Frank Aldorf, executive creative director of the marketing and business consulting firm, Hubble Innovations, with offices in Los Angeles and Berlin, was the most recent person to take our Sabbath Manifesto "Unplug Challenge," shutting off his cell phone and computer for 24 hours last weekend.
Even though Aldorf, 35, admits he is engaged with technology almost 24/7 to connect with business partners and friends, to create and shape ideas, and for fun, he found the experience of powering down to be "fantastic."
Aldorf engages with his computer, iPhone or iPad, in almost every aspect of his life and he believes deeply in the importance of technology.
"As a founding partner of Hubble Innovations, a company crafting business innovations and service ideas, I believe digital is the new infrastructure. It's not just a medium like many consider. Digital is like the electricity of the 21th century," he said.
So he was nervous about turning everything off and to "be off the grid for 24 hours." He wondered what it would mean.
"Power off = less power - not checking e-mails and responding to texts and tweets throughout the day?" he said.
But he found that it was a rewarding experience that he recommends everyone try.
"I am still alive and more than ever, I guess. It was an eye opener," Aldorf said. "I was listening, I was focused, and I was observing my surrounding with a much sharper eye. And observation is actually an essential work tool in my business. I was extremely connected to everything that was happening around me in that moment."
"I know there are many ways to connect with other people on the internet. But these are just tools, slightly different forms of communication like chatting, blogging or writing a note in 140 characters. Don't get me wrong I love technology and all innovation that makes peoples life better, easier and more efficient. But sometimes it's not about how much information I can take in. It's what I do with this content, what I make of this stuff."
"I like my lifestyle and the higher pace but this is something I should do more often. Slowing down and unplugging to feel more mother earth breathing and see everything around me alive. That 24 hours had a much bigger impact on me than a lot of other days. I might make fewer connections and soak up fewer insights and knowledge but I will experience a deeper connection that might be more relevant and valuable in the end."
The Sabbath Manifesto "Unplug Challenge," is powered by Reboot, a non-profit organization that aims to reinvent the cultures, traditions and rituals of Jewish life for a broad audience. Look for more Unplug Challenge testimonials in the Huffington Post.