Digital Detox

I have been in IT for many years and so remember a time before the tools were alive.

In days gone by you reached into your metaphorical IT toolbox and selected the right tool for the job at the right time and then put it to sleep and back in its digital box. Today the tools are alive, permanently connected and conscious of each other, never asleep, continuously demanding attention and fighting each other for the attention of their human host.

In 2025 it takes discipline to control the tools and sources of distraction, distraction that so often feels like work. It takes effort and time out of the day like work should, but is in fact often shouting into an echo chamber or empty space of many others doing the very same. If you are fortunate the algorithm may just show your post to others and if not there is always tomorrow! 

With Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Spotify, Audible and a whole lot more there is no need to be alone in your own head, unscrambling your own thoughts and working out who you are (and not who others told you you were, should be, should not be, should do, should not do).

"In all things please at least yourself!"- Michael Neill, Effortless Success

Since the beginning of 2025 I ditched my 'smart' phone in favour of a 'feature phone'. I still have my smartphone for Banking Apps, Parking Apps, Multi Factor Authentication Apps, Audible, Spotify etc but my main phone, the one with my SIM in it is basic connectivity only (Calls, Texts, WhatsApp and it can act as 4G Wifi Hotspot for smartphone/laptop) and the smartphone spends most of its life turned off, turned on only when an app is needed.

The power to the subconscious mind of the above is huge. Go for a walk and truly enjoy with deep gratitude, the awesomeness of nature. Connect with and talk to strangers because you're not on headphones listening to music, an audiobook or worst of all a call! Safe in the knowledge that you can be contacted if important, can make a call if need help yourself or you happen across an emergency situation but not troubled or interrupted by anything else.

I even went as far as removing the LinkedIn App from my Smartphone, relegating use of that to laptop only. That has released a huge amount of time for other things.