A few weeks ago I read an email from my business mentor/coach, Jen, on JOMO. You’ve all heard of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), right? Well, have you yet heard of JOMO (Joy of Missing Out)?

After I read this email, I did a quick google search on the joy of missing out, and holy moly. There are so many posts and articles on this! There is even a book. I haven’t read it yet, but I’d like to!

Anyway, the gist of JOMO is this: that there is actually much joy to be found in detaching from the online world and being ultra-present in your physical life, right in front of you.

I’ve found this to be so true in my own life.

Anytime I’ve fully detached for any amount of time, I’ve felt rewarded with joy, more present in my physical life, plus refreshed and excited to get back to work and serve my clients well (for me, my online life goes hand in hand with my work).

So, wanna give it a shot and see how it feels?

Tips to Disconnect

1. Remove the social media apps.

Insta? Facebook? Twitter? Snapchat? Periscope? What are those apps. that your fingers go straight toward and open before you even notice what you’re doing?

iPhones have this awesome thing when you download something called the “cloud” (I know I’m not giving anyone new info here) and when you delete something, it doesn’t disappear forever. So, go ahead! Take the apps off you phone. You’ll be able to re-upload then when (& if) you’re ready.

2. Delete email

Yep! If you’ve got an email app. on your phone, delete it, just like your social media apps.

If you’ve got a tricky ol’ iPhone, theres a problem. You can’t delete the email app. off your phone – I’ve tried. Here’s what you do instead – move the app all the way over to the last screen on your iPhone.

The ultimate goal: You want to make it more difficult to open up your email versus it being an easy natural thing that you do when you open up your phone. Putting it on another screen will give you a second to remember that you’re taking a couple of days off.

3. Put up a good ol’ away message

Go into your email account and put up an automatic away message (aka, out of office). When I’m disconnecting I simply put up: “Hi, I’m away for the weekend spending time with my friends and family and am completely unplugged. I’ll be back to my inbox x-day at _:__ AM and will get back to you then. If you’re a client and have an urgent need, please call or text me.

The greatest reason I’ve heard that people don’t do this is because they’re afraid of making people angry.

My personal experience: Anytime I’ve put up an away message sharing that I’m unplugged I get responses from clients saying that I’ve actually inspired them to create their own boundaries.

It’s like the quote I shared on my Instagram this week (@healthyhitsthespot): “As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.” – Marianne Williamson. Me creating boundaries gives other people permission to do the same.

I fully understand that each of us have different careers and some of you are required to be available by email. So, do what is best for you. Just make sure that YOU’RE not the one putting pressure on yourself to answer those emails when you don’t actually have to.

4. Put your phone in another room

During the day, to help you disconnect even further, try putting your phone in another room. When I end work for the night and close up shop, I tend to plug my phone in in the bedroom while Marco and I hang in the living room.

If you want to take it a step further, put your phone on “do not disturb” mode. If you’re worried that you’ll miss a call from someone important, add them to your “favorites” list in your iPhone and your phone will ring if any of those people call you (directions).

5. Use an actual camera

When was the last time that you used an actual camera vs. using your phone? Pull out an old camera and use it for the weekend. You can always upload your photos to your computer later and message them to your phone so you can #latergram them on Instagram if you must. 😉

6. Pick a time

When do you want to disconnect? I personally love disconnecting on weekends and especially holiday weekends because most people already expect that you’ll be gone.

If you’re a blogger and feel like you need to schedule posts/social media ahead of time so you can stay consistent with your share schedule, go for it. Try out Hootsuite.

7. Think about what you want

What’s the motivation for disconnecting? Do you want to make fun memories and go out of town? Do you want to plan to have friends over? Do you want to totally quiet down and get through a book or two that you’ve been wanting to read?

You can ask yourself: What would spark my JOY as I disconnect? What do I want more of? What do I miss out on when I’m constantly attached to social media and email?

Remember, there is great joy to be found in totally disconnecting. These days, it’s like a mini-vacation in and of itself.

What do you think? Will you try this? Do you have any other tips? Share with me in the comments!