Pause for a moment and ponder, what do you do with your digital device? And, what is your digital device doing for you?
Who are you listening to online? What images are you looking at on the Internet? When do you use tech the most? And why?
Answer those four questions about your digital tech use, and you’ll soon control the technology that seeks to control you.
Many of us are in total denial of just how much time, money, and mental energy we waste when using digital technology. I’m guilty of wasting plenty of time. Yet I still wait patiently for my tech to make my life easier. But is it always easier?
Do you ever..
text and drive?
click that Buy Now button and later regret it?
spend an hour on an app reading strangers’ crazy comments about a topic that makes you anxious?
type a high quality paragraph and five minutes later realize that a quick phone call would have saved you time?
use your phone while on the toilet?
checked your phone notifications right after sex with a partner–or even during sex?
The tricky part of the process is getting to the why. Why do we check our email constantly, all day long? Why must we respond to a text immediately? Why do we have to upload that photo to Instagram or Facebook, real quick, interrupting our dinner? Do these actions lead to a higher quality of life?
If we answer our why more often during the day, we might save time, money, mental energy, and our good health. Knowing our why can lead us to a higher quality life, a life that doesn’t need another app.
Be intentional with your technology. Make it work to your advantage. If you don’t want it to distract you, then cut the distractions… but don’t cut things so far down that you aren’t seeing the benefits of how these tools can help you live a higher quality of life! – Tony Blair, Medium