A technology fast

January 10, 2017 by Ray Morgan

Are you enjoying your green juice? Did spin class go ok this morning? How is your liver after 9 days of no booze?

I'm assuming that you're on a new diet, or are doing 'dry' January, or maybe you've finally gone to the gym you've been paying for for the last 9 months. January is a time for new beginnings, right?

I've been a rubbish 'New Year New Me' representative (which the rebellious side of me is secretly proud of) - I have eaten huge, carby roast dinners, drunk a lot of amaretto, got the bus more than I've walked - is my faux FitBit even charged?

I like smaller changes rather than big resolutions. I read a great article where Sali Hughes, beauty writer and general all-round inspiration, said she just vows to take more baths and not look at her iPhone in the evenings. Now that I can get on board with.

I'm a slave to my phone, we all are. We are drawn to notifications - little hearts and flags that say "look at me" - there's a sense of panic if we don't look straight away, even though it's just another comment on a Facebook thread about vegan white sauce I don't care about anymore, or a Twitter bot account liking something I said just because it had the word "marketing" in it. Ugh - this stuff is Not Necessary.

I like leaving my phone in my bedroom when I'm in the lounge for the evening. I need to do that more. Even though I'm tied to it with an invisible thread - did I just hear it beep? - I can settle on watching something with my full attention, or talk to my partner without the nagging feeling of a Scrabble move in the corner of my eye.

IMDB and Instagram are the worst rabbit holes to fall down. I recognise someone on a TV show and before I know it I'm saying YES! I remember them in Mad Men! Who else was in that? What are they in now? OMG I did NOT know they were a child star - fifteen Chrome tabs later I'm gawping at the Instagram of a celebrity who isn't even remotely connected to the programme I'm watching. And now I've missed the important bits: what happened? Rewind!

My brain is fogged with too much information and I don't like it. Let's focus on one thing; it doesