Sunday I flew home on a romantic high after spending 5 solid days with my husband in the intoxicatingly beautiful city of Florence, Italy. Mid-morning I opened my computer in trepidation knowing I hadn’t checked emails in a number of days. The aftermath was clear, piles of emails had flooded in and I began to feel a knot grow in my belly. My romantic high quickly dissipated and slipped away into a deep abyss that felt like I was being strangulated by a serpent about to take me under murky waters as I watched the number of unopened emails steadily climb. Have you ever experienced the dread of opening your inbox?
Every so often a friendly debate arises in our house around technology. There are two camps; (1) taking a vacation from technology is beneficial on a regular basis and (2) you should keep tabs on your technology so that it doesn’t pile up. Obviously there are merits to both views.
The first theory believes that the over inundation of technology dampens your spirit, inhibits your creativity and creates a consistent level of stress that throws off mind, body and spirit. Studies have shown that forgetting to shut-off from technology or work diminishes productivity and diminishes the connection to inspiration and creativity.
Conversely, the second theory suggests that having technology in the room or around during evening & weekend hours is beneficial because it alleviates the “Monday morning stress” of piled up emails, correspondence and to-do lists.
Today I am going to share my view. I would also love to hear yours! Leave your comment on the Home in Harmony Facebook Page!
Despite my reaction to the email aftershock of my Italian getaway, I am a proponent of taking time off from technology. That being said, I think it is crucial to have a system in place to help tidy the tenacious overflow from the inbox so that you and I do not have one of those gut-wrenching moments where we are asking ourselves, “Was it worth it?”
Let’s look at a Simple Solution and easy system to help you tame that technology and inbox..
- Techno Time-Out
Pick a time that the technology disappears and put it away for the evening. Stick to it! This gives you a needed break from technology that creates a stress response within your body, which impacts sleep, creativity, motivation and your overall sense of wellbeing. (Check out Chapter 3 in Home in Harmony: Designing an Inspired Life for why this is critical.)
- Techno Vacation
Every once in awhile dare to be different and shut off the technology for a day or more. This will allow you to re-calibrate and come back into balance with your technology. Have you ever witnessed, as you look around your environment, that the technology in people’s hands keeps them locked in wrapped attention. Allow yourself to disconnect so that you can reconnect with real life in the 4D world.
Side note for stress…
So the idea of shutting off or powering down might have you feeling a little antsy. I totally understand! I forgot my phone when I was out on an errand and the initial stress made me think about turning around to go get it. Thankfully the calmer part of my mind stepped in and reminded me that it was a relatively quick errand and I could handle the separation for that portion of time. It also reminded me that the generations before you & I did just fine with the phone secured to the wall.
- Master Your Inbox
Create a system to tame the tenacious technological inundation of the inbox. Basically, clear the clutter. Here is a easy system…
- Go through and delete first without reading anything. I like to play a little game… I try to see how many emails I can delete in one fell swoop. Ahh, I love to scroll down through unopened emails and hit the shift delete buttons. My record is 200 at one time! My computer was confused and asked if I really meant to delete that many items… my internal response said “Heck ya!!” It was so freeing! It was a similar feeling to clutter clearing a stuffed closet.
- From there go back and see what items are critical. Open up the critical ones so that they are sitting open on your screen. These are the items you need to respond to today. Give yourself a set amount of time and take care of it.
- Lastly, if there are items you need to look at but are not currently critical, stick them in a Priority Box. Open this once a week and see if there are items you really need to respond to now.
Remember that we live in a world that is enamored with instant gratification. We want answers now. People who are vying for your attention want there answer now. That doesn’t mean that you need to respond to there email, text or phone call right away. Get clear what your goals, visions and aspirations are in your life. This will help you decipher what is critical and what is nonsense noise in your world. This technique will help you distinguish quickly what can be deleted without the additional stress and confusion of whether you should or shouldn’t. A confused mind does nothing and remains stagnant. Relieve yourself of inertia or getting bogged down in a heap of technological turmoil.
Take a break.
Take a longer break.
Create a system so that the breaks work for you and not against you.
I would love to hear how you Tame the Tension of your Technology and your Inundated Inbox? Do you have a Simple Solution you can share? I would love to hear from you! Either leave a comment below or join the Home in Harmony Community on Facebook!
Happy Soaring!
XOXO
photo credit: cios dot com