- Technology causes burnout. Tech makes us process a ton of information, which ultimately leads to burnout. Studies are showing that we are forced to process way more information in a week than our ancestors had to deal with in their entire lifetime. We’re not meant to have to process or consume at that level.
- Technology makes our brains learn only at a surface level of things. There is no more deep work because we get really easily distracted. And overall, we don’t function on that deeper level anymore. When was the last time you got in flow? Notifications from our devices are robbing us of our productivity. Research shows that up to 70% of emails are read within just six seconds, and it estimates that the time it takes us to get back into that deep work after distraction is 25 minutes. So, technology is altering our brain’s ability to stay focused for an extended period of time and it’s stripping us from the ability to live in the present. As entrepreneurs and as parents, we lose our focus because of distractions from tech, and our important work and our goals and our dreams end up being stolen from us. I have a free 30-minute game plan to help you with this, to help you regain that clarity, reduce overwhelm and make the space to ultimately regain your focus. So, make sure you grab that at https://luminaryleadershipco.com/focused.
- Technology is addictive. Our constant exposure is going to make us crave more and more stimulation, as an addiction. Whenever we’re online, we’re served up content that is based on the algorithms designed to keep us hooked for minutes, if not hours. It’s actively curated specific to our exact needs and wants. This can have actual harmful effects on our health. Scientists are finding that some of our overuse of technology can affect our brains in the same way a severe drug or alcohol addiction can. When we reach for our devices, dopamine is released, which signals intense pleasure in the brain. But the problem with this is that because of that constant hit of pleasure, actual things that are pleasurable become dulled in comparison. Real life pleasures are robbed from us. Imagine what this is doing to our kids!
- You can put boundaries on your phone or on screen time.
- You can consider a full digital detox. Cal Newport outlines his process in Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World that helps you break your addiction and then allow back in only what’s truly serving you and not distracting you.
- You can try to quit your phone addiction cold turkey, and replace it with something else.
- Consider physically removing the stimulus. I think that’s really important. Just not having your phone available to you, especially during a time where you’re just so dependent on it and you might not even realize it.
- You can also take Hannah Brencher’s 1000 unplugged hours challenge where she includes a free tracker and a guide.
- You can go through my Frazzled to Focused 30-minute game plan that’s going to help you get clarity around where your focus should be.
- The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains
- Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World
- Hannah Brencher’s 1000 Unplugged Hours Challenge
- Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked
- Go from Frazzled to Focused with my free 30-minute game plan!
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