Can you totally unplug for ONE day? Silence…. I can hear the sound of NO, coming through my computer.
Ask Yourself
- Is there really anything that comes up that can’t wait one day?
- Is your entire business going to fall apart if you don’t check email, voice mail or answer the phone?
- Will you lose clients?
I am serious, ask yourself those questions.
Sabbath
The basic definition of a Sabbath is a day of rest. Jewish people celebrate the Sabbath from Friday at sundown, to Saturday evening, the last day of the week. For Christians it was typically celebrated on Sunday’s, the first day of the week.
But, for the purposes of this post think about a day of rest ANY day of the week.
The Ages
During the Agriculture age, people worked the land, usually their own, so they didn’t really leave their homes.
During the Industrial age, people got up, got dressed and went to work, and then came home.
Now we are in the information age and we are never unplugged.
Examples
Think about two successful companies, Chick-fil-A and Hobby Lobby, neither are open on Sundays for religious reasons.
Chick-fil-A is owned by S. Truett Cathy, she said, “I was not so committed to financial success that I was willing to abandon my principles and priorities. One of the most visible examples of this is our decision to close on Sunday. Our decision to close on Sunday was our way of honoring God and of directing our attention to things that mattered more than our business”
I know Jeff Turner says goodbye to everyone on Facebook on Saturday evenings and you don’t hear from him until Monday. He spends time with his family. I’ve heard him say over and over, it was the best thing he ever did.
Sometimes I think “we” justify not unplugging because we are not meeting clients,even so most of us are still engaged in our business in someway with our Smart phones and iPads. We are all apart of the Information Age so we are never without being wired into something.
Disclosure:
I have checked txt messages and emails in church. I want to do better, I want to clear my mind of all things real estate, and social media related for ONE 24 hour period a week. I want to abstain from work. I want to make the six days very fruitful. I need that day of rest.
My palms are already sweating mulling this over.
Scary, isn’t it? Anyone up for the challenge?
Written by Missy Caulk, Associate Broker at Keller Williams Ann Arbor. Missy is the author of Ann Arbor Real Estate Talk and Blog Ann Arbor, and is also the Director for the Ann Arbor Area Board of Realtors and Member of MLS and Grievance Committee's.