I love synchronicity! I’ve written about the risks of our digital lifestyle the past two weeks and the irony of how our reliance on the “smart” capabilities of our digital devices means we are likely compromising our own “smarts,” particularly our ability to focus and our creative capacities. The synchronistic piece is that last Thursday I attended a talk by Kerry Rego, one of Sonoma County’s leading experts in social media and technology training. Her message was a warning. Here are my notes from what she had to say.

Food for Thought from Kerry Rego ~

Life changed with the PC and then even more so with smart phones. Current technology is too much. Just because we can doesn’t mean we should. We have to set boundaries. Here’s how you can counteract the downside of the digital lifestyle: take care of your health. Put good fuel in your body (eat healthful, nutritious food.) Hand-write personal thank you notes on stationery and mail them. Take time to play. Unplug. Turn off the digital devices. The antidote for technology is nature. Get out in nature. Spend quality time in nature – without your cell phone! I repeat, the antidote is nature.

Question for the day ~

What boundaries do you need to make regarding technology use? Do you have enough time in nature?

The HBR article that I referenced, The Magic of Doing One thing at a Time, continues to be very popular, so for one final time, here’s the link.

A Reminder ~

On another note (yet related in terms of technology use) tomorrow, April 25, is Administrative Professionals Day. These are some of the most capable people I have known. If you have the good fortune to work with one or more, please be sure they are not “unsung heroines/heroes” in your organization. How about a personal, handwritten thank you note? (And be sure they have breaks from their computers.)

Mary