On the golden beach of Cadiz, Marta and Luis shared a unique sunset, their feet buried in the warm sand, the horizon tinged with shades of orange and pink. While Marta was lost in the immensity of the sea, feeling the wind caress her face, she noticed that Luis, absorbed in his smartphone, was capturing every instant through his lens, oblivious to the whisper of the waves and the ephemeral natural spectacle that unfolded before them.
Marta plunged into deep introspection as the sea breeze brushed against her skin. “What are we really capturing?” she wondered, watching Luis bent over his screen. “Is it not more valuable to live each second fully than to try to catch it in a device that will never be able to reproduce the essence, the scent, the breeze of this instant?“
He reflected on the paradox of wanting to immortalize life, without realizing that, in that attempt, it slips away, fades away, and the genuinely invaluable is lost: living.
The story of Marta and Luis is endlessly reproduced every day.
I have many examples that I have personally experienced, for example, at the Louvre Museum in front of La Gioconda, where you can see a huge queue to take a “selfie” with this renowned work of art by Leonardo Da Vinci (if he could see what his painting has become, he would have a heart attack, no doubt).
I also remember a visit to the Sistine Chapel in Rome where everyone is determined to take pictures and videos of it and the guards are continuously warning that it is totally forbidden. Let’s be clear, no image or video made from our devices will be able to match the professional videos that can be seen of this wonderful work of Michelangelo Buonarroti so, better to sit and contemplate it with your own eyes, than to try to immortalize it.
Another memory of a Holy Week in my beloved city of Granada. In which, instead of being aware of all the liturgy of the steps, the staff was determined to film and photograph the moment, clearly missing that wonderful and unrecoverable moment.
How many times are you going to watch those videos or look at those photos afterward? Is it worth missing the moment for it?
Let us reflect on all this
Disconnection in professional environments
Digital disconnection is an essential work right that allows employees to disconnect from digital devices outside of work, protecting their private lives and preventing stress and anxiety. This practice is crucial for balancing personal and work life, improving concentration, productivity and well-being.
Encouraging disconnection not only benefits employees but also companies by creating a healthier and more productive work environment. Disconnecting helps to clearly separate personal and work life, increasing efficiency and satisfaction in both areas.
Hyperconnectivity can negatively affect mental health, causing stress and anxiety. Setting boundaries and practicing disengagement helps regain balance and improves mental health. Activities such as mindfulness, spending time on hobbies outside of technology, and setting device-free schedules are effective strategies to combat digital overstimulation.
Strategies to disconnect
- Establish Clear Limits: Define schedules to turn off devices and keep them out of reach at key times, for example before going to bed do not check your emails, surely it will not contribute anything and can take away your sleep some “brown” that you can not solve until the next day. Don’t use social networks right at that moment either. It is much more important to rest, be aware of it.
- Incorporate Screen-Free Activities: Engage in hobbies or activities that do not require digital devices. Little to say. in my case I practice Aikido and play electric guitar or do sports or go hiking or travel…. Do what you want but, for god’s sake, forget about your mobile devices a little bit.
- Scheduling Times without Technology: Allocate times of the day, especially mornings and evenings, to be free of screens and improve rest and concentration. In my case, for example, I use sleep modes on my mobile devices to avoid notifications from the end of the day and until the start of professional activity in the morning. and during the weekend I always use a personalized mode that is activated during Saturday and Sunday. If there is something really urgent, I can be reached at ……
- Analyze Technology Use: Understanding why devices are overused can help plan for effective disengagement. For example,, in my case I have disabled notifications on my smartwatch. Jo brings me nothing and gives me tremendous anxiety.
- Promote the Culture of Disconnection: Share with others the importance of establishing digital boundaries to foster stronger personal relationships.
Considering going back to get disconnected
We’ve gone a little crazy with our hyperconnectivity. In fact these days I’m thinking about getting rid of my smartwatch for good and going back to my old analog watch.
In my case, I basically use this device to know the time, to wake me up in a non-intrusive way by vibration, and to measure my physical activity and character.The data are based on health-related statistics such as sleep, heart rate, respiratory rate, etc. I am not using features such as notifications, call making and receiving capabilities or other michas that the smartwatch allows me.
It is true, however, that I would like to keep certain features and therefore I am considering using another less intrusive device that would allow me to cover the uses I mentioned above. In this case, it is a smart ring. I leave you with an interesting video about it.
I am currently evaluating different options and I will let you know which device I have selected and how I am using it 🙂
Have a good week!
