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How can you #unplug with an iPhone and computer on the coffee table, Dish Network on the screen, stack of newspapers on the floor, and a few books and magazines strewn about?

Try turning them off.

I’m not perfect, but for a week on the lake, I did my best to keep the technology turned off and only respond to the most important messages. Yeah, I did a few check-ins, posted the #100playgrounds on Instabook, and streamed NPR from time to time, but overall, I was able to unplug.

It was hard looking at my Lift App every few days and realize I wasn’t hitting my targets for writing, but I did save some ideas for future reference and took pages of notes in Evernote for GTD.

The recharge was good and made me realize that being focused on the meaningful things in life is most important. Perspective is two and a half years of work being whittled down to a small box of paper, while a week unplugged fills a lifetime of memories that no one can take away.

Now turn it off and focus on yourself, family, friends, and live your life to the fullest.

Since I’ve got a little free time on my hands this summer, I figure that besides rekindling my off-and-on blogging for the past decade, I could have some fun with the kids, too. Inspired by This Wild Idea, I figured visiting 100 playgrounds this summer wouldn’t be too hard to achieve. We’ll be traveling quite a bit throughout the midwest, so we can tie in geography, ecology, math, science, reading, and also local bike rides, hikes, picnics and more. We’ve already been to parks in Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana. Maddie is keeping a journal, and I’m tracking via Evernote, Instagram, and Tumblr.

The rules:

Both kids must be at the playground at the same time
A few minutes of play is fine
Each playground only counts once – unless under construction

Wish us luck and check it out!