How to Take Back Control of Your Life Now That Technology Has Taken Over

Does the buzz of your phone make you cringe? Do you find yourself wincing or rolling your eyes before you even read the subject line of the new email that just made your laptop ding?

 This is the new normal for a lot of people . . . constant noise, constant pop-up notifications, constant alerts making them feel trapped in an endless loop of information and commands. The result is a deep resentment of technology.

 So many people now consider smartphones, apps, social media, and any other form of digital advancement to be massively harmful to our mental health. Parents worry about exposing their children to screens, and adults are increasingly resistant to adopting new tools for fear of being controlled by even more dings, beeps, and buzzes.

 Here’s the problem with that attitude:

 The times are going to change. Technology is going to evolve. You can’t stop it, and if you’re a business owner, you shouldn’t want to stop it. As technology advances, you have more opportunities than ever to connect with customers, promote your brand, and generate leads. The tools available to you now can help you streamline your procedures to increase productivity and scale your business.

And if you reject these new advancements?

 Well, then you fall behind. You surrender business to your competition . . . to the guy who is willing to get on board with the changing times.

 If that simple truth makes you feel trapped by technology, let me offer you this fresh perspective:

The invention of the smartphone is no different from the invention of fire.

It’s true. While fire seems like a necessary and no-big-deal aspect of human culture now, it was once the newest thing. And as the newest thing, it came with great benefits and potential pitfalls. People could use fire to keep warm, cook dinner, and light their homes. Or they could misuse fire, accidentally burn the whole neighborhood down, and seriously injure themselves.

 In either case, it’s not fire itself that’s either good or bad—it’s the way in which human beings choose to use that tool.

 It’s the same story with your smartphone, your social media account, or any other tool that has you feeling trapped and overwhelmed.

When it comes to technology, be active, not reactive.

Let’s take social media, for example.

 Tools like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and LinkedIn provide an incredible opportunity to reach out to buyers, create a relatable voice for your brand, and express your company values. In fact, so many businesses have discovered huge growth thanks to their consistent and creative social media presence.

 And yet, I’ve spoken to countless business owners who passionately resist Instagram and other platforms because they’re convinced that if they start on social media, they’ll get sucked in. It will become a distraction . . . another thing to think about, obsess over, and respond to.

 While I appreciate the self-awareness of individuals who are conscious that they could very easily lose themselves to social media, I still insist that this is a solvable problem. In fact, I’d argue that choosing to abstain from a highly effective marketing tool because you’ll get too distracted is like choosing to go cold and hungry because you think you’re too clumsy to light a match safely.

 You’d never say that, right? Instead, you’d work on improving yourself so you could use that tool without being hurt by it.

 The bottom line is this:

Technology cannot hurt you, because it is your responsibility to build a more fulfilling and centered life.

It’s up to you to cut out the noise. It’s up to you to think for yourself. If you feel like a slave to technology, it’s because you’ve chosen to be one.

 As a business owner and as a human being, it is your job to prioritize and act with intention. You don’t actually have to respond to every alert the moment it happens. Instead, you can make choices such as:

• Only responding to emails at a designated time each day.
• Setting a strict social media schedule.
• Delegating responsibility for certain tools to your employees.
• Turning off alerts when you need to place your focus elsewhere.
• Practicing meditation to improve your ability to be present and deliberate in a world full of distracting notifications.

You can use every available device and tool as a means of connecting with colleagues and clients—that doesn’t mean you those devices and tools run your life.

 Don’t resist progress. Instead, be intentional in your use of technology, and soon you’ll find that technology is no longer using you.

Hope that helps. Cheers

Idan Shpizear