Technology is one of the best things that has ever happened to our society. We literally have the world at our fingertips.
Need a cab? Grab an Uber and have a car at your door in minutes. Want to have a face to face chat with your friend in Bangladesh? Go right ahead! Want to read about the woman who got pregnant and gave birth after being born WITHOUT a vagina?! Do it! (True story by the way…Google it!)
In my opinion this is the best time to be alive. We have access to whatever we want, whenever we want.
That said, there’s a huge problem with that.
Simply walk into any restaurant and take a look around. You’ll see couples more concerned with social media than each other’s company, fathers replying to emails rather than paying attention to their children and a group of friends that are literally not saying a word to each other, just a table of five staring at their phones.
We are so disconnected to the world around us it’s sickening. And here’s why this has become such an epidemic.
Every time we get a “like” on social media, a text or an email our brains produce more of the hormone dopamine. Dopamine is the same hormone that spikes when people use drugs like cocaine. It is one of the key factors that lead to addiction because we feel good in the moment without any consideration of the consequences.
While dopamine is certainly not a bad thing in itself, it can cause us to want too much of a good thing, on constant pursuit of this spike. This desire to “feel good” leads us to obsessing over every buzz we feel coming from our phones.
This addiction is leading us to be less social, inactive and totally not present. In addition, constantly checking social media updates, texts etc. are a huge reason why we fail to get our most important work done. This can lead to more frustration, anxiety and a lack of fulfillment.
And then of course, what is the biggest excuse as to why people say they can’t workout? They say they don’t have time! How much time does the average person spend on social media per day? An estimated 116 minutes!
So not only are we sabotaging our work and time with our loved ones, people are sabotaging their health so they can sit on their asses and read political rants for 2 hours. Talk about a waste of time!
There is obviously a laundry list of issues with the way people use their devices. I just want to be clear and say that I have no issues with social media and technology. I think it is all great and have built my business by using social.
It’s us that need to change.
We need to change our behavior and have more self-discipline when it comes to checking our phones. We can’t be a slave to it and jump at every text, email or “like” we get. That’s no way to fuckin live! I see it everywhere I go and cringe when I think of how people are wasting their lives staring at a screen all day.
Most people no longer appreciate a meaningful conversation. They are more concerned with what Bruce Jenner’s tit size is than quality time with someone they care about.
I’ve seen a father at a park with his son and the whole time while his son was playing he was staring at his phone. I obviously have no clue what that guy was looking at but I do know that 99.99999% of the time, it can wait.
People are crashing their cars and killing people because they are too busy reading a text. This is fucking madness! People are willing to risk their lives to reply to someone’s text that says “yo” (Which is a sure way to get me to not respond to you by the way).
And I am certainly not perfect and have been guilty of all this stuff. But for the last few years I only dedicate certain times that I check my phone for any reason, and turn it off completely when I’m doing focused work. This has been the best thing I have ever decided to do. My productivity is better, my focus is better and I am no longer a slave to technology. It has been completely freeing.
I highly recommend you try that and start implementing it into your life. This way when you’re working, you work. When you’re with your family you are 100% present. When you’re driving you only focus on that, and maybe some good tunes.
This allows you to take back your life and enjoy the things that mean the most to you. At the end of your life you’ll be happy you enjoyed the precious moments with your children and won’t give a damn about who liked your Instagram post.
Another big no-no is checking your phone first thing in the morning. Most people do it, however it is one of the worst things you can do for your productivity. Right from the get-go you become reactive, rather than proactive. You spend your day putting out fires or getting frustrated before you do anything for yourself. This is a sure way to get less personal development and meaningful work done.
Working on YOU first thing in the morning is an absolute GAMECHANGER and I highly recommend you start doing that immediately.
I hope that you see the significance in this post and begin making these necessary changes in your life. At the very least give your willpower a test and try the tactics I mentioned above for 30 days. I guarantee that you will get more done, appreciate more and enjoy LIFE more! Rather than staring at a screen all day and night.
If you have any questions at all please feel free to drop a comment below or shoot me an email at info@tutelatraining.com.
Thanks for reading, guys.