Quick: where's your phone?
If it's within an arms-reach, you're not alone. (Maybe you're even reading this on your phone!)
When this question was asked at a recent networking event I attended, the vast majority of people said their phone was always near them, even while they're sleeping!
I probably love technology a bit more than the average holistic health coach. But I've found that as I become more and more connected - my stress levels, and this feeling of "I'm not doing enough" - increase too.
When we're always on, we're in reactive mode.
- We're responding to tweets, and posts on our facebook page.
- We're checking if we have more followers, and who liked our latest post.
- We're dreading that inevitable email "ding", with another request to respond to.
- Even subconsciously, part of our mind is waiting for something exciting to happen TO us. For a new friend to find us. For that Big Opportunity to arrive.
But what if, instead of continually checking, waiting and reacting, we cleared space for ourselves?
And in this new space during our day we focused on creating?
Imagine what your life, your health, your business, could look like if you had dedicated, distraction-free time to reflect, breathe, look-inwards and then create.
Spaciousness is my guiding word for 2014. In that spirit, I'd like to offer these 5 tips to create space in your life through detoxing your tech.
5 tips to Detox your Technology
Curate your Email Newsletters - We've all signed up for email newsletters that we no longer read. Week after week we delete these newsletters, unopened. This creates a bit of stress, and a clear sense of information overload and that "there isn't enough time." Not thoughts we want to cultivate! So this year, be selective. As these email newsletters arrive, decide which are most valuable for you - and then make the one extra click to unsubscribe from the rest. You can also use a service like SaneBox to prioritize your email for you.
Don't check email first thing in the morning - I first heard this tip from Tim Ferris, author of The 4 Hour Work Week - and although it's hard to start (checking email is an addiction for many of us) - it really works! Checking email, even briefly, puts us into reactive mode, and encourages us to respond to other people's priorities. What if you did your most important task for the day first thing, and then checked email afterwards? Every day would feel productive. Give it a try for a week, and see if it works for you.
Give yourself social media breaks - If you love social media, use it as a treat for yourself. Instead of having it open all day as a temptation to distraction, decide on set times during the day when you'll have a guilt-free social-media indulgence. Maybe mid-morning, after lunch, and late-afternoon. And then really enjoy those times - guilt free!
Consider taking a 24 hour digital sabbatical every week - What if you decided one day a week (maybe Saturday or Sunday?) was a no-technology day? No social media. No email. No internet. What possibilities would that open up for you? How would that feel? How would you fill that 24 hours?
Identify your digital clutter - What's the most painful part of technology for you? Thousands of unorganized photos? Too many passwords? Not able to find files and documents when you need them? Commit to fixing one of these areas this month (there is a tool for each of these problems - you just need to find it! I often share productivity tools for health and wellness entrepreneurs on my blog.)
Taking a little time now to detox your technology will create a remarkable amount of space in your life.
Have you tried any of these tips? What has been your experience? Let us know in the comments!