Is it possible to peacefully turn off in an “always on” world? Find out the answer here! [Friday: Mindfulness by Miles]
Miles Everson’s The Business Builder Daily speaks to the heart of what great marketers, business leaders, and other professionals need to succeed in advertising, communications, managing their investments, career strategy, and more.
A Note from Miles Everson:
Hi, everyone!
We hope you’re having a great Friday.
Let’s end the work week on a good note by talking about a health- and mindfulness-related topic. In these articles, our goal is to help you boost your overall well-being.
Today, allow us to discuss mindfulness in the digital age.
Read on to know why it’s important to cultivate mindfulness in a digital world bombarded with streams of information every day.
Miles Everson
CEO, MBO Partners
Chairman of the Advisory Board, The I Institute
Mindfulness by Miles
As we delve deeper into the digital era, the importance of cultivating mindfulness becomes more paramount than ever. The relentless pace of modern life bombards us with distractions, leaving us feeling disconnected from ourselves and others.
That’s why it’s important to know when to temporarily step away from our computer screens and take a break from using our gadgets.
In this article, we’ll explore practical ways to navigate the path to inner balance amidst the digital age and nurture a mindful approach to life.
Photo from Freepik
Staying Mindful in the Digital Age
According to Miles Everson, CEO of MBO Partners, there’s no doubt that the advancement and availability of the Internet, laptops, and smartphones have had a positive impact on people’s lives. These tools help humans do their jobs more conveniently and keep in touch with friends and families living far away.
However, recent research suggests that lots of people spend more than 11 hours a day on average on digital media—a number that’s been on the rise for the past decade. This suggests that nowadays, more and more of people’s lives are spent interacting with technology.
It’s no wonder why in a world that is constantly bombarded with information, notifications, and distractions, it can be challenging to stay focused, present, and calm. Digital devices, while incredibly useful, can also contribute to stress, anxiety, and burnout.
This is where mindfulness comes in. Throughout the years this practice has been proven to have numerous benefits for mental health and well-being, including reducing stress and anxiety, improving mood, and increasing focus and attention.
By practicing mindfulness, Everson says individuals can learn to be more present, engaged, and intentional in their daily lives, both online and offline.
Allow us to share with you some of the biggest challenges to mindfulness in the digital age and what Everson thinks you should do about it:
- The Challenge of Ubiquity
Almost everyone owns a smartphone of some kind that vibrates throughout the day with notifications for new emails, text messages, and news items. These make it difficult to find the quiet time people sometimes need to engage in mindfulness.
Solution: “Unplugged Breaks”
Everson says setting aside your devices can sometimes make you feel cut-off from the rest of the world, but it can provide you with the opportunity to indulge in the moment without interruption.
One way to do this is to set aside time to fully “unplug” from your devices. If possible, step away from your work space and leave your gadgets behind to help reduce the temptation to check them.
- The “Need” to Be “Always On” For Work
The flexibility offered by digital devices allows individuals to be reached at all times and makes their work always accessible. While this flexibility can help them address urgent issues, the downside is that this can make individuals feel like they’re always working. This can even interrupt their time with family and friends!
Solution: Set Healthy Boundaries
According to Everson, once you establish a habit of handling work-related issues whenever they come up, it can be difficult to recognize when you need to address an issue immediately or when it can be resolved later.
So, help yourself to be more mindful by setting clear boundaries as to when you will NOT be available for work so that you can be present for other things that matter to you. These boundaries can be defined around areas of your personal life or on a case-by-case basis.
Everson believes as you improve your mindfulness, you’ll better identify when work requires your immediate attention and when it can wait. Moreover, setting clear boundaries around important moments can improve your performance at work and help you have a more satisfying career by reducing conflict between your work life and personal life.
- The Challenge of Socializing and Social Media
Everson says on average, people spend over four hours a day on their phones and other devices, and nearly two hours of that is spent on social media. This means many of their interactions with other people occur through digital means. Individuals send text messages, like or react to pictures, and share updates and accomplishments on a variety of platforms.
Generally, this means it’s much easier to stay in touch with a large number of people at once, but it also means less time to focus on any single relationship. People’s conversations become shorter and they become prone to distraction. Everson agrees that while convenient, these changes can hurt individuals’ connections with others, leaving them with fewer meaningful relationships.
Solution: Opt for Face-to-Face Interactions
Everson says you should seek out opportunities to create more meaningful shared moments with others. Instead of catching up with a message over social media, offer to go for a walk together or meet up over a meal. In business settings, finding a way to meet in person can avoid misunderstandings and foster more positive relationships.
According to Everson, even if you’re reconnecting with college friends who now live halfway across the globe and meeting in person is not possible, look for ways to get as close to them as possible. A video call is always better than an audio call, and an audio call is always better than a text message.
Simply said, use technology to help you interact with others in ways that are fulfilling. Practice “mindful communication” to improve your experience and the experience of those around you.
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Overall, Everson states incorporating mindfulness into your life requires a commitment to self-care and personal growth. By taking time to cultivate mindfulness, you’ll be able to improve your mental health, enhance your relationships, and lead a more fulfilling life.
Besides, the power of mindfulness in the digital age cannot be underestimated. By combining spirituality and technology, you’ll be able to create a more balanced and harmonious relationship with the digital world. So, take a few moments each day to be present and mindful, and watch as your life becomes more centered and fulfilling!
Happy Friday, everyone!
May you find harmony between the digital world and your inner self, fostering a conscious approach to life that transcends the boundaries of the digital age.
(This article is from The Business Builder Daily, a newsletter by The I Institute in collaboration with MBO Partners.)
About The Dynamic Marketing Communiqué’s
“Fridays: Mindfulness by Miles”
High-performance businesses are run by people who think and act differently.
In other words, these are people who are high-performing individuals.
Companies and individuals of this kind have found ways to escape the grind of commoditization and competition by focusing on the RIGHT goals.
High-performing businesses and individuals are also “return driven” businesses and “career driven” individuals. They conscientiously develop unique capabilities and resources that allow them to deliver offerings in ways no other firm or individual can.
Every Friday, we’ll publish tips and insights from MBO Partners and The I Institute’s “The Business Builder Daily” newsletter.
These will help you gain knowledge on the things that Miles Everson, the CEO of MBO Partners, often talks about regarding the future of the workforce.
We’ll also highlight other mindfulness advice on how you can be a high-performing individual both in your career and personal life.
Hope you’ve found this week’s insight interesting and helpful.
Stay tuned for next Friday’s “Mindfulness by Miles!”
Cheers,
Kyle Yu
Head of Marketing
Valens Dynamic Marketing Capabilities
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www.valens-research.com
