Is it time for a digital detox?

John W Hayes
3 min readMar 16, 2024

I love technology, but sometimes, it just makes sense to disconnect for a while. That’s why I’m a huge fan of the occasional digital detox. Let me explain.

The last few years have been tough. As a self-employed content marketer, I’ve ridden the roller coaster that is the current business climate and rolled with the punches. I’ve seen success and failure but have always come up fighting — often punching above my weight. I don’t mind admitting, at times, it’s been quite a toil.

The problem with being my own employer is that it can be hard to turn off. I have more ideas than I know what to do with, and at times, this can become overwhelming. Sometimes, the noise in your head prevents you from focusing on the most important aspect of running your business — looking after yourself. None of this is helped by the fact that we live our professional and personal lives hardwired to the tech that drives almost everything we do.

Last week, I shut my laptop down and flew out to Portugal to cycle 214 km along the beautiful Algarve coast. I do this every year (usually with friends), but this year, I was alone.

I’ve got to admit, the prospect of doing the ride by myself made me a little anxious. What if I get lost? What if I have an accident? What if I cannot do it? You’re a 51-year-old man; you have no business doing this kind…

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John W Hayes

Marketing Strategist, Author of #BecomingTHEExpert, Content Marketing Trainer, and Cyclist. Check out my author profile: https://amzn.to/2OO5DR5