"Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding x100 + Excessive vibrating"
This is what I, and millions of people wake up to every morning. This is the sound of my rather frustrating phone alarm in the morning, of course its mostly annoying due to the fact that it is 7:30 in the morning, and I rather an extra hour in bed, but its also because I really hate the stupid noise it makes.
I hop out of the bed, and proceed to press every button on my rather big iPhone 6+ hoping that the noise will stop, and eventually I am successful in this process. This then leads to my morning ritual of bringing the phone back into bed with me, and begin flicking through Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, LinkedIn and emails, answering all of the notifications that appeared throughout the night.
After the morning ritual of flicking through the notifications, I begin to get myself ready for the day ahead by doing the usuals, throwing on the uniform, and then head down for the bowl of Cornflakes (ALWAYS CORNFLAKES!!). As I sit at the table with one hand swiping up and down my phone screen, the other is narrowly helping the spoon transport the milk and the cornflakes from my bowl into my mouth, not always successfully may I add!
Fast forward 14 hours later, through school, lunch, homework, study and my constant checking of my phone.
Its now 10pm, and Im heading up to bed to get ready for school the next, I get changed for bed, turned off my lights, and as the room goes dark, I make my carefully from the switch to my bed, trying not to kill myself. As I lie there in my bed, I cant help but notice my room illuminate as yet another notification hits my screen. I try to ignore it, but as the phone continues to light up, like a light show, the temptation becomes to much, and I get out my bed and address the notifications. Eventually I make my way to my bed, role over, and rest for the next day.
Why have I told you my daily routine? Well let me explain....
Throughout my day, from the minute I wake up, till the minute I go to sleep, my life is controlled by the device in my pocket and the laptop in my bag. Every moment of the day, I am aware that there is something in my pocket connecting with people all around the World, waiting for me to swipe it open and explore the World it offers.
This is the same for most of us, and well we are now at the stage were we are no longer in control in our relationship with technology.
What am I doing/what have I done to address my problem with technology?
I went on a Digital Detox!
I attended an Unplug.ie Digital Detox weekend to step away from my technology for 48hrs, and discover how much it is effecting my relationships, education and other aspects of my life. I spent the weekend with an amazing group of people just like me, who were also trying to take back the control in their relationship with technology .... I like to of it as couples counselling, except instead of you and your spouse/partner, its you and your technology.
I truly believe the 48hrs I spent away from my technology helped me to realise that I need to be more aware of how I am using it, and how much of a part it is playing in my life. I think this is something everyone must do, because like every relationship, you need to feel in control, you need to feel as if the relationship adds something to your life, not make you feel like you are loosing something.
Do what I did! Take your 48hrs without your technology, think about how much of a part it plays in your life, and decide if its something that makes your life truly better.
Best of luck, and make sure to check out Unplug.ie & keep an eye out for the RTE series in September that I filmed my experience with at Unplug.
Harry
