Judicious Use of Technology
As described in Brain Wash, our modern digital media has become amazingly adept at capturing our time and attention. Losing an hour of the day has never been so easy. While we strongly believe that the tools outlined in the 10 day program within Brain Wash are the most powerful steps you can take to reclaim your mind from unhealthy digital media consumption, we fully appreciate how difficult this process can be. Here are few more ways to take control over your digital exposure.
Take back your morning mind. Most people check their phones within 15 minutes of waking up. But once you’ve looked at the screen to see if you missed a text or call, it’s too easy to find yourself knee-deep in social media or wading through emails before you’ve even brushed your teeth. To this end, consider whether you can wait to check your phone for just a bit longer after waking. A 20 minute or even 30 minute delay between opening your eyes and diving into the digital world gives your brain space to wake up, and gives you the opportunity to set intention for the day before distraction sets in. From personal experience, getting a meditation session in before I check my phone provides significant benefit to me for the rest of the day, because I’ve created a mental buffer that makes it easier for me to be mindful with my digital media use.
The phone-free meeting. Several studies have shown us that the mere presence of a smartphone may be enough to significantly lower the quality of in-person interactions. But next time you’re at a restaurant, coffee shop, or outdoor area, look around at the couples and groups of people nearby. Chances are quite good that you’ll see some, if not most of them on their phones. The addictive power of these portable devices is so great that we’re choosing to interface with our phones over the people sitting a foot away from us. Here’s an intervention for this issue. For your next meeting with a friend or family member, leave your phone in the car or put it on airplane mode in your purse or pocket. Tell the other person (or people) you are meeting with that you’d like to try to go a half hour or an hour without using your phone, since your goal is to spend time with them, not your phone. Invite them to join you.
