Happy March, SynerLINK Friends,
This month is our technology issue, where we’ll be exploring our relationship to technology and some tools to get control of our tech use in a way that supports our well-being. Our top link of the month is a great resource for supporting all 7 of our Foundations. When we aren’t mindlessly losing huge chunks of time absorbed into our social media sites, we can make more thoughtful choices about how we want to spend the limited time in our days. This link is the first of an excellent series of articles on balancing the positives and negatives of social media in a way that serves your overall wellness. I am a huge fan of Deepika’s work, and this online book is a great resource for creating balance in your life.
If you enjoy the newsletter, please forward to friends or colleagues who may enjoy receiving it, as well. They can click the links at the bottom of this newsletter to subscribe, or to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn, or go to our home page:
www.synergeniustelepresence.com.
As always, I welcome suggestions, comments, or interesting links. Please send to: cheermann@synergeniustelepresence.com.
Best wishes for your health and happiness,
Chanel Heermann, MD
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
Technology is a useful servant but a dangerous master.
– Christian Lous Lange
THIS MONTH’S LINKS
Link of the Month:
http://deepikamittra.com/blog/2017/2/1/how-to-use-social-media-technology
While we’re exploring the importance of downtime for maximizing both productivity and happiness, here are some electronic tools to help you to include necessary rest & recovery into your day:
As the author of this piece notes: “Take breaks. Grinding away at a task for hours on end, you’ll lose perspective and eyesight. As Lincoln said, if he had to chop down a tree, he’d take breaks to sharpen his ax.”
http://www.insidebayarea.com/columnists/mcmasala/ci_4114473
Here is the direct link to the tool he recommends trying:
http://www.workrave.org
Another tool that offers you a 2 minute vacation in return for not touching your mouse…can you do it?
http://www.donothingfor2minutes.com/
Did you know you can “Pause” your Outlook or Gmail inbox? That way, even if you “slip” and check your email when you had intended to focus on something else, you won’t see any new messages!
http://inboxpause.com/
A couple of nice apps for helping you monitor your screentime, and block or limit your time on certain apps or websites (i.e. Facebook):
https://freedom.to/
http://getcoldturkey.com/
And finally, my personal favorite iOS app, which monitors time spent on your computer and helps you figure out how much time you’re spending on which apps. This one is instrumental for me in mindfully managing my own social media involvement.
https://inthemoment.io/
A really powerful video on our collective addiction to our phones. Let’s re-connect to one another.
http://www.youtubemultiplier.com/581070f5b81a1-2016-the-status-quo.php
A BIT OF HUMOR
A bit of dark comedy skewering our smartphone obsession:
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/a-short-film-about-our-bumbling-love-affair-with-smartphones
