Technology overload is killing us and we continue to spend more time on it than less. Our eyes and time are maxed out.

Technology companies are enticing consumers by launching the new devices every year and creating an ecosystem of products and accessories which surround these. Call it peer pressure, marketing tactics or just the sense of owning the next big thing (FOMO dilemma), we as humble consumers succumb to buying such hardware and software. Such urge and continuous hoarding or upgrading of technology lead us to be a victim of the technology. So much so that I would not have time for personal time and my weekends were always either working or surrounded by screens.

The focus of technology advancement is focussed on making our life easy, however, more technology adoption leads us to spend more time on the screens. More so the need for being updated across various events, news, happenings, and the advent of digital media platforms has literally made us slaves to the technology landscape. So much so, I can go on record that technology addiction is on a rampant and is disrupting on basic things that challenge the existence of humanity.

I can put my hand up and say that till last year I had literally become an addict and would not only max my time focussing on buying new technology, subscribing to new stuff or even watching countless and stupid content which was not doing any good to me personally or professionally.

Steps and changes which I undertook:

1. Technology (hardware) Simplification:

   I wanted an ecosystem that evolves, simple and ensures security without too much of a worry for me. I had over three years ago moved to Apple Macbook for work but slowly started to adapt and upgrade to the Apple ecosystem when the need for either phones or headsets arose. Today I am complete on the Apple ecosystem which had significantly made my life simple and also don’t have to worry about many things - including remembering my passwords, portability and simply switching from one device to another.

2. Unsubscribe and cancel:

   Over the years, somehow I ended with many emails flooding my personal and professional mailboxes and in addition to my subscribing to unwanted apps or services. I set aside a weekend to review all my paid subscriptions across IOS and Android and started canceling the ones which I really didn’t use and more importantly started deleting the apps from all devices. In addition to that, I unsubscribed or tagged providers as junk on my personal and professional mailboxes. This has significantly reduced noise from my life and has allowed me to reduce the urge to constantly be on top of my emails. In addition to that, I have started communicating with individuals at work or in personal life not to text or instant message me, rather pick-up the phone and talk.

3. Podcast

   I was one of them where as soon as I sat in planes or was on the move, I would quickly resort to watching either Netflix or Prime and get so immersed in the content or the series that I would not have a sense of time. However, over the course of last year, I have started subscribing and listening to Podcast which has significantly helped in my personal and professional knowledge. The podcast to me has almost become a window to knowledge, inspiration and aligning me to goals that have been refreshing. I would write a separate article on the Podcast I recommend.

4. Health

   I have realized that to be mentally fit, you need to be physically fit as well. However, what defines physically fit is not getting ripped or participating in marathons. The definition of being healthy for me is to be able to have a mental, physical and personal balance and also not focus on the imagery of it. I am not a health guru, today I spend three to four hours in a week on personal health.

5. Diet

   In conjunction with health, the key element to be healthy is to manage your diet. I have been a victim of again following various diet fads. However I have come to realize and over the last six years studied my body, mental health and more importantly my emotional quotient and how does diet affects all three. I have now resorted to a diet that makes me happy, less cranky and more importantly keeps me fit. I would share my perspectives on the diet I follow in coming blogs.

This is not an exhaustive list, and I know that I started with a topic of technology with me ending up talking up other topics. I strongly advise individuals that you should strongly look at the noise elements around you, time being spent on screens (Apple does a good job of letting you know), and more importantly do you control your time or is technology and other factors doing that.

I look forward to hearing from you on how you have taken control of your life back, Chao. Stay healthy, stay motivated and focussed.