Thinking outside your smartphone!
The quest for an authentic and productive existence in the age of social media!
A very important question that we must ask ourselves today is whether our modern digital way of a sustainable one? Are we happier because of this 24 by 7 virtual interconnectedness that we experience? Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, WhatsApp, each one is vying for our time.?These digital monsters have plugged into our pleasure centers and have left us all to be at the mercy of addictive and disruptive patterns. When was the last time you read a book from start to end at a stretch? or sat through an elaborate dinner making conversation with your family without checking your phones??
The Social media cloud has become even stronger with the new normal ushered in by the pandemic. Many Organizations are now geared toward a hybrid work culture. The line between using the Internet for purposeful work-oriented productive activities and for personal entertainment and instant gratification is getting blurred. Social Media is doing two things to us, it is fragmenting our bandwidth and reducing our attention span. These tools have systematically hijacked our time and focus, and we have to reclaim it in order to lead more complete, more authentic, and more productive lives. Here are a few strategies that will help you to do the same-
Make a Sincere Contextual assessment of the tools that you use- There are online tools that you need to get your work done and there are tools that are pure entertainment and can be dispensed with.?You do not need to access Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and the likes unless your role demands their usage for work purposes (Digital Marketer, Social Media Manager, etc.). Do not trick yourself by justifying the usage of tools that you do not really need when you are working.
Do not use social media as a channel for emergency and important communication- Mixed usage of social media is an easy gateway to the rabbit hole of addiction. If your family or friends have to reach out to you in case of an emergency, ask them to call or SMS. Keep social media off-limits when it comes to sending or receiving distress or urgency signals. Use it purely for Information and Entertainment.
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Timebox social media activities that have no bearing on your work- The discussion on the WhatsApp group about which restaurant to select for the Weekend dinner can wait. Saying Hi to your friend across the ponds over Facebook can be done later. The addictive viral reels on Instagram can be seen in a limited window of personal time. Do not let these activities bleed into your productive time. Apportion a certain time window for these activities, schedule them and stick to the schedule, come what may.
Replace addictive passive entertainment with more constructive active learning-oriented or skill-developing interests- This is a more long-term, habit-forming solution. We can choose to invest our free time in pursuits that help us to learn something new, equip us with a new skill or improve some of our faculties. Instead of aimless scrolling on social media, we could choose to read a book or exercise, or try gardening. Learn a new language or a musical instrument. Get a pet to care for. Write a book or a journal. Play a sport. Activities that involve a more methodical investment of your physical and mental faculties keep you stimulated but are not addictive. You will realize you are able to snap in and out of them more easily. They will not trickle and cascade into your productive work hours. Rather, these new pursuits will help you focus better on your work and get more creative.?
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