Are you crazy about your Blackberry? Do you LOVE your iPad? Is your iPhone your new BFF? Has the latest technological gadget become an appendage?
Go ahead and laugh. Now STOP. Think about these questions.
Seriously consider this: are you addicted to technology? You just might be and if you are, well, guess what? You’re rewiring your brain. Did you want to do that?
Now some may say, no, not me. I'm using these tools because they simplify my life, they keep me organized and I get so much more done. It’s my best time management tool!
Maybe so – but maybe, just maybe, you’re missing opportunities, losing relationships and not performing at peak levels because of all the time you spend WITH your gadgets.
Perhaps it’s time to step away from the technology buffet.
Consider this. You’re with friends at dinner, your phone rings, you check the caller ID and say, “I have to take this”. First of all, most people don’t even say “excuse me”, or “do you mind if” – they presume it will be alright to take that call which is essentially putting the person on the phone first, rather than the people they already committed to spend time with. You take that oh so important call. Maybe you’re only on the phone for a few seconds, maybe minutes, maybe a lot of minutes. For everyone else, it’s not just annoying, it’s really quite rude. It's like a child constantly whining during a conversation - you won't put up with that, and you wouldn't expect anyone else to but you do think it's okay to take call after call after call after call.....
If you do this frequently enough, you will ultimately find that people don’t really want to spend time with you anymore because you’re not wanting to spend your time with them. That’s exactly how it comes across. I know. I've stopped going places with those who simply cannot stay off the phone when we're out. I don't know why they want to get together when every time they hear the phone twirp, sing, ring, beep or whatever, they text back to whomever texted them or they "have to take this call". If you really feel you are so important that you cannot miss a call, why do you go out with those of us who are obviously not as important in the first place. Stay home and talk yourself to death. We're better off - it's very stressful to be constantly told you are unimportant. That is indeed what those techno addicts are saying in their actions. So much for deportment - I guess that went out the window with the advent of technology. You can see that those who are addicted are losing relationships because they have rewired their brains to only respond to technology and they've lost their social skills.
Now let’s move to the family dinner table. Mom has her iPhone by her side, Dad’s Blackberry is next to the water glass, one chilld is listening to their iPod, the other is reading an e-book on their iPad NOT ONE PERSON, is aware of what is happening to the dynamic of the family. Is there even a family dynamic anymore. What happened to the F A M I L Y?????
Remember game night? We've moved on. Now it’s techno-night. Every night. At the dinner table and beyond. I've actaully seen this in action in restaurants. I look and think, WOW, they cannot even enjoy their food, they're only eating for sustenance. It's a real shame. Technology is taking away enjoyment in every aspect of our lives.
You’re rewiring your brain so it only responds to technology and any sense of pleasure is being taken away. Are we becoming the robots that were in those sci-fi movies 30 years ago? You’re losing close relationships with family and friends because you jumped on the bandwagon through peer pressure, "hey, everyone else is doing it", which to you, makes it okay to join them in their addiction! When you allow it to happen you're an enabler , when you join in, you begin the transformation to becoming one of them.....a robotic addict.
About 10-15 years ago one of the biggest problems couples had was having a TV in the kitchen. Psychologists, Psychiatrists, Counselors and Therapists all heard, “the TV is on during dinner and it’s ruining our relationship”. Well guess what? It did. It’s a cry for help that these professionals have heard over and over again for years. Now, it’s common to watch TV during mealtime. So much for family time. Lack of communication, not relating to others for even small amounts of time due to the advent of technological gadgets has become a way of life, it's pulling people apart and it's changing the way we think. We evolved from being addicted to TV to being addicted any and all technological devices to the point of allowing ourselves, our brains, to become a techno gadget itself. No feelings for others, no consideration of what is polite or nice, we're losing emotions, technology is taking over and we're allowing it.
I don't know about you, but I like having control over my mind and what I'm doing. I don't want to retrain myself to only respond to technological devices and lose social skills to the point where no one wants to be in my company.
Let’s now consider your work environment.
There you are at work multi-tasking like crazy. You’re a whiz at this stuff. Life is GREAT!
Uh-oh the boss is having a conniption over something. Why is the boss coming to you? What happened?
Apparently, during your multi-tasking when you were speaking on the phone while sending an e-mail, the person you spoke to got the response they needed to move forward with their portion of a project that required an authorization for more funds. Oh yes, you did. You told them to go ahead with it. WHY? Because you were sending an e-mail, while talking on the phone and you CANNOT do two things at the same time, giving each task100% of your attention. YOU CANNOT. It’s science. MRI’s prove this. One part of the brain overrides the other and the secondary task suffers for it. Now you’re attempt at multi-tasking has made more work for you because you need to fix this little faux pas you didn't mean to create.
