Rural escapes promise us an Eden. A place where we can reconnect with ourselves and recreate a paradise. But these moments will not happen by themselves. We must cultivate them if we wish to enjoy more of them more often.
The internet can be one way these paradises can be interrupted. Here are some tips for internet hygiene while you are out in the wild!
Try Distraction-Free Writing Tools
One of the best ways to get a lot of work done in the most productive way possible is to go on a nature retreat. You can sit alone in the mountains or the forest and really concentrate on a new project, or give an old one a final push.
Many people can retire to distraction-free environments, far from the city and their daily routines.
The goal is often to carry out a big project, such as writing a novel or founding a company. These are activities that require a good deal of emotional health, and tons of concentration. Not easy to do when we are also worried about our daily dramas.
However, going out to nature does not necessarily guarantee this type of pure concentration. Because we do so much work on our computers, they themselves are full of distractions. Computers, being so multifunctional, are almost designed to be distraction machines.
Sometimes these distractions can even feel productive, but do not be fooled. The opening up of a new tab to check your email in the middle of your novel will not get you across the finish line. That much is clear.
There are lots of solutions to this problem. A collection of distraction-free tools have been getting attention lately. They are sometimes programs that reduce distractions by blocking out editing options, or the ability to switch out of the program easily. Things like clocks are often removed.
Other distraction-free tools are whole new apparatuses. You can buy a reduced down computer that only has a word processor and an export function, for example. These tools are designed to cut down on the possibility for your mind to wonder and let you dig in to your project fully.
Keep Your Time Pure
Finding true moments of mindfulness is a tough thing. This is part of what makes it a bit more difficult to find comfort in the era of internet. With so many tools, we can end up having our times and schedules all blend and bleed together meaning that we never really have time for one thing.
While distraction-free devices can help with this, they are not enough. We also need personal tools for organizing our time and mind. Relying on technological fixes will only get us so far if we are also easily distracted anyway.
Plus, maybe we are not going to work on something, but rather to be alone, to re-center ourselves, or to go through a detox. We still need to be able to control how our digital devices enter our lives and schedules.
Having a set time every day to check messages and respond to the important ones is a great idea. This way, you can be sure you will respond to everyone in a timely manner without having your phone be your constant companion.
You can do this sort of sectioning off with all types of your digital routines. You can exclude the reading of news altogether, or you can contain it to a certain amount of time, rather than being tempted to check for constant updates. This type of obsessing can really derail the purpose of a rural escape.
Extra Precautions to Stay Safe
We often go on rural escapes in order to be alone. We want to get away from it all. Even though we do love our friends and family, a little alone time can be appreciated.
But of course when we are alone, away from our community, we are also more at risk. Without our friends and family to guide us, we can be more susceptible to our own whims and prejudices. This is especially true when we are traveling to foreign countries.
For example, you can check out this guide to the best casinos online in Qatar. They will keep you safe by reviewing top sites for security and more. It is important to be able to rely on such experts to help you find the slots with the best bonuses and how to use a VPN safely with these sites.
When you cannot rely on friends and family, it is important to know where to go for some advice when you’re in a pinch. You can trust these experts while still maintaining the peace and quiet of your rural retreat.
Bring Along Pre-Internet Entertainment
This piece of advice may seem more than simple, and that is because it is. If you are worried about keeping up your internet hygiene while trying to enjoy and make the most of the great outdoors, you can always just leave it behind.
Our internet devices are powerful, and we do not always have the willpower to overcome them. This is why we might just need to leave our computers and even our phones in our homes. It is like not buying cookies at the grocery store. If you can be strong for that short amount of time, you are forced to resist for more time after that.
This might sound boring at first, but we can bring along some pre-internet entertainment to help pass the time and occupy our minds. Books are great examples. They are small for how many hours of entertainment they can provide for us.
If books are not your cup of tea, you can bring along paper and drawing tools. Or, you can try something new by bringing along a small watercolor set. Perhaps having this much time to focus on something new could open up exciting new windows.
You will be surprised by everything that happens when you sit down and work on something using your hands in the real world.