It’s Time For a Digital Detox

This weekend at PowHERhouse speaker series in Sechelt, I spoke for 9 minutes about how important it is to take a digital detox. As a digital marketer I’ve learned this lesson the hard way (and take it from me, I am still learning). I was surprised by how many people came up to me after and thanked me for putting this in perspective for them too. My message seemed to resonate so I am sharing it with you here.

We now have access to more information than all previous generations combined. The ubiquity of digital technology can be a blessing and a curse. One the one hand we can connect with practically anyone in the world and find the answers to our questions in an instant but on the other our faces are stuck in our phones and we’re distracted by frivolities that don’t really matter.

I’m on a crusade to help people put digital technologies back in perspective and put us back in control.

  1. Turn it off! – do you really need to take your phone to bed and keep it on all night – what’s so important that it can’t wait till morning?Photo of a bench beside a lake with text "Time for a Digital Detox"
  2. Leave it behind – going out for a meal or a walk – leave your phone behind and focus on the people in front of you.
  3. Stay focused – know what is it that you want to use digital media for. Whether it be for growing your business or simply keeping in touch with your friends, bear your goals in mind when online.
  4. Be selective – about who you connect with (quality is better than quantity!), which tools you use (you can’t use them all well and grow a business too!) and when you use them (see 1 above!).
  5. Listen out for what matters to you – you don’t need to read every single post in your timeline or any of them even. If you are using social media for business hone in on replies, likes, comments and shares (RT’s).
  6. Keep this in mind when posting: If its not worth saying out loud its not worth saying online.
  7. Set some ground rules for you and your family. No phones at the dinner table is one of ours.
  8. Take a digital detox – schedule a block of time (not during sleep hours!) or better yest, a day, to turn of all devices and make some real world connections (with your family, nature, yourself…).

Leave a comment below and let us know when you digitally detox and how you feel when doing it.