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Is Your Smartphone Rotting Your Brain?

Last week, I read an interesting article in The Guardian about tech industry founders who are stepping back from social media and the smartphone. Many of them claim constant connectivity is rotting our brains.

Read “Our Minds Can Be Hijacked: The Tech Insiders Who Fear Smartphone Dystopia.

I BELIEVE THEM. The pressure to stay constantly connected, to respond to every comment, to acknowledge every message, to interact faster and wittier than anyone……well, it’s crushing.

I do nothing well.

So over the weekend, I pretended it was 2005. Social media didn’t exist. I spent a weekend without the computer or multiple devices.

It. Was. Hard.

But here’s what I did with my time instead of surfing and scrolling and staring.

1. Slept in.
2. Had sex.
3. Attended two separate yoga classes totaling 3 hours because zen.
4. Ate tater tots at Mercantile and Mash with MTM because yoga.
5. Shopped at Costco because the cupboards were bare.
6. Admitted to buying a rose gold sequin skirt I didn’t need and hiding it from MTM. Wondered whether it still fits because of tater tots.
7. Finished The Templars by Dan Jones because I had two hours uninterrupted to read.
8. Worked a word puzzle in the NY Times because I wanted to beat MTM to it.
9. Ate 2 brunches with MTM because he made quiche.
10. Cooked 2 dinners at home with MTM because we had so much food.
11. Cleaned those neglected things in the kitchen because I slowed down enough to notice them.
12. Went to buy vegetables at the Lowcountry Food Bus.
13. Had drinks at Harold’s Cabin because they had a new sofa.
14. Took a nap because I could.

Do you hate me yet?

15. Read the Sunday NY Times with MTM over coffee because we used to spend most Sundays sharing the paper and coffee.
16. Folded laundry.
17. Locked the Roomba in our bedroom because the floor was filthy.
18. Dusted.
19. Ate chocolate.
20. Saw Blade Runner 2049 with MTM because Harrison Ford.
21. Discussed Blade Runner 2049 with MTM.
22. Researched flights to Kazakhstan, the closest I got to working.
23. Actually found myself bored.
24. Looked up recipes for red beans and rice because I had a craving.

As a result of taking it easy, I’ve already tackled my entire to do list for the week and have more clarity and energy than I’ve had on a Monday in ages. I’m grateful for my old fashioned, memory-making weekend, because it gave me a great shot of positivity!!

What about you? How do you give yourself a break from constant connectivity?

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9 Comments

  1. this is wonderful and something i need to do more often –

  2. Yes, yes, and yes. I definitely need to disconnect more. I was just thinking about this myself. But as you know, that’s hard to do for authors. I’m still trying to find the right balance.

    1. Author

      I’m not sure how effective social media is for authors anymore. Algorithms change constantly and are much smarter at suppressing content driven toward informing the public about anything one has for sale. I see a marked difference in reach between posts about my writing or speaking and others. And this article clearly states why that’s so. I’d rather go back to thoughtful interaction with people here, but the lure of the newsfeed is too addictive by design.

      1. I think you’re right. Plus, there’s so much noise out there now. Tough to break through it all.

        1. Author

          Algorithms are designed to keep most of us from breaking through anything. But the noise is crushing. I’ll definitely recommend your upcoming book here, in my newsletter, and anywhere else once it’s close to launch.

          1. Oh thank you, that’s so nice of you! I just finished working through my publisher’s copyedit. A few minor changes, mostly just omitting overused words and cutting down my number of em dashes. I seem to like those far too much. You were kind to read it before it was in its prettiest form. 🙂

  3. Love your list! I should try this. I definitely have a problem.

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