How I manage my relationship with technology
At the cost of coming off as a hipster — I loved Black Mirror before it came to Netflix. As much as we praise and appreciation the evolution of technology that now allows us to send 10 seconds snapshots to our loved ones, I crave for critical thought on the darker side of technology. My favourite part of Black Mirror is making me reflect on my relationship with technology.
Using technology can get overwhelming
Sherry Turkle says it best in her book Alone Together:
Technology is seductive when what it offers meets our human vulnerabilities. And as it turns out, we are very vulnerable indeed. We are lonely but fearful of intimacy. Digital connections offer the illusion of companionship without the demands of friendship. Our networked life allows us to hide from each other, even as we are tethered to each other.
As a result of our networked life, I started realizing the effects of being always connected. It made me anxious. It distracted me from my friends and family, making it hard to be present in the moment. It took a huge toll on my productivity, where even the thought of my digital-self distracted me anytime, anywhere. It made me feel like I have no willpower to ignore checking my phone, or the flew of social media sites I exist on. It was getting too much.
Realizing that tech was one source of my stress, I started looking for ways to better manage my relationship with tech, and the following are my favourite tips.
1. The distraction-free iPhone by
Just reading the first paragraph of Jake’s article, I was sold. All the feelings he spoke about was exactly what I felt — the concern of what technology is doing to my attention span.
To have a distraction-free iPhone you have to do the following things:
- Uninstall anything with a stream (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)
- Disable Email
- Disable Safari
Read Jake’s full approach here.
2. Pomodoro technique
The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method that uses a timer to break down work into intervals of 25 minutes, separated by 5 minute breaks.
This technique helps further manage my distractions, as I put my somewhat distraction-free iPhone away and promise to not check it for 25 minutes.
Read more about the technique here
3. Block and Focus
When all else fails I turn on this chrome extension that blocks sites for 25 minutes. And whenever I unconsciously go to check one of my several social pages, I’m returned with a blank screen with a motivational quote to think about.
Download the chrome extension here
Let me know if you have any other tips or if you try out any of these
If you have some similar tips/hacks/philosophies on how to better manage your tech usage, I’d be very interested to hear about your experience. Tell me about it.
