The Digital Effect 2
What role does technology play in your life?
Hello, my good friends and how have you been? If you're a new subscriber here, welcome to the gang!😎
I hope you find value here, and that you stay happy nonetheless.
You haven't missed anything. The previous posts—from January till this moment—are all on the website, and yes, you'll receive subsequent newsletters directly in your mail.
In the last newsletter, we discussed both the good and bad effects of the digital space, so, this week, we will be talking about how to curb our indulgence on social media or the digital space while still doing things that matter to us. Didn't get the first part of the newsletter? You can catch up here.
Still reading? Let's dive right in!
Nowadays, technology plays a significant role in the lives of the majority of people. How do you ensure that it enhances rather than disrupts your life? Technology provides us with incredible access to information and the ability to stay in touch at all times. Every day, we spend a greater proportion of our time on the internet. How much of this time is productive?
Let's see what it means to gain control of our habits and indulgences with and without technology.
Digital detox or a social media detox is a conscious and intentional elimination or total put-away of social media for a specific period. A detox can be less than 24 hours or as lengthy as 168 hours.
📍How often can you take a detox? Depending on your schedule, at least once a month. Could be more.
So, why on earth do people take social media detox? Based on research, it is for:
Achievement of planned goals
When you take a social media break to concentrate, you have enough time to engage in deep work without worrying about who liked or commented on your recent posts, or who just retweeted your latest tweets. Taking a break does not mean putting off your device completely, because you might have to need your browser, phone app, SMS and so much more.
📍The best way to do this is to turn off notifications for your apps until you need to check them. If you would need to work with your mobile data, don't you think receiving notifications every minute is disastrous?
Aids critical thinking:
It is important to set off distractions when about to engage in analytical thinking that engages the prefrontal cortex of our brains.
To produce at your peak level, you need to work for extended periods with full concentration on a single task free from distractions. The type of work that optimizes your performance is deep work. If you are not comfortable going deep for an extended time, it will be difficult to get your performance to the peak levels of quality and quantity increasingly necessary to thrive professionally. ~Cal Newport.
Eliminate FOMO/ The Fear of Missing Out.
Fear of missing out is the feeling of apprehension that one is either not in the know or missing out on information, events, experiences, or life decisions that could make one's life better. ~Wikipedia.
📍The fear of missing out is a thing, and it hits deeper than the emphasis made on it. The physical and physiological effect of this goes a long way in affecting one's ability to concentrate and work effectively. When you are always eager to know how the story started, how it ended, who just tweeted, who made the screenshot and who didn't, the active one in each saga and vawulence.
Have you sat down to think about the infinite scrolling on apps like Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn? No matter how many hours you have a day, that's if you have more than 24, you can't exhaust the content on the internet.
Reconnection with nature and beautiful sceneries
To the remote workers, do you not enjoy the beauty of the evenings each time you are done with a task and then decide to take a break by walking out to stretch and just connect with nature? The tweeting of birds as they return in flocks to their nest; the beautiful effect the setting of the sun emits?
Not to sound too intense, but a recent prediction is that this generation—the Genz—will be producing more cases of Alzheimer's victims due to dementia (a decline in mental ability in which the ability to pay attention and learn is impaired). Why? This is because we are exposed to the Internet and the ultraviolet light of our devices. And no matter how hard we try, we just can't avoid it. Who doesn't have a mobile device these days? There is so much to do. Online classes, work, business, even worship. So, now, staying balanced is the way out, because escape is a no-no.
How do I go about these?
1. When handled well, the digital space is a great tool for academic, financial, spiritual, entrepreneurial (and any other topic you can think of) excellence. Your presence on social media is beneficial when you post, consume and engage purposefully. Not all posts require your attention. Not all controversial discussions are meant to be commented on. Personal branding is important, but do not lose yourself In it.
2. Assign your social space as tasks just like you do, your house chores and self-care requisites.
For example, if you would want to wash or clean, you assign it as a task you want to engage in before or after another. Isn't it? Why don't you take your social media platforms as such? When you need to come online, you can make a list on paper of all the things you want to engage in.
Have you ever been in a situation where you plan to reply to just one chat or check just one important update and then you end up viewing just one status update? You view 3, 7, 18, you feel good... and before you know it, time is far spent!
When you have a defined list before you, it's quite hard to derail. You can call it your online time to-do list.
In addition, you can set a timer to stay on track. Once the timer goes off, don't snooze. Leave that app immediately! It would save you a lot of time instead of having to postpone a task because you couldn't stay disciplined while doing what you needed to do.
"When you know where you are going, you shouldn't waste time with things that won't lead you there."
Take a peep at the law of Least Effort by James Clear in his book, Atomic Habits.
This is implying that you make easy acts take long processes. Gradually, you get rid of the addiction.
It is human nature to follow the Law of Least Effort, which states that when deciding between two similar options, people will naturally gravitate toward the option that requires the least amount of work.
An instance is when you delete apps that you do not need occasionally and choose to access them from your browser; apps as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. You would notice that you can't spend as enough time as you would have, if it was directly accessed through the app because you would need your browser to search, click redirect links, switch tabs and all of that.
Is that you saying a yes to trying this out? Haha! *Grins and adjust glasses.*
You can tell me via personalised mail how this goes later on. I'll be glad to hear from you!
Summary.
• We use technology to our advantage, so, we should control it and not the other way around. Digital detoxes are essential in identifying and maintaining a healthy relationship with technology. When we are in control, we use it in the most beneficial ways possible.
• Do not be afraid to take a break from time to time. It might sound like a scary and herculean task, but really, it isn't. Start small and be amazed at the increased productivity level you amass over time.
• The first step to improving your relationship with technology is being more aware of your digital habits. Next, try setting a vision for the role you want technology to play in your life. By becoming more aware of how you use technology and making just a few small changes, you'll soon be on track to achieving the right balance.
Credit: Google Digital Skills for Africa.
Suggested reading: A productivity calendar for October by the Via Institute.
Subscribe to James Clear’s weekly newsletter here.
Till the very next time,
Roqeebat Bolarinwa.
Good read!
Very educative and relaxing to read. I'll definitely be detoxing sooner that I think.
Thank you for sincerely writing this. ❤