Four ways to cut down on the use of technology

I have been hearing quite a bit about not using technology and I want to share my experience with trying to wean myself off of technology. I’ll be honest, I believe I do have an addiction with technology though I hope it’s not as bad as I think it is.

First, where have I heard about this? Ryan Holiday talked about not watching the news or essentially to stop consuming things that really do not benefit you in a measurable way. Cal Newport wrote a book on digital minimalism and advocates no screen days. One thing that I am very conscious of is how much I am using my devices. I use a laptop at work, a tablet at home, a smartphone anywhere I go and sometimes I am using all three at once which is crazy.

Second, why disconnect? You have the power of the world’s knowledge all at your fingertips at times — why not take advantage of it? Yes, you’re right — you can learn almost anything through your smartphone but are you dependent on your smartphone for a lot of things? Before I got a cellphone, I memorized phone numbers of my friends and family — nowadays, I may be remember my own number and one other number and that’s it. Or my friends and I would have a heated debate about who the best hockey player is and then wonder about it for weeks — now, we can look it up instantly and find out (though this may not mean no heated arguments). There are lots…