How many weeks are needed for you to remember the answer to this question: When last have you disconnected yourself from technology, albeit only for a day?
I holidayed at the coast this Easter; a much-needed break to recharge.
I had in mind to ditch my phone for 10 days.
Despite my determination to do so, my fingers were the magnet and my cellular a large chunk of mettle.
Before long, the pulling power coerced me into monitoring my WhatsApp (reading hundreds of group messages), Facebook, Twitter, email, Instagram, etc.
It would be difficult for Usain Bolt to run away from the hundreds of WhatsApp group messages, let alone some bloke from Benoni.
Although I was surrounded by lush scenery and the sound of surf, the notifications immediately transported my mind back to work, back to reality – essentially eroding the purpose of a vacation.
I know it is near impossible to stop thinking of work altogether, but the presence of these reminders are distracting.
What more, the large majority of messages are not important.
I do not give a hoot about my Facebook “friend” who is having a birthday and who I last saw six years ago.
So, how do we disconnect ourselves from an ever-increasing connected world? Do we all feel the desire to do so?
The answer is we can’t, unless we choose to live in the bundus.
I have no doubt that the use of cellular technology has improved our lives by leaps and bounds in certain aspects, but it has also eroded family life and the ability to communicate effectively through face-to-face interaction.
We (or am I speaking for myself?) feel naked without phone contact.
I know I don’t want anything to do with my device, but learned behaviour dictates otherwise.
More and more people – of all ages – are connected, but are we all allowing it to govern our every move and thought?
Perhaps we should think of hiring PAs to manage all our accounts, or maybe you are your own manager, one deserving of a promotion for excellent work and dedication for not being governed by a pocket computer.
The happy medium is key to your success.
Use your apps and phone to enhance your life, but do not forget to build solid face-to-face relationships and, above all: stop and watch the waves through your own eyes, not the camera’s.
What are your thoughts?
