Accidentally Offline - A Weekend Off The Grid

Thoughts from Flo, our Studio Manager

To cut through any kind of grandeur right from the off, I celebrated my birthday weekend in style: by accidentally dropping my phone in the toilet. A less than glamorous kickstart to the last year of my 20s seems appropriate. Luckily phones these days are pretty indestructible, (cheers Tim), so a bowl of rice wasn't necessary but a weekend to let the charging port dry was. So began an accidentally offline weekend that I didn't know I really needed. Here's what I learned.

1. Go touch grass.

Or in my case, sand. I was already a while away from the mainland as I was visiting my home of Jersey (not that one, the British island one). In a place so picturesque it's hard not to be constantly taking photos and sharing - or showing off - which postcard-perfect bay I'm off to next. For once I allowed myself to just be in the moment and not document anything. Because, after all, does anyone really need another cutesie-captioned photo dump from me? Probably not. Everyone will survive this time round.

2. Slow down. Way down.

Living in London and working in a small, fast-paced team is a perfect combination for feeling 'go go go' all the time. The energy and the pace is a rush, and one of the big reasons I moved to the city, but can be the recipe for burnout if you don't take the odd moment to slow down. Instead of spreading myself thin by making plans and catching up on chaotic group chats, I finally got the excuse to ignore the noise. Instead, I spent time with my loved ones chatting, exploring, playing games and sharing meals. All without a little metal box that contains all the world's news, knowledge and Kardashian announcements buzzing away next to me. Bliss.

3. Enjoy what's in front of you.

I'm known at work for being a bit of an over-spender, especially at our homeware sister store Etc.Store. Give me a staff discount and I will run wild. Though I don't condone ignoring self-imposed spending bans - I'm almost 30 and haven't learned how to budget yet - it is important to appreciate everything you have once you have it rather than always looking for the next thing. The print I bought ages ago from my favourite illustrator? I've finally framed it and put it on the wall. That book I bought because I loved the front cover? I've actually started reading it. The cookbook I treated myself to? I'm making the recipes instead of leaving it to just look good on a shelf. Admittedly, the meals don't look like anything like the photos but progress is progress, right? 

Since my accidentally offline weekend, I'm trying every day to swap the doom scrolling for something based in the real world. Some days are easier than others, but hey, we're all just doing our best. Sudoku daily streaks be damned.