Escaping Zombieland

I have two pieces of news for you. Both are bad. First, you are surrounded by zombies. Second, you’re most probably a zombie, too.

What are you talking about? What zombies?

It’s the end of another day at work. You shut down your computer and walk out of the office. You call the elevator. The doors open, and you get in. Guess what you do next? Think about it for a moment.

Don’t remember? It’s okay, I can remind you: you are checking your smartphone.

I’m not kidding. If you don’t believe me — pay attention next time you’re in an elevator.

Feeling the urge to check your smartphone as often as possible is just one example of a zombie behaviour. Others include spending most of your free time on the Internet, taking lots of pictures instead of really seeing the beauty, and being unable to live fully in the present moment.

What is so bad about being always connected?

Nothing much. Except for one thing: you become a zombie. And even though zombies do look like they’re alive, they are effectively dead.

No, seriously. Would you consider a person fully alive if they spend 80% of their time awake living in a computer or a smartphone, consuming mostly junk information and not noticing the real world around? This sounds more like living in The Matrix.

And living in The Matrix means giving up life.

But there’s almost nothing interesting in real life!

Come on, of course there is! Stop for a moment. Notice the world around you. Listen to your inner self. There is so much more that you simply cannot see — just because you’re too busy. Give yourself some space.

OK, so you’re saying I’m a zombie too?

Most likely. Check this list and answer honestly.

• Do you spend more than 2 hours per day in front of a computer?
• Do you check your smartphone more than once per hour?
• Do you spend your evenings endlessly scrolling through Facebook feed, reading random articles, or watching tons of Youtube videos?
• Is checking smartphone the last thing you do before you go to bed and the first thing you do when you wake up?
• Is it difficult for you to sit still for 5 minutes and do nothing (without a smartphone, computer, music, books or anything else that stimulates your brain)?

If you answered “yes” to one question, then you are at least 20% zombie. If you answered “yes” to all of them, congrats — you are a 99% zombie.Why 99 and not 100? Because you still have a chance.

So there’s a way out?

Yes, there is.

First, you need to acknowledge the problem. Do you remember the times when smartphones didn’t exist and you had no Internet access? What did you do with your time then? Was it different from what you do nowadays?

Second, try to be aware of what you’re doing. All the time. Been refreshing Facebook for several minutes? Notice it. Is your hand reaching out for the smartphone when you don’t really need it? Pay attention to what’s going on. Been working on the computer for more than an hour? Watch the time.

Third, act. Make an effort to close that Facebook tab. You can do it. Better — close them all. And shutting down the computer is even better. Stop your hand when it wants to grab the smartphone — 90% of time you don’t really need it. If you’re waiting for the street light to turn green and suddenly you realize it’s been too long since the last time you checked the number of likes on Instagram — try to switch your focus to the world around you instead. Notice that cute girl standing on the other side of the street (oh, she’s looking into her smartphone, what a surprise). If there is no girl — watch how leaves are swaying in the wind. If it’s winter and there are no leaves — watch the sky, there is also something interesting to see.

Fourth, be an example and spread the word. Try to be present as much as you can, and encourage others to do so as well. Go for a long walk or a bicycle ride, and leave the smartphone at home. Tell your coworkers to look up from their laptops and notice the rain behind the window. Share this article, at the very least.

Done with sharing? It’s time to wake up. Right now. Shut down your computer. Put down your smartphone.

And I’ll do the same.