The BrandProv Blog

Are you using your technology or is it using you?  

The other day I got into bed around 11pm.

Instead of grabbing a book to wind down, I grabbed my iPhone and starting scrolling through social media.

Next thing I knew … it was 3am … I was still awake and going down a virtual rabbit hole.

I started getting anxiety because A) I couldn’t sleep and B) I started comparing myself to others.

My mind was racing: Biz ideas, things I’m not doing, things I should be doing, things I wish I was better at.

I started feeling like I wasn’t doing enough, and at times, like I myself wasn’t enough.

I started questioning everything.  

This was totally a textbook reaction to the dangers of social media and all of it’s “airbrushing”. 

I knew this FOMO wasn’t real and it was just an optical illusion playing out in my head. 

Eventually I put the phone down and then lay there staring at the ceiling.

Totally stressed out over what just happened. 

I wonder … how many of us are doing this most nights and is it slowly killing us?

It messed up my whole next day and the entire week. 

And I bet I’m not alone.

I bet you’ve gone down this same “social media” rabbit hole a time or two.

Let’s face it: we don’t always have the healthiest relationship with technology.

Did you know that the phrase “digital detox” made its way into the Oxford Dictionary online last year?  I think that’s some serious proof. 

Plus, there is a National Day of Unplugging on March 7-8 to encourage tech users to shut down their digital devices for 24 hours as a way to slow down, recharge, and reconnect with themselves and others.

So yes … We feel guilty that we are constantly plugged in.

Our smartphones are making us less focused.

Constantly checking our email and social is making us less productive and more disconnected from our real lives. 

Results from the few studies that have been done are troubling. Social media appears to be causing narcissism,  insomnia, and leads to social anxiety.

That said staying plugged in is now part of life now … our new normal.

And it’s certainly a part of your personal brand.

Staying connected, relevant, top of mind, and in the know is all important stuff.

Yet, so is balance.

I have a feeling we could all benefit from a digital detox and a tech check. 

Here are some ways I’m going to set boundaries with my tech … and I hope they can help you too:

1.  No phone in the bedroom or at least not by your bed.  If you must have it in your room, plug it in where you can’t reach or access it easily.  I set mine across the room on my dresser.  
2.  Don’t check social media after 9pm.  This is a game changer. Period!  
3.  Designate one screen free day.  My big goal each week is to do a screen free Saturday or a screen Sunday.   No computers, iPad’s, TV’s, iPhone (except to make a call of course), social media, email, etc.  It’s pretty spectacular … try it!
4.  Ditch the iPhone for a paper, or a book, when waiting on someone.  This is power posing and really makes you look way more confident, engaged and connected.  
5.  Make dining a no-phone zone.   And as a rule of thumb, it should never be on a table or easily viewable when you’re with another human being.  

I hope these ideas help you detox from digital and think a little bit differently about how you use it.  

Made with Love.