Want to shed that flabby tech belly?
Luddites think all tech is evil.
Technophiles think all tech is divine.
Both are mistaken.
It’s a Faustian bargain, as Neil Postman pointed out three decades ago — technology giveth and technology taketh away.
When’s the last time you went twenty-four hours without using technology?
Don’t worry, I’ll wait….
If you’re anything like I was, your answer falls somewhere in between a few years to never. It seems next to impossible these days, doesn’t it?
But, I’m sorry to be the one who has to break this to you — if you’ve never gone twenty-four hours without using technology then technology is using you.
Think of a flabby person covered with layers of fat.
That is what your mind can become when you can’t stop using technology — flabby, covered with layers of fat till it becomes too dull and lazy to think, to function, to survive.
But first, let’s define technology.
A spoon and a chair used to be considered high tech, but let’s narrow that down. Technology is any device with a screen that rings, buzzes, or dings begging you to pay attention to it.
Unlike any other time in history, there’s an endless supply of irrelevant information that has found a smorgasbord of technological delivery vehicles old and new — radio, television, computers, cell phones, and plenty more.
It’s your duty to always be within arm’s reach of them all 24/7/365, right? That’s certainly what the almighty tech corporations wants you to believe, so we go right along with them, no questions asked.
But it doesn’t take a genius to recognize that connecting to more and more devices disconnects us from ourselves.
Yet many of us (me included) continue to cling to the belief that we’re just one new tech purchase away from peace, joy, and unending happiness.
Now don’t get me wrong, I enjoy my tech as much as the next fellow. So I’m not going to side with the Luddites and recommend you start smashing your tech into bits and pieces (although I’ve heard worse ideas).
It’s possible to admire and benefit from technological ingenuity without being its slave.
But just like it’s all too common for our stomachs to become quite flabby by having unlimited access to food, our minds have become flabby by having unlimited access to tech.
There’s a vivid memory lodged in my skull that made me realize things are getting out of hand.
In 2012, I was walking through the cafeteria on my college campus, when I noticed a table of four ladies sitting in complete silence (certainly not meditating).
They were completely oblivious to their waiter when he delivered the food because each of them seemed to be in a trance as they furiously swiped through their Facebook feeds on their iPhones, banging away at their keyboards on their laptops trying to finish up a homework assignment that was due in a few minutes, listening to “Call me maybe” or “Ho Hey” on their headphones.
I realize how unspectacular that sounds as I write those words today.
A part of me believes they continue to sit there being used by their tech to this day and will be until the heat death of the universe.
Obviously the cat’s out of the bag and there’s no turning back.
Or is there?
Yes.
I call it a tech fast.
Here’s how it works.
You set aside a twenty-four period where you turn off and unplug all of your tech devices.
All of them?
Yep — iPhone, TV, laptop, radio, kindle, smart watch, and yes even that ridiculous VR headset you bought on Black Friday.
The first few hours will be brutal.
Then, as if by magic, time begins to slow down since you don’t have any tech distracting you from the serious business of living.
After the unconscious urge to grab your phone or binge another Netflix show dissipates, you will find yourself experiencing a strange sensation that we’ve forgotten exists — boredom.
Contrary to popular belief, boredom is not a virus to be vaccinated from, it’s a normal feeling to be savored.
You will start to get weird urges to do stuff you never have time for anymore.
You may decide to pick up a book, grab a journal, play with your dog, or (I know this sounds crazy) talk to your wife.
Science has finally caught up to religion in recognizing the benefits of setting aside time to refrain from food at regular intervals.
It’s time we extend that to the realm of tech.
Now I do need to warn you that you’ve gotta be careful when you break your tech fast just like when you break a food fast.
You’ll want to do the tech equivalent of sipping some bone broth even though you’ll be tempted to run to the pantry and start shoveling empty calories into your mouth.
The first time I ended my tech fast I convinced myself that I had earned a three hour binge fest of scrolling Instagram, with Netflix on the TV, and airpods inserted into my earbuds listening to a podcast on 2.5x speed simultaneously.
Don’t be like me.
For anyone who has fasted from food for an extended period, you know how good that first bite tastes.
Tech is no different.
PS — I realize the irony of delivering this message advocating a tech fast via technology, but I just couldn’t find the time to send each of you a handwritten letter because I was too busy Cyber Monday shopping on my laptop, listening to a podcast on my phone, and watching Georgia football highlights on my TV. I’m not perfect.
Totally disagree? Let me know in the comments below.
I've always wanted to do something like a weekly 'digital Sabbath' but always end up needing to use my phone or computer for logistical stuff. Maybe a half-day a couple of times per week would be more realistic for some of us?
This bit about boredom... I've been preaching that to my tech addicted husband for ten years. The only time I've had his complete attention for more than a few minutes was during chemotherapy. This is so well written. Thank you for putting all this into such eloquent words!