This is a featured excerpt from my book Tech-Life Balance: 101 Ways to Thrive in a Digital World. Here are my tips for the holidays.
The plan will look different for everyone, but the key is to take control and make A Plan. This can ideally be done together with the family or other people you spend the holidays with for maximum buy-in. This is not intended to be a detailed schedule to stick to, but a guideline to lean on.
Consider questions like:
- When we go back to work/school and look back on the holidays, what do we want to be able to say that we spent a lot of time doing?
- What do you need right now to relax and recharge? How will we make these activities happen?
- Which devices should we bring and what do we want to use devices for during this holiday?
- How much do we feel is reasonable to use devices for these activities?
- How can we use screens together, to bond and have family time, rather than isolating ourselves one by one?
- How do we feel about social media? What do we want to use it for and what is our fear of missing out founded on?
Have fun with it! Maybe try a version of a “swear jar” so that every time someone picks up the phone outside the plan they have to pay up.
This can be done at a workplace or organization as well:
- Discuss with your team/colleagues how often you will check emails, what authority they have to make decisions, and when they need to call you. This clarity will let you relax and empower them as leaders and employees.
- Some of us need to be available and check in with work over the holidays, perhaps even daily. Instead of doing it on the phone 10x a day, try scheduling a time in the morning and the afternoon when you read and respond to emails on the laptop.
And as I said at the beginning, this will be different for every person and group. It’s about being mindful and aware of tech use so that you can enjoy the holidays.
For more tech-life balance during the holidays, check out this post.
I’m sharing regularly on the topic of how technology is impacting our lives and how to find a better balance. Check out this earlier post for a great place to start your journey towards tech-life balance as well as my book Tech-Life Balance: 101 Ways to Thrive in a Digital World.
Taíno Bendz is the founder of Phone Free Day and his own consulting business, and his message on mindful and intentional technology usage has reached and inspired hundreds of thousands of people around the world. He is a public speaker, workshop facilitator, and conducts research on digital technology usage. Taíno holds a Master’s Degree in Industrial Engineering and Management and has spent the last 10 years working in technology sectors such as renewable energy, healthcare IT, and software automation. He currently lives in Sweden with his family. He is the author of Tech-Life Balance.
