What your tech habits are trying to tell you
I tend to look at my own over-reliance on technology as a failing. A crutch. An addiction.
Our devices, in many ways, make our lives easier. They empower our curiosity, help connect us, and allow us to build new things.
But they also make it more difficult to pay attention, be present, or tolerate boredom. We use our devices to escape all sorts of discomfort, including social awkwardness, instead of powering through.
But as my guest, Jay Vidyarthi, an attention activist, argues—compulsive tech use isn’t necessarily a failure of discipline. In fact, it may point to an underlying need.
Instead of being slaves to technology, Jay believes that we should foster a more intentional relationship with technology and that starts by better understanding why we are reaching for our devices in the first place. What are we missing? Play? Connection? Inspiration?
He argues that technology reflects the values and incentives we build into it—and that we can design technology to support connection, compassion, creativity and wellbeing.
Jay is a designer, author, entrepreneur, and attention activist working at the intersection of technology, mindfulness, and human wellbeing. He is the founder of Still Ape, a design firm that's focused on creating more mindful and human-centered technology. Jay has contributed to more than 50 wellbeing technologies, including Muse and the Healthy Minds Program, and is the author of "Reclaim Your Mind," a guide to developing a healthier relationship with technology. His work explores how thoughtful design and mindfulness can help people reclaim their attention and live more intentionally. He's also no stranger to meditation.
In this episode, we discuss attention, boredom, AI, social media, parenting in the digital world, and how mindfulness can help us better understand our impulses around technology so that we can reclaim our ability to choose what’s worthy of our attention.
Things you can do to improve your relationship with technology:
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I’d love to hear from you. What are your tech habits like? Are you mindful around your technology use? Leave a comment.
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For what it's worth, I normally put my iPhone on airplane mode at bedtime (or sometimes well before bedtime) and don't turn the signal on again until after I've had my morning coffee and usual light breakfast, and have already had a little bit of a tech-free morning routine going. I also have my phone set to silent almost all the time. I find these habits helpful in terms creating some boundaries between me and my device. When travelling, I do sometimes have to modify this approach a bit given the need to get travel-related alerts or time-sensitive messages.