Do you drive your technology or does your technology drive you?
Do you feel a little lost when you forget your cell phone at home or in the car? Could you navigate through a city if all you had to depend on was a map (and speaking to locals)? I’m the first to admit that I have a close relationship with my electronic devices. There is usually one hour each day when I don’t have my cell phone within easy reach. What are the effects of this type of attachment? Well one of the effects is a propensity to multitask, a habit that’s difficult, if not impossible, to turn off. Another effect is the impact of being leashed, even if it’s self-imposed rather than forced upon you..
A Challenge For Greater Balance – 5 Things
- Don’t check e-mail within one hour of heading to bed. Do something else during that time (preferably something that does not use electronics).
- Turn your phone on silent, not vibrate, once in a while and give your full attention to the moment.
- Slow down. Don’t overwhelm people with multiple modes of communication about the same topic. Choose the method based on urgency. If it’s not urgent, relax and wait for a response.
- Every once in a while (say once a day), when you’re tempted to send an email to someone nearby, get up to find them for a conversation instead.
- Don’t get swept in the flow. It’s okay to say No. This means that you don’t have to immediately respond to e-mail, or even pick up a phone call. You get to CHOOSE. Just because people can reach out to you doesn’t mean that you have to let them interrupt you.
Some ideas from the web
- Go out for dinner with friends and play phone stacking.
- 21 things to do without technology