Brian Johnson breaks down T.I.M.E.: set time limits on tech, use it intentionally, stay mindful of its effects, and choose enriching content. He cites Nir Eyal and Cal Newport on digital distraction, then shares Ken Stites' results from 72 days of practice: daily journaling, 12 minutes meditation, 12 pounds lost, better sleep.
Chapters
Hi, this is Brian. Welcome back to another Optimize plus one. In our last plus one we talked about some crazy stats re smartphone usage from David and Austin Perlmutter's new book called Brainwash Recall. I quote, 79% of adults reach for their smartphones in the first 15 minutes after waking up, and that number climbs to 89% among people between the ages of 18 and 24. Right away we satisfy the craving to check our phones, a result of the dopamine surge. End quote. Then we had a personal question. Where do you fall on those statistics? Then I encouraged us to find a way to optimize our PM smartphone usage a bit. Did you rock that? Today I want to talk about time. T I M E a little acronym. It's one of David and Austin's key tools to help us manage our addiction Tech Use throughout the day they tell us, I quote Again, apps have started to emerge to help people track their screen time and avoid smartphone addiction. But you don't need an app for this exercise. You can go low tech here and use our time tool. T I M E When approaching your use of technology, especially when it comes to digital media and communication, you need to make sure your activities are making good use of time. This means they need to be time restricted with the T. Create and abide by a minimal window of time for accomplishing your goals. If you Want to watch YouTube videos or scroll through a social media platform, but you often spend more time than you'd like doing so, set a timer to go off after 20 minutes. The I is for Intentional as we've described in detail, so much of our interaction with technology is designed to benefit others. Becoming more intentional about our use of digital products helps put the power back in your hands. M for Mindful A mindful approach to digital media consumption means bringing awareness to the way you're using these technologies while you're using them, as well as awareness of the way they are affecting you. And then E for Enriching the digital sphere is filled with clickbait and other content designed to capture your attention. Much of it is a waste of time. End quote. So, want to master your use of technology? Make sure it passes the test of time. Start by making sure your use of technology is time restricted. Then make sure you're being intentional and mindful about it. Then, of course, make sure the experience itself is enriching. I'm reminded of some wisdom from Indistractible Nir Eyal tells us that anything we do is either giving us traction toward our goals or is a distraction standing in the way of achieving our goals and expressing the best version of ourselves. He tells us that we need to ask what he calls the critical question before engaging in technology Is this trigger serving me or am I serving it? Then there's Cal Newport's parallel wisdom from Digital Minimalism, where he tells us, I quote, the sugar high of convenience is fleeting, and the sting of missing out dulls rapidly. But the meaningful glow that comes from taking charge of what claims your time and attention is something that persists. It's time to connect to the best version of ourselves. Today, another little P.S. this gem from Nobel Peace Prize winner Christian Louis Lang is worth remembering. He tells us technology is a useful servant, but a dangerous master. And one more PPS here, one more time Tech addictions are big in our Optimize 2020 mastery series and coach programs start next month. We help you optimize pretty much every aspect of your life, including technology use. Here's how another one of our optimizers, Ken Stites, describes his experience with our program. This is Ken speaking, he says. It has been life changing. I did not know what to expect when Brian offered an Optimized coach program early 2019, he says. I read and listened to a few philosopher's notes and some plus ones and thought Brian did a great job in presenting some key ideas. Thank you, Ken, he says. I was very busy expanding our business and I didn't have much time to do the program in depth when it started. I would listen to the weekly coaching training a day or so later. And then at the end of August, something hit me. I believe it was the PM&AM bookend sections that began the revolution. Smiley face, he says. I then began the process of listening to the core wisdom requirements. I began my daily journaling my Masterpiece day worksheets. I'm at 72 days straight, 12 minutes of daily meditation, optimal breathing, eating better, and following the plan, he says. And here's the tech part. The removal of the news, tv, the Internet, except for work, social media and going to bed instead, has created an energy I have not had in 20 years. I've lost 12 pounds since September and I'm about 5 pounds from my ideal weight of 168 pounds. My worldview has changed drastically as well. I look forward to the challenges, obstacles instead of dreading them. I do the things now I would in the past put off until later, he says. I could go on and on. I would highly recommend going through the Optimized Coach program. Even if you are a busy executive, you will learn how to have energized tranquility, have even more energy, optimize your weight, sleep better, cuss less, be more, present with others, use your smartphone and email less and enjoy life and others much more than you do now. It has been amazing. End quote. Thank you, Ken. If that sounds like fun, join us. Let's make 2020 the greatest year of your life.
