The last few days, I have been at the HOW Conference in Atlanta. For those of you unfamiliar with HOW, it is a giant (and I do mean giant) design conference.
I spent the last month or so preparing for the trip, booking the hotel, registering for sessions, and downloading Uber so I could learn how to use it. Little did I know that the sessions I picked, though led by very different people from many walks of life, would continually lead me back to one thought: I need to be less connected, so that I can connect more.
What does that even mean?? Here's the thing. We all want to belong. We all want to feel a connection with others, to feel needed, seen, heard, appreciated. So we tether ourselves to our computers and phones so that we can be "connected" at the first bing. We are constantly checking for messages, notifications, likes, and comments.
The state of being more connected has actually left us more alone. (Jonathan Fields)
This age of being always available is exhausting! Think about how much time you spend endlessly scrolling through posts. Do you even take the time to stop and read them? Process them? Decide if you agree or disagree or if there's something to learn from them?
Tiffany Shlain spoke about her family's weekly technology shabbats. They have one day a week that is completely unplugged. They spend the day together gardening, cooking, playing, and resting. Your immediate thought was probably "Oh heck no! There's no way I'm going a whole day without my phone," and if it was, then you should probably consider doing it.
We only have one life guys. How much of your time have you been scrolling away? When was the last time you were waiting in line and just let your mind wander and dream and play?
Someone lives for as long as you remember the smile on their face, hum their favorite songs, and tell their favorite stories. (Oliver Jeffers' mom)
Let's live. Let's make it count. Let's let our minds breathe.
