen one night a week. I’ve been trying to convince Mr. D. to do this with me. […]
Susan Audrey » Blog Archive » Sunday Links #2
February 24th, 2008 at 8:47 am

[…] 52 Nights Unplugged - go without TV/internet/cell phone for 1 night a week « Fun on Friday […]
52 Nights Unplugged | Eloquation
February 25th, 2008 at 1:51 pm

[…] taking a cue from Ariel Meadow Stallings, I’m jumping on the 52 nights unplugged […]
Unplugged52 « and the spiders from mars
February 27th, 2008 at 10:50 am

[…] blogged about an experiment: Reduce Screen Time with 52 Nights Unplugged [Distractions] ”Writer and self-described internet addict Ariel Meadow Stallings wants to be “more […]
Electrolicious» Blog Archive » 52 Nights Unplugged in the NYTimes
March 1st, 2008 at 10:30 am

[…] 52 Nights Unplugged […]
links for 2008-03-02 | Team Kane Street : Alex Rainert and Karen Bonna Rainert
March 1st, 2008 at 9:20 pm

[…] 52 Nights Unplugged This internet addicted blogger is going to unplug one night a week for 52 weeks. No tvs, no computers, no cell phones! I don’t know if I could do this, I certainly know Alex cannot do this, but I think it’s a really nice idea for people like us who could (tags: project) […]
Can you unplug for 52 nights? « Authentic Blogging
March 3rd, 2008 at 1:17 pm

[…] about unplugging over to the wonderful (ironic) new community over at 52 Nights Unplugged care of Ariel and Ning. She is one happening […]
Unplugged… «
March 10th, 2008 at 10:48 am

[…] life I’m sure by now most of you who read shit tons of blogs like I do have heard about 52 Nights Unplugged. You have, right? Well in case you were too busy perusing perezhilton.com and happened to miss […]
Digital Sabbath « blogue?!
March 21st, 2008 at 5:27 pm

[…] E veja esse site do Ariel: http://electrolicious.com/unplugged […]
Enjoy the silence « Two wheels on my wagon
March 31st, 2008 at 2:59 am

[…] no music thing made me think I might be able to manage this, and even enjoy it. Watch this space… […]
Unplugged… at least for now « One Lone Tree
April 30th, 2008 at 10:55 am

[…] on the subject of unplugging, there’s a great article over at electrolicious (the home of 52 nights unplugged) on etsy, the alchemy feature, and a […]
Unplugged Night #14 - Electrolicious
May 3rd, 2008 at 12:34 am

[…] Unplugged […]
BrizBunny » 52 Nights Unplugged
May 7th, 2008 at 5:27 am

[…] We’ve got to say that if you are doing any of these things regularly, or in the case of texting and driving at all, you need help! You can also follow the founder’s, Ariel Meadow Stallings, efforts in meeting the challenge on her blog - electrolicious.com/unplugged [^]. […]

Hey there. I'm Ariel Meadow Stallings, a native Seattleite who's written my way up and down the Left Coast. Electrolicious is where I post daily randomata, but I also write for a living. My first book, Offbeat Bride, is in bookstores now.

You're reading a page from the archives. Check the homepage for current content.