Even if you have only one task that requires either decision making, or comprehension, you can't do that and something else at the same time. Our brains process auditory information and visual information in two different areas. MRI studies have shown that only one can dominate at a time. Therefore, although you really believe you’re successful at talking on the phone while sending an e-mail, you're not. You might get through the call and you might have sent the e-mail but you didn't give enough attention to each individual task to do it well. That e-mail may be half thought out and that phone call you received – well, look where that will get you.
Studies have shown that people who use a lot of techno-media gadgets simultaneously are much more easily distracted, less focused and find they have trouble switching from one task to another. They lose relationships in every area of their life because they are consumed with all the technology available to them that will simplify their lives.
In the end, when we multi-task, it doesn’t work. You cannot do two things at once giving 100% of your attention to each task. It is physically impossible to do so. Can't stress this enough.
Addictions to the latest inventions is not unprecedented either. Bill Powers is the author of "Hamlet's BlackBerry." In his book he tells us that overconsumption of a new thing dates back to Shakespeare. "When the printing press came along, people all of a sudden felt this need to have to learn how to read," Powers said. "Henry David Thoreau, the great philosopher, noted that people got addicted to going to the post office. They would go five, six, seven times a day." Isn't e-mail the modern day post office, right at your fingertips, in your own home? Hmmmmmm...history does repeat itself, doesn't it?
Powers himself was a victim of overconsumption. Members of his family would sequester themselves after dinner to their individual dens of technology not seeing each other until morning. Once he and his wife noted this was a problem they declared their weekends were now an “Internet Sabbath” and have been unplugging themselves on weekends for the past three years, quite successfully. The Internet Sabbath has revolutionized their lives.
I taught time management 20 years ago, before all these technological devices were invented. Back then, time management was giving 100% to each task individually, while getting things done simultaneously.
Yes, I know, I hear you. What are you talking about? You just said it’s physically impossible to do that. No I didn’t. Read the above paragraph again. I said you cannot do two things at the same time giving each of them 100% of your attention. That's absolutely true. However, you can give 100% to each task you need to accomplish and get them done simultaneously.
Here’s a very simplified example. It’s Saturday, you need to get groceries, clean laundry, change bed linens, weed the garden, cook dinner and of course, check your e-mail. Oh yes, and let’s not forget you would really love to have a cup of coffee to kick start your day.
First, wake up your PC and press Send/Receive to obtain your e-mails. WHILE that is happening walk to the kitchen and start the coffee maker, now check the PC (37 incoming e-mails and more on the way). Strip the beds and start that first load of laundry. You’re upstairs now, you may as well put fresh linens on the bed. Back to the PC, almost done. Good. Pour yourself that cup of coffee and then write out your grocery list. Now take care of the e-mails. Way too many e-mails, took longer than you thought? That's okay, it’s Saturday and you’re multi-tasking right now, in a good way. Put the clothes in the dryer, just bed linens, they’ll be fine while you go grocery shopping. You come home, the dryer is buzzing, linens are dry. First, bring in the groceries and put away the perishables. Now go fold the linens and start the next load. Put away the rest of the groceries. You know what you're making for dinner so while the laundry is going why not go out and weed? When you've weeded to your hearts' content, go back in and put the washed clothes in the dryer. Start dinner. Fold the clothes. Now go finish cooking dinner and sit down with whomever and enjoy that scrumptious meal you made and be grateful for all that you accomplished WELL today.
This is very simplistic and organized, which is the key to multi-tasking. You get my point though. Putting things in order of what to do and then executing that plan is indeed multi-tasking. Each task is getting done but YOU do not need to devote your undivided attention to them simultaneously. ONLY when you are working on each one, at that specific moment do you give it 100% of your attention. In this way, everything gets accomplished. Tasks are done well and there are no mistakes.
This is what is referred to as being present in each moment. A topic for another day but really, doesn’t it suit this scenario too?
If we continue to allow technology to make life easier for us by multi-tasking poorly, ignoring people (let's say that's unknowingly even though it's right in your face) then we are allowing technology to get the best of us. And get the better of us it will. It already has in a lot more cases than anyone wants to admit.
We all use and need technology. We just need to balance it so we’re using it as it should be used: to optimize our time, giving us the freedom to spend more time with those we love and want to be with.
Step away from the technology buffet. Declare your own Internet Sabbath. Build relationships, work smart giving undivided attention where it needs to be at the moment and multi-task properly. You’ll get more done and you won’t be a prisoner of the technology that is taking you away from your life. A life you should be living in joy, peace and love.
Now, go forth and unplug for the weekend! You have absolutely nothing to lose and you just may just realize that doing things the old fashion way, without the gadgets, can be pleasant, relaxing, comforting and make you feel just plain good all over.
Intending you a technology free holiday weekend!
Copyright 2009. T Love. All Rights Reserved.
