By: Steff Willis
If you’ve ever dreamed of tossing your phone and retreating to a cabin in the wilderness to break free from tech’s grip, you’re not alone.
With screen time at an all-time high and social media vying for every spare moment, the idea of hitting reset and returning to a pre-smartphone world can feel like the ideal escape.
But in today’s tech-saturated reality, that’s not a practical solution. So, where do we go from here? How do we strike a healthy balance with technology for both ourselves and our kids?
I sat down for a conversation with TEDx speaker and award-winning author Daniel Sih to learn how to set digital boundaries that actually work.
“Boundaries are very important – they are part of self love, self care and part of loving others,” Daniel said.
“In terms of digital boundaries, we can look at families, but I tend to start with myself because the person I have hopefully the most ability to change is myself, through the grace of God.”
Daniel explained that setting effective digital boundaries comes down to understanding your habits and behaviours and when they are potentially unhealthy and misaligned with your values or the life you’d like to live.
“It’s not actually about saying no” Daniel said. “I don’t actually think boundary tape keeping is ever really about saying no, it’s more about what is the greater ‘Yes’ you would like to say yes to, and then how do you shape your habits in alignment with that?”
Finding Balance
In today’s fast-paced world, technology often promises more than it delivers.
To illustrate a balanced approach to technology, Daniel introduces the concept of a productivity curve.
“The tricky thing is working out… when is technology helping me become more productive, healthier, happier and more spiritual, community minded? And when is it detracting?
“When are the times I need to keep pace, meaning use technology to keep up. That’s the left side of the curve and when do I need to make space? So, to deliberately unplug from technology… in order to experience the best life possible and actually the most productive life possible.
It’s not about eliminating technology but understanding its optimal use and knowing when to unplug.
Unplugging to Achieve Deep Rest, Thought and Relationships
Deep rest, deep thought and spirituality, and deep relationships are all areas that thrive when unplugged, explains Daniel.
“They’re the three areas that our community overall is suffering in,” Daniel said. “We’re massively lonely. We’re struggling with anxiety and we’re unfit. These are often signs and symptoms of overuse in terms of the technological world.”
Daniel encourages practises like not using your phone before better for a better nights sleep, going offline when you need to do some deep thinking or even during your devotional time and ensuring we stay present when connecting with others.
“If you’re online so much that you start to neglect in-person friendships, you’re missing out on meaningful community.”
The goal is to cultivate environments where technology enhances, rather than replaces, face-to-face interactions.
To learn more, visit Spacemakers and check out Daniel’s free courses like Email Ninja and Raising Tech-Healthy Humans.
Article supplied with thanks to 96five.
Feature image: Photo by Rob Hampson on Unsplash