Many professionals are now creating games and rules to ensure that technology addiction doesn’t disrupt their personal lives.
Have you heard of phone stacking? It works like this: You and your friends are at a restaurant. You all put your cell phones in the center of the table. Whoever is the first to look at his or her phone pays the bill.
Not a bad idea, considering the now-typical behavior in restaurants. People don’t look at each other. They look down at their phones. They could be sending emails, texting, banking, or tweeting about their entrees. Who knows? What’s certain, however, is that they’re not focused on the human beings with whom they’ve arranged to spend time.
What’s wrong with the picture when we must play games in order to engage in conversation? Sounds misguided to me. But I guess it’s better than the alternative.
In the New York Times article, “Step Away From the Phone,” author Caroline Tell writes:
As smartphones continue to burrow their way into our lives, and wearable devices like Google Glass threaten to erode our personal space even further, overtaxed users are carving out their own device-free zones with ad hoc tricks and life hacks.
Whether it’s a physical barrier (no iPads at the dinner table) or a conceptual one (turn off devices by 11 p.m.), users say these weaning techniques are improving their relationships — and their sanity.
Read the rest of this article for tips on how and when to put away your devices.
Plus, for more on how technology addiction can ruin your sales career, check out my new book, Pick Up the Damn Phone!: How People, Not Technology, Seal the Deal—now available on Amazon and at Barnes & Noble. Or get the digital version for your Kindle or Nook.
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What rules do you have in place to ensure that you prioritize people over technology?
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