I’m in a busy phase of my life right now, both professionally and personally. The result is I’m feeling unbalanced. Fortunately, I attended the Virginia Press Women spring conference this past weekend and attended a workshop by Christina Kunkle, a resilience coach – just what I needed.

Almost immediately, she talked about our need to disconnect. “There is too much emphasis on technology,” she said and went on to emphasize the need for a morning routine or practice.

Christina Kunkle encourages indivduals to be the CEO of Y.O.U. (Photo by Cynthia Price)

Ironically, I’d had a great routine for years – until I started using my smartphone as an alarm clock. With the smart phone, before I went to sleep I would check for last minute messages or play a quick game of Sudoku. First thing in the morning, after turning off the alarm, I would check my messages.

Chrstina’s words hit home. And, I’m not alone. Ben Silbermann, cofounder of Pinterest says in the latest issue of Better Homes and Gardens that he went low-tech and bought an alarm clock to break the habit of checking email righter before bed and first thing in the morning.

In the few days since the workshop, I continue to use my smartphone as an alarm clock but now I don’t look at the emails. I have returned to my morning ritual of journaling and making a list for me, which is another thing Christina emphasizes. “You need to be the CEO of Y.O.U.!”

With my list I note if it’s a workout day (seeing it in writing helps get me to the gym at day’s end), jot down evening commitments and identify one or two chores that might need to get done.

“We should start our day with ourselves at the top of the day,” Christina said.

By disconnecting, I actually feel more connected, or at least – grounded.