Reducing our digital footprint combined with a nurturing morning routine can help you reclaim your power, purpose and joy in daily life.
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Information is no longer a scarce resource — attention is.
Clive Thompson
Our lives today are more digital-centric than ever. In addition to being surrounded by gadgets, we rely heavily upon technology for mundane tasks, such as fact checking or finding directions. While this shift has certainly contributed to convenience in our lives, over-dependence on technology can take its toll on the human mind — and soul.
Schools have started getting rid of analog clocks now as children can no longer read them due to their dependence on the digital clock. One in ten university students is reported to have problematic internet usage patterns. And personal human connection has dissipated, replaced by virtual communication. As the new generation grows to become our next workforce, there are some very real problems that we need to mitigate.
Most importantly, we need to identify if we are also a part of the problem and ignoring it.
Most of us find ourselves stuck in a toxic cycle where we start and end our days with our gadgets and are perpetually guilty about letting technology run our lives. This cycle can be broken by making small changes to our mornings through digital minimalism.
What is Digital Minimalism?
Digital minimalism is the practice of using technology only as much as needed. This includes de-cluttering your digital footprint, as well as reducing the influence of technology on your life.
Digital minimalism has been recently getting a lot of acceptance as people are coming to realize how damaging technology can be to our life and health. Various Silicon Valley parents have advocated for the implementation of monitored and restricted screen time — and it has made the world take note of how loosely we have let technology slide into our lives and influence it.
Digital minimalism presents itself as a remedy for the overuse of technology around us.
Especially when practiced in the mornings, digital minimalism can completely change your days.
The importance of mornings
So why should we practice digital minimalism in the morning particularly?
We often hear the phrase, morning is the most important time of the day, but we never question the rationale behind it. Morning is the time when your mind is at its sharpest. Your body is fresh, and your thoughts are running at the speed of light. So, when you establish a morning routine, you are essentially training your mind to be its most positive and productive self for the rest of the day. Waking up early and following a morning routine can result in the following benefits:
- Morning people are known to be more self-disciplined and more in control of their days as compared to night owls.
- Setting up a morning routine (and following it) sets the right tone for the rest of the day. When you start your day right, the rest of the day follows.
- Getting done with your chores or planned activities early in the day ensures that you do not stress about them later. As a result, a morning routine can decrease your stress levels significantly.
There are endless benefits to starting your morning right, and with digital minimalism, you can set the right routine for your day.
Starting your morning the right way
So how do you go about setting up your morning routine? Whatever your day looks like, the following tips should help you devise a plan for your mornings:
- Give yourself at least an hour without your gadgets in the morning. This will encourage creativity and your brain will process more things by itself rather than responding to a screen.
- Develop a routine for yourself. If you keep your mornings flexible, you will end up wasting away most of your mornings. Instead, develop a routine which leaves no space for thought. Just get up and do it.
- Design a routine that make you happy, doing things that make you feel good. Whether it is going for a run, playing music, writing, meditating or taking a walk in the garden, do things that bring you joy and feed your soul — before settling into work. This will set you up to remain energized all day long.
- Have a filling, healthy breakfast. Nobody can win the world on an empty stomach; fortify your reserves before heading out for the day.
- Plan your upcoming day the previous night. Planning in advance will give you a guideline to work upon as opposed to simply winging it throughout the day. Remember, if you don’t design your day, it will be designed for you… usually by the agendas of others.
Live a focused life
Clive Thompson said, “Information is no longer a scarce resource — attention is.” He is right; we are constantly glancing at our phones for updates and reminders, as if we are going to miss out on the next big thing. This constant FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) is affecting the quality of our life and disrupting our focus.
It is important to live a life full of meaning and intention, which requires focus.
For this, it is important to be mindful of our daily activities, actions, and choices. Unplugging once in a while, or several times through your day, will help you utilize the technology better.
So why not start now? How about beginning by unplugging your mornings?
You may also enjoy reading The Power of Off: you Best Self in Virtual World, by Nancy Colier
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