National PC Turnoff Week

Years ago, owning a personal computer was a luxury. Few households were able to afford them-and many people didn't want them, anyway, because they were quite cumbersome and difficult for most people to operate. But, as technology advanced, computers became less expensive and less bulky and much more user-friendly. Owning a computer became commonplace, something that many households began to take for granted.

These days, it seems as if computers are everywhere. Some households even own more than one desktop unit-one for the adults and one for the children is a common scenario. It is also not unusual to see a household with one desktop computer and one laptop computer. And, usually, all of these computers are connected to the internet.

This easy access to technology comes at a price, though. Oftentimes people end up spending more time on their computers (and especially surfing the internet) than they do interacting with their own family. Sure, a lot of this computer time may be work- or school-related, but it is time away from the family nonetheless. Aside from that, all of that sitting isn't very good for the health. People sometimes end up neglecting physical exercise when they are involved in a computer project.

Because of all of this, the first week of August has been named National PC Turnoff Week. What does this mean for you? Does this mean that you aren't supposed to do anything on your computer at work? No, of course not-many of us are required to use our computers to do our jobs, so it simply would not be practical to even suggest not using them at work. What this week is really for is our computers at home-we need to take a break from using those.

Here are some ideas you should try for National PC Turnoff Week:

Get some exercise.

Get up out of that computer chair and do some fun activities that will also benefit your health. Try playing catch or tag outside with the kids, taking your dog on a longer walk, going on a family bike ride, or even flying a kite at a nearby park.

Plan some family activities.

This is the perfect week to spend doing some of the activities you may have been wanting to do as a family, but haven't been able to find the time. Kids love going on picnics, so find a great nearby park with a playground or hiking trails and spend the afternoon there together. Or, head to the zoo or a science museum. Better yet-ask the kids what they would like to do with you. They will be thrilled at the opportunity to help decide some family plans.

Spend time with your real-life friends.

Don't get me wrong-online friends are great. Often, you can find friends online who share your interests or who can support you through your toughest times quite well. But, that doesn't mean you should neglect your real-life buddies. These are the people you can actually do things with and getting out of the house and doing things with other people is important to having a healthy lifestyle. Ask a friend out for a cup of coffee, head to a movie with a pal, or get together with a bunch of friends for dinner.

Tackle a household project.

Maybe you have been wanting to redo the kitchen flooring or paint the living room a new color or install an organizational system in the garage. This week is the perfect time for this type of project because you won't be distracted by your computer. You can even work on the task together, as a family-your kids might enjoy it.

Ok, so what if you just have to get online to check your emails during this week? Not out of desire to, but out of necessity-perhaps you are expecting an important email with an update about a relative who is sick, for example? Or, what if you really need to get on the internet to do a little research about your household project (you need some tips, for example) or about a family activity you want to plan? Here's the solution: get online after the kids have gone to bed and restrict yourself to only doing what you need to do. Why wait until after bedtime? Well, you want your kids to know that turning off the computer for this week is important to your family, so you have to make sure that you do not let anything about the computer interfere with anything during the day. You can let them know that you have to go online to do one thing after bedtime-just make sure to explain it well so that they understand that you are not taking the idea of National PC Turnoff Week lightly.

Hopefully taking a break from the technology this week will inspire you to spend more time with the people in your life that matter the most to you. No, it won't be easy to leave the computer alone for an entire week-especially if you are used to getting online for a few hours every day-but, it will be worth it in the long run.