1. Preperation
1.1. Most importantly: Don´t overestimate your own importance: Yes, the world will survive during your offline / ditox time!
1.2. Agree with your boss and customers early on regarding the time-frame for a (suggested) 2 week ditox vacation
1.3. Agree on project breaks if you are a key project personnel during your ditox
1.4. Tell your family/friends about your ditox and make sure they understand the importance this ditox is for you. They will also support you to be strong during the ditox and not to break it
1.5. Agree with yourself on a ditox time-frame - set a calendar entry for the ditox and add 2 days in advance and 2 days after your ditox. Why? Because: before your ditox you need to take the time to arrange essential tasks that you do not want to be forgotten. Also, after your ditox it is beneficial to have 2 days of "stealth online" to slowly get you back working online again, catching up with your emails and arranging your calendar, but the rest of the world still thinks you are in ditox and will still leave you alone
1.6. Have a colleague be a substitute to perform tasks or manage your project duties, not as a substitute for all of your work
1.7. Select the substitute by his/her ability to handle problems calmly, without trying to reach you immediately for feedback, rather than by his/her competence in the respective task field
1.8. Generally, your boss is a bad choice for being a substitution, because he/she is the most likely to call you during your ditox or screw up your projects completely! ☺
1.9. Conduct a hand over of your tasks with your substitute well in advance (and even work some days parallel) with your substitute on your own work before the ditox. This way your substitute will learn the nitty gritty details of your projects
2. During the Ditox
2.1. Decide how you will handle your digital gadgets during your ditox; Work smartphones shall be turned off, except for the "call windows" you have setup during the ditox, (see below)
2.1.1. Work smartphones shall be turned off, except for the "call windows" you have setup during the ditox, (see below
2.1.2. Private smartphones can be set on "no data connection" so you just have GSM and text (SMS)
2.1.3. Or use an old mobile (non-smartphone) without Internet
2.2. Don´t escape to the hotel desktops to get your daily dose of Internet - this is considered cheating!
2.3. Think about using a camera instead of your smartphone for taking pictures to reduce your exposure to your online gadgets
2.4. Read a book (or a paper), your smartphone-addictive hands will think it is a device
2.5. Is Netflix a form of Internet usage to you?
2.6. Agree on specific times where you are available for your colleagues: “Call Window
2.6.1. his is a specific time per day or week (e.g. from 9:00am - 9:30am or on Wednesday(s) before dinner at 6:00pm) when your boss can call you to ask for help if your input is crucially needed;
2.6.2. Psychologically, this helps you to be sure to be undisturbed in the all other times. But you will be ready and mentally prepared for disturbances during the “call window”. This increases the unconscious feeling of freedom and relief that you need for your relaxation. A ditox guru compared it once with wearing an iron knight suite. When you feel a call for help can come any time, your mind stays alerted and ready to respond. When you know it only can come only during the “call window” you allow your unconscious mind to take the iron knight suit off
2.6.3. Your boss shall be the only one allowed to call you in the "call windows”. This protects you from various colleagues and substitutes calling you frequently and without a really important reason. They have to go to the boss and tell him/her: “I need help!”
2.6.4. And BTW: a "call window” means phone calls, it does not mean that during the window you are allowed to check your emails or instagram! ;-)