UnTech Yourself: Simplify Your Life!

Technology can definitely make life easier.

E-mail, rapid communication, RSS and the Internet create vast opportunities for new information. But technology isn't perfect. Adopting new technologies can have a sharp learning curve and many programs have unseen bugs and usability problems. Even more worrying is the fact that this boost in information can cause overload, zapping your time in endless e-mails and feeds to read.

Breaking your paradigm of technology as a cure-all to every problem can open you up to other avenues for solving problems. Technology may be innovative and wonderful, but learning when to unplug the power cord can help simplify your life. Here are some ways you can untech yourself to simplify your life and get more done.

Internet Dieting

Internet, IM, e-mail and web-surfing can be very distracting, often without providing a lot of value. These empty calories often disguise themselves as necessary information but are just noise. Start a thirty day Internet diet to reduce the total amount of time you spend connected to the net.

Notepads

Turn off the blackberry and try using a paper organizer. It may not be as flashy, but it is amazing how effective they are for having basically two features: write and read. Keeping a notepad with you means zero learning curve, zero interruptions and only stores information not noise.

Television Blackouts

Television is full of stimulation. When television is good it can be entertaining, humorous, dramatic and a social activity. When it's bad it is flashing lights providing distraction without value. You might want to experiment with cutting down on television, especially when you know in advance that there isn't going to be any worthwhile programming.

Try cutting down your morning news and replace it with reading books or newspapers. The information will usually be more valuable and text is nonlinear so you can skip information that doesn't interest you. Best of all most books don't have commercials.

iPod Mute

I'll admit it, I love my mp3 player. Great for workouts and doing boring tasks it can add a bit of extra flavor to regular activities. But sometimes the constant noise and music can desensitize you to experiencing the world around you and cut you off from interacting with other people.

Try turning off the iPod periodically. Drive to work without any music. Try exercising with quiet. Try walking in silence when you are by yourself. Not only will this allow you to reconnect with what you are engaged in, it makes it easier for you to actually notice the music when it is playing instead of just having noise.

Read Books

Remember when books used to be made of paper? Cut back on your online reading and head to the library or bookstore and get something you can hold in your hands. Although some online reading is definitely better than books, if your entire library would consist of 500 word articles with flashy headlines, you probably aren't getting a lot of depth.

Get Back to Nature

Go out and spend a half hour in nature. If you live in a big city, at least look for a park or a relatively quiet area. Having a bit of solitude in a natural setting can often inspire ideas where everything is calm. Remember not to bring the cellphone or Blackberry!

Getting back to a natural environment can break away the endless distractions of life and give you some time to really think. I've had many of my best ideas on hikes and walks through nature. If you live in a highly technological world, spending a few hours or days can create even more ideas. I don't believe that this is because nature has some mystical power but simply that it is often such a dramatic change in environment that it triggers new ideas.

Cooked from Scratch

Technology also appears in our food, even if it isn't in the form of circuit boards. Having easy premade and tasty food can be great in a hectic lifestyle, but this kind of eating isn't usually healthiest. Try cutting back on processed foods and making more meals from scratch. Most people say they don't have time, but I believe it is really that they don't know how.

Even if you aren't going to be featured on Iron Chef anytime soon, try cooking a new meal from scratch. I've found that you can often modify recipes to be cooked in less time without resorting to tasteless and processed filler. You might want to set out an hour or two a week to experiment with a new recipe.

Technology is a Tool

I'm not going to be joining the Amish anytime soon. I love the many ways that technology can make us more efficient and connect us with other people. But like any tool, you need to see where its limits are.

If you find yourself becoming a technophile try unteching some areas of your life. You might find a little less tech can bring a lot more value.

By Scott Young.