Technology has officially taken over our lives. Practically everyone owns some sort of smartphone or tablet and has some type of social media account. Toddlers have become experts using tablets, while it’s practically a necessity for one to have a Facebook or Instagram account. And when you actually encounter someone not on social media, they’re automatically bombarded with questions as to why. A lot of business are struggling with this as well.
We have become a technologically driven society and it doesn’t seem to be letting up anytime soon. If anything, it’s going to get worse with new technological advancements. And with so much influence from technology, it can quite stressful.
Being wired and connected all the time can be exhausting, which is why some people are now taking “breaks” from their devices and social media accounts to refresh and feel human again. Being wired 24/7 is time consuming and exhausting, making it important that one is still mindful in such a technology focused world. If you’re starting to feel burned out from being connected all the time, here are some tips on how to be mindful in a technological world:
1. Just Pause
It’s good to take a few pauses before interacting with technology. Don’t automatically wake up in the morning to check your email or your Facebook feed. Instead take a minute to appreciate the new day and be thankful for all that you have. When the phone starts to ring, don’t just answer it at the first ring, but pause and take a moment for yourself. Take a few breaths before you pick up and be mindful of your use of technology. And because you might have to interact with technology on the regular while at work, make sure that you take a few pauses so that you’re not bombarded with too much technology. Schedule a few times throughout your work day where you simply pause from it all and take a break. Clients will know the difference.
2. Limit how often you check your email
Since we can easily access our email accounts on our devices, we have formed a bad habit of constantly checking it throughout the day. Instead of feeling the need to constantly check your email, make it a rule that you only check it a few times a day. By limiting how often you check your email, you’re being more mindful about your technology use and will be a happier person and more productive in the long run. At work, you might have to check your email a lot, but instead of checking every five minutes, set an alarm whenever anything comes in so that you check only when you need to.
3. Social Media cleanse
Sometimes our social media accounts are flooded with things we don’t want to see or know. This can place more stress on our lives and really bring you down depending on the content. Clean out your social media accounts and erase any negativity people or brands that don’t make you happy or that are constantly bringing you down and flooding your feeds with negativity. Although you might be tempted to do so, try not to check your social media accounts while at work. This way you’re more productive and aren’t caught up with what’s happening in your feed all the time.
4. Turn off your phone
It might be hard, but try turning off your phone some times or leaving it in the car or at home. You’ll feel weird at first given how dependent you are on it, but after a while, you’ll forget you even needed it in the first place. You’ll be more in tuned with the world around you and less concerned about your social media accounts or your emails. After work, turn off our phone to unplug from the demands of your job and the technology associated with it.
5. Be focused
It’s easy to go off track to check your email or browse the net while working on your computer. Try and stay focused on the task at hand so that you’re not wasting time on net surfing. This way you can get your work done and then turn off your computer and go off to do more important things in real life instead of online.