Don’t Let Technology Rule Your Life

The world is trying to move towards a more inclusive and comfortable state. More households report two working parents as opposed to one. Some households have parents working multiple jobs just to make ends meet. It’s no secret that in many countries the costs of living have gone up but wages have not followed.

Add a few kids to the mix and you’re probably running on caffeine and energy bars. Unless you’re on one of those fancy new diets, which in that case, good for you.

While mobile phones have gotten smarter and faster they’ve allowed work to encroach on our home lives. We’ve got to start finding ways to balance our use of tech and our personal lives before we begin to forget what our families look like in real life instead of through a lens.

So to help you working parents out are some tips to balance that excessive use of technology:

Take a moment and think about each of the times that you used your smartphone today. Maybe it helped you navigate around a traffic jam during your commute, catch up on email while you were on the train or gave you a way to communicate with a loved one far away.

Mobile technology is a blessing; the sanity of my offline world often depends on the spectacular gadget in my pocket. But I also believe that this constant access to technology leaves us incredibly vulnerable. Vulnerable to a distracted life, to incorrect priorities and to anxiety that you’re missing out. So it’s important to use it wisely — in a way that enhances, rather than detracts from, life.

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This ability, to juggle with ease, feels magical to me. We can now summon, via a modern wand — the smartphone — life-enhancing services from the palm of our hand. And we can perform this magic whether we’re on the sidelines of a soccer field, on a bus or in a conference room at the office. When used correctly, this magic is simplicity and convenience at its best, and it helps women to successfully and more happily lead busy, productive full lives.

I frequently use this type of magic to create moments of delight for my family and to inspire unplugged moments for myself, and wanted to share a few of my favorite apps:

Headspace — to recharge after a busy day
After a busy day full of projects, people and to-do lists, Headspace helps me focus my thoughts on my family and live in the moment as much as possible

Via: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/barbara-martin-coppola/technology-tips-to-help-b_b_10534248.html

We don’t need to demonize technology. We don’t have to reject the smartphone. They’re not going away and this technology will only continue to grow. It’s all a matter of how we use it. If you’re going to have a million apps on your phone and complain about the quality of your family life, you might as well get apps that help you reconnect with your loved ones. Most of the apps mentioned in the article are free or low cost which is perfect when you’re trying to maintain a budget.

Don’t let technology take over your life. Regain control and make it work for you. After all, that’s what it was designed for in the first place.

Don’t Let Technology Rule Your Life is republished from HDRA Blog