So I talked about how technology shaped my efficiency, I know you might have different ideas on how the nasty little devices conquer our world and how invasive they have become at the dinner tables all around the world. It all boils down to self-control. And yes, it can be done.
Set the rules and not break them
If you don’t want “Ding Ding” to disturb your dinner at home, hide your phone in the bedroom while you enjoy an hour-long dinner with your loved ones. If you are outside, turned the phone into silent mode, put it in your bag, leave the bag at the bottom of your chair. This way even if you are tempted to take a peek, you’ll have to bend down and reached for your bag, not a graceful thing to do during dinner. Tsk, tsk….
Out of sight, out of mind
No, you do not have to bring your mobile phone with you wherever you go. It’s so happens that I will dedicate some time per day to be away from my phone. For example, going for a half an hour walk in the nearby park? I’ll leave my phone at home. Going to the nearby pool for an hour swim? I’ll leave my phone at home. This will give your mind, your thumbs and your eyes the much-needed rest.
Fly more often
When I was a workaholic, I used to relish to go on a business trip. Not that business trip is a great excuse to be away from your boss for a few days but because I get to switch off with a reasonable excuse on flights. Not able to use my mobile phone or my iPad during take offs and landing, plus to purchase any on demand flight internet is way too expensive for any company to agree to pay for, I get to either catch up on the latest inflight movies or sleep. Yes, I can sleep on flights! I know lucky me, right? Alternatively, watching movies at a cinema or a play at the theater will have the same effect, I’m sure you are not one of those people who uses their mobile in the middle of Phantom of the Opera.
Use the “Do Not Disturb” function
I’m not sure about other phone models but iPhone have a function that allows you to manually “switch” off all the notifications but allow certain people to be able to reach you through phone calls for emergency purposes. Can’t you use vibrate mode? Sure, you can but if you are a light sleeper, I think even a slight movement of your phone is going to wake you. Be creative too. You don’t have to only use it when you sleep, sometimes I used it when I have to rush a deadline or when I have a writer’s block I need to plunge.
Acknowledging that you are not indispensable
No, the world does not end if you don’t answer your boss’s text within 5 minutes. Maybe your phone will blow up on its own but I’m definitely sure that the world does not end. The person who is covering your duties does not have to call you every hour or even everyday. 90% is still 90% despite you refreshing the webpage every second, it will not jump to 95% out of the sudden. Same goes for writers, if you have 20 followers, any refresh button you click for the past hour will not bring a sudden surge of 100 followers unless you post your naked photo an hour ago.
Snap out of it
If your child brings her drawing to you, please do not take a cursory glance, nod and mumble something intelligibly while furiously typing an email to your team. Put down your phone, your iPad and close the lid of your laptop, cherish the time with your loved ones.
Take a well deserved break
As my previous article, choose a destination that allows you to be totally unplugged at least once a year. This will also effectively tear the computer games away from your kids or the Twitter away from your teens. Go on a hike, a nature exploration in the jungle or even snorkeling / diving. Even the techie in you needs to recharge every now and then.
Let it go
And if the whole company can’t decide which color to dress the model in before the big runaway show, causing critics to write horribly about your brand this leading major shareholders to pull out and stocks to come crashing down, and it’s your fault for not answering your email in time. Then it’s either you are paid millions, the company is yours or your company is ridiculously depending on you. If it’s the last one, my suggestion to you is to run. Run as far as possible. Unpaid and makes all major decisions alone? Run.
Enjoy reading so far? Take time to read some of my older posts too! Come and follow me here or on Twitter MiddleMe_net.
MiddleMe 
I cannot agree more. Our life relies and revolves around these smart gadgets and to take a break from them as often as we can, will make us smarter. Thanks for this one!
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You’re most welcome. Am pleased you like it!
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This is a very useful post. Thank you Kally.
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Hello Kally, I’ll be at Marseille downtown for a large meeting about Smart City. If you can visit my blog during next 10 hours, thanks for it.
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Of course, I will! In fact, I was reading your latest post when you send me this message. Haha!
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I think it’s really important to switch off from technology sometimes. It can be quite a freeing feeling, actually! No distractions can be a good thing!
Great post!
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Thank you!! I’m happy that you like the post. I think the key to freedom from technology is to have discipline.
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Yes, Kelley, Sometime one feels like to be alone and it sounds good to follow your suggestions. Yes I am going to right now, wait .. Yup its switched off
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Haha.. Good night, my New York friend!
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Gud Night , my so charming enlightened friend. I know you have lots of nice things to conceive in your mind
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I do agree because I have set some of this rules in my home with my Hubby
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Yes, and do follow the rules strictly so that both of you can have time to properly communicate and spend quality time together.
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How successful have you been? I don’t even have a cellphone. Nor do I subscribe to Facebook or Twitter.
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So far successful enough not to be constantly nagged by my family members or friends. Haha!
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Wow! one of my anti-tech friends went without for years but ended up joining us all simply because of job demands. But objectively, most people have become slaves to all this stuff. I believe in leaving it off for hours, at night, on holiday etc. and am sure the world continues to go round without my participating in it the whole time 🙂
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Reblogged this on Olamatts007's Blog.
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Excellent! Use it for you. iT is an efficiency machine,
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Thank you for dropping by and enjoying my post!! 🙂
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Hi Kally,
You liked my comment in the Community Pool yesterday, and I wanted to come by and say thank you.
As far as your post, I love technology posts. I would like to write more of them. I also did a post about unplugging and being tech free. Nice to meet you. Thank you again.
Janice
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Hi Janice,
Fancy meeting you in the Community Pool! I’ll drop by your blog pretty soon and see what you have been writing. Thanks for dropping by to say hi! 🙂
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Hi Kally! Thanks! I will look forward to that!
Janice
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I barely use my mobile and my daughter who is 10, has complained about me not always having it with me. I am quite the reverse of much of what you describe. I have to be reminded to take mine with me at all at times.
My husband has to be on call regularly but he gets an allowance for that. Most of us are not being paid to be kept on a mobile leash with work 24/7. We are entitled to a life!
xx Rowena
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What a nice no-nonsense approach. I leave my phone at home often nowadays. What a pleasant reprieve.
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Reblogged this on KCJones.
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love this one ! technology is sometimes a little dangerous for peace of the mind. But it’s like we cant’ switch off. Sometimes i wake up with my phone in my hand lol
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Hi kally..I am so glad you wrote about this since it seems to absorb alot of our time. I’ve observed people at restaurants thumbing through their phones rather than having a conversation with their dinner partner. I agree, with your suggestions. Thanks for the wonderful advise because I believe we are all guilty one way or another.
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