// When my husband’s Xiaomi phone battery swelled and needed to be replaced, he ended up using my first Samsung smartphone. He praised it’s simplicity, readability, and ease of use.
// There was a time, not too long ago, when technology was this great tool. It hadn’t taken over—well, everything. It was nifty, not a necessity to unlocking email or bank accounts. There was no two-step verification madness.
// In fact, I’d wager that verifications 99% of the time prevent the owner from accessing their own account.
// I’d argue that you no longer have to hold people hostage to get what you want, you just need to hold their phones hostage.
// Six or so years ago, the company I worked for required all teachers to download their proprietary app on to their phones. My friend H, held up his pre-smartphone Nokia, and said, I can’t. The manager at the time, argued with him, foaming at the mouth, insisting that he figure out how to do it, even getting IT involved, to basically say what we all knew just by looking at the device.
What was happening here?
// I just finished my first term back at my old job, and it was tough because the school has implemented more tech into the curriculum and administration. A lot of it was in response to teaching online during the pandemic, but like many organizations, they haven’t gone back to pre-Covid days.
// Every job I’ve had in this brave new world requires me to sign up with Slack, or use this app, or another. It makes me want to scream. I don’t want to be shackled with all this digital garbage, but I can’t run off into the woods and hide either.
// So, how can I make my peace with it? How can I function in a world of forced updates and passwords—and remain sane? How do I find balance in hybrid work, where my home computer is both personal and teaching related?
// I find it challenging to separate these aspects of our lives, and I believe it has mental health consequences, like frustration, anger, and burnout. Lots of burnout.
// So I did what most women do, I went on a purge. I looked through my saved passwords in my browser, visited sites I no longer use, and deleted my accounts with them.
// It was an exercise in stoicism, to constantly verify my humanness, to ascertain which way the frog was up, and all the CAPTCHA. So much CAPTCHA. For one app, I couldn’t delete my account via desktop, so I had to download the app on to my phone first and then delete both the account and the app on my phone.
// This is what we have to do now, phone and computer upkeep. Lots and lots of cleaning and maintenance, like you would with your car or kitchen, to use tech that is now intertwined with our lives.
// We also have to contend with the rapid rise in binary thinking in the age of machines, but that’s a sticky conversation that other people will do a better job of tackling.
The podcast episode I dig
// On Huberman’s podcast, he had Dr. Cal Newport on, who I remembered as the Silicon Valley tech guy who didn’t have a smartphone or any social media. Well, since then, he’s had children, and gotten a phone, but still no social media.
Anyway, it’s an excellent podcast on productivity which is exactly what I needed to hear during all this communication overload. This led me to Cal’s first book (that I’m finally getting around to reading) called Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World.
Another cleaning up idea
// Another highly recommended moment that I’d like you to consider is going to your Gmail and finding all of your linked accounts to your email. What permissions have you given? Do you still want certain sites to be linked to your email?
Finally deleting Instagram
// We’re often told to delete the phone apps you don’t use, which I do, but I’d be interested in hearing your tips and tricks, too.
I’ve seriously been doing some spring cleaning — I deleted my Instagram account, so the “only” social I have at this point is Facebook (And FB overseas, works like the Yellow Pages of old, so it’s useful).
// And the interesting thing about IG, like Twitter, is they try to keep you hooked by giving you the option to suspend your account, so you can return to it in case you change your mind, or if you simply want a break. Isn’t that like just putting the drugs (your addiction of choice) away in a hard to reach spot?
// But I do have several communication apps on my phone because different people in my life use different ones, and I can’t really do anything about it. For instance, in Thailand, everyone uses Line, and in Cambodia, it’s Telegram.
“Happiness is not about reaching your goals. It’s about aligning your goals with your values.” — Adam Grant (via Can we make the world a happier place?)
// I’m trying (got this from the podcast) to plan better, so I hope this helps me to feel less digitally distracted or scattered.
I used to be able to hold everything in my head, but I can’t anymore. Nor, do I want to. I have a written daily planner and a weekly one that I’m playing around with. Nothing fancy, or pretty enough to share, just lists, really, to remind me of the scope of the day or week.
What do you do?
Substack update
A longtime blogging friend asked if I could do a Wordpress vs Substack pros and cons post, so I’ll link to it when I post it on WP. It’s a good idea and will be a nice three month check in with the platform.
I got my first nasty (but trying to be funny?) message on Notes, but this is not counting the deleted comment I found in one of my posts. So, now there’s just my “Thank you!” reply. Why someone would go back to delete something nice is beyond me.
But this is what happens when you put yourself out there, or even when you have to interact with people, for that matter—just keep on going and find cool people like Veronika! Check out her post on The Double Bind of Identity.
I joined a Substack Comedy Writers Group, and I hope to make new friends there.
Oh, and I uploaded my first audio post on Substack, Writing as an act of service. It was fun to get back to reading and recording. After all these years, it was like getting back on a bicycle.
Thanks for being here. Hope you are well, and seriously, I’d love to hear your ideas/thoughts on how to manage work/life in a tech-heavy world. xo
VPN is good.
Ok. I got my cellphone 1.5 yrs. ago. I have not downloaded apps ..because I don't use them. All formally university trained IT folks in Canada, warn NOT to download bank apps for iphone to do banking. Do your banking on desktop /at home. Public wifis are not secure. There is no guarantee of good/tight security. I don't use twitter, facebook nor instagram. 1 of the hospital networks where a sister works, it got hacked..cyber-hacked in Toronto. This is a hospital for pediatric care and research. This includes critical care. Several Canadian municipalities have been cyber ransomed. It was very serious.
I suggest if you have time do the reverse: research just a few big cyber-hacked cases on Internet and explain/insist to a receptive employer, that you are able to teach with existing software. No need for all the apps. You are in SE Asia and folks there are absolutely not reading the critical serious cyber-hacking that has happened in North America within the last 12 months. I can imagine for full-time teacher like you, online teaching requires additional set of skills in addition to traditional. Plus now, it's the concern of plagiarism by students. :( A problem now teachers in North America increasingly must pay attention.