Simplify Your Tech Life

Do you end up spending more time with technology gadgets than you actually want to? Do you always think as the day ends, that you should have done more work? Do you feel that you are not as productive as you really want to be?

Then, perhaps it’s time for you to do some self-examination, find whether you are using technology in an optimal way, and most importantly to simplify your tech life.

The reality is, every day, we spend many hours using some form of technology. We use technology in different forms and shapes. You may use technology via a desktop computer, laptop, tablet, or your mobile phone.

We spend this time using technology because

a) our work requires us to do so,

b) we want to stay socially connected,

c) we want to learn new things online, or

d) we just want to kill some time.

Whatever the reason, the reality is we end up wasting a good part of our life consuming unnecessary information via these computers and gadgets.

If you really want to make the best use of your time, you must simplify how you use technology in your everyday life.

Here are some simple steps that will help you to do so:

1) Observe your daily tech usage. Just make a note of how you spend your time with technology, in your day-to-day life. To do this, observe for one day how much time you spend in using technology and what are your daily activities. Observe it from the time you get up at morning to the time you go to sleep at night.

Don’t try to think about solutions while doing these observations. Be totally honest with yourself. Don’t try to cheat yourself by acting differently that day. Simply observe. That’s it.

2) Kill those time-wasters permanently. After observing your routine, identify what could be simplified and are there any time-wasters.

What exactly are time-wasters? Time-wasters are those activities that don’t help you grow in any way. Activities that won’t improve the quality of your life, personally or professionally. If possible try to eliminate them completely. Some examples of it are watching silly youtube videos, too much time on reddit or hacker news, checking your website stats frequently, etc.

3) Minimize your social media usage. Social networking is essential, but if you get addicted to it, you will end up wasting a full day quite easily. Ask yourself if you really need to follow a thousand people on twitter and facebook? People who haven’t changed your life in any way. People who you might not even see again in real life. You don’t have to follow such people.

Try to reduce your following list to only relevant people on twitter and facebook. Unfollow those who just add noise and don’t matter to you. Also, is it really necessary to read every tweet and every facebook update daily? It isn’t. So, don’t worry if you miss a tweet or facebook update.

4) Stop being available 24×7. It’s not just following fewer people on social media. You must limit how many times you check these accounts every day. Stop those automatic notifications from twitter and facebook applications. You don’t need to check your personal email inbox every few minutes.

Stick to a fixed scheduled time. For most people once or twice a day should be sufficient, and that too if their job really requires them to do so.

5) Take regular breaks at work. Even if you reduce your tech usage, you still may need to sit for long hours at your computer to do your work. So make sure that you take regular breaks at work. It will help you in unwinding and will also be good for your health.

You can read an actual book, go for a small walk, or do some stretches to refresh your mind. You can also just close your eyes and meditate for few minutes. A quiet and clear mind always boosts your productivity.

6) Spend some quiet time away from these gadgets. Taking breaks is a good way to refresh the mind and body. But you can only take a limited number of breaks while doing work. That’s why it is really important to spend some time completely away from all tech gadgets.

Spend at least a few hours every day without using any form of technology. Go for a long walk, meditate or spend quality time with kids. Make sure your phone is on silent mode and away from you. Just enjoy this time doing what you love to do as long as it doesn’t require you to stare at any kind of screen.

That’s it.

The true purpose of technology is to serve us and improve the quality of our life. By simplifying how we use technology, we can live a more stress-free, productive and peaceful life.

So when will you simplify your tech life?

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About Rahul Singh

Mindfulness, Meditation and Spiritual Teacher. Shows others the way to practice meditation, live with mindfulness, and connect with their consciousness, so that they can find inner peace, lasting happiness, and meaning and purpose in their lives. Author of Keys to Meaningful Life.