Digital Do's

Things to do when you don't walk away...

A week or so ago — in my short essay on Digital Don’ts — I suggested that the most fundamental of all our freedoms is the freedom to simply walk away. As promised in that essay, here’s my corresponding list of Digital Do’s — a somewhat shorter list — in the event you don’t…

• Do keep your bedroom, dining room, or family room smartphone-free. As before, you’ll thank me later.

• Do make sure your smartphone is always conveniently out of arm’s reach whenever you are home. Especially when you are with the ones you love.

• Do make sure you say your prayers or take a walk or play with the dog or cat or do any number of a million other things for at least an hour before you consult your smartphone, or tablet or computer in the morning. The quality of your life is a reflection of how and where and with whom we invest our faith, time, and money. Invest wisely.

• Do as many things as you can in your daily life face-to-face. Make a concerted effort to move your personal communications up the Communications Impact Ladder, away from a reliance on the empty calories of asynchronous channels like email, text, DMs and tweets.

• Do rely on other synchronous forms of communication (like phone or video chat) as more viable substitutes for face-to-face encounters. The richer the human impact of your communications, the richer your life.

• Do say, “I don’t know,” in response to a question at the dinner table with family or friends instead of whipping out your smartphone. Always better to admit your ignorance than prove it. Besides, someone else at the table will always whip their phone out instead.

• Do set a healthy example for others — especially your kids — by showing up somewhere without your smartphone. Your friends and family will be amazed by your wizardry and fortitude.

• Do make a habit of walking away whenever you get the chance. Life on the computer or tablet or smartphone is a pale imitation of the real thing.

I did promise a somewhat shorter list of do’s than don’ts. Leave your suggestions for Digital Do’s and Don’ts in the comments below. Many thanks for checking in, and all the best for now, as always…

[Want to invite Jeff Einstein to speak at your next event? Or want to license the Quality of Life Toolkit for your parents group, school, congregation, public agency, corporation or association? Contact us at moreinfo@qolrm.com.]