Stop fighting the disconnection imperative to win the battle of rest.
Unplugging is critical during the holiday period, but who manages it? If you’re an entrepreneur, you can’t help but keep an eye open even if you’ve left the business to run by your trusted people. If you are in a position of responsibility even if you don’t own the company, more or less the same, unplugging from work is an almost impracticable goal… technology in our hand in the form of the telephone is a chain of shackles that shackles you to productivity… who are you when it’s more than a metre away?
Our proposal is to stop making the futile effort to distance yourself from the digital environment when you are on holiday or during moments of rest, to reconvert your screens into fishing rods and to cultivate the art of contemplation.
Have you ever seen a fisherman in front of the sea?
He is prepared to spend many hours there, without moving. He is prepared to wait for whatever it takes to bring home a good catch. And nothing that happens around him is going to disturb him.
… In the same way, we can harness technology to immerse ourselves in a deeper and more meaningful experience of rest. Instead of fighting against the omnipresence of our devices, why not use them as tools that connect us more intimately with our environment and ourselves?
Brands, for their part, have a unique opportunity to redefine their role in these disconnected moments. Instead of competing for consumers’ attention in a sea of constant notifications and demands, they can offer solutions that promote well-being and balance. How? By facilitating experiences that invite contemplation and the leisurely enjoyment of free time.
Imagine apps that, instead of bombarding you with information, guide you through breathing exercises, guided meditations, or hiking trails near your location. Or devices that automatically adjust screen brightness and colours to reduce eye strain while reading your favourite book in the sun. The possibilities are endless when the focus shifts from productive use of technology to contemplative and regenerative use.
Just as the fisherman sits patiently waiting for the right moment, your brand’s consumers are also looking for that space to breathe, to disconnect from daily demands and reconnect with what really matters. Brands that know how to position themselves in that space, offering products and services that respect and enhance rest, will not only gain customer loyalty, but will also contribute to a culture where free time is valued and protected.
In short, it is not a question of abandoning technology, but of transforming it into an ally in our leisure time. By changing our relationship with it, holidays and moments of rest can become opportunities to rebalance our lives, and brands that support this approach will be seen as partners in that journey towards wellbeing, which we should not only privilege at holiday time, but every day.
What do you think of this approach? Tell us about it and let’s continue the conversation on the networks.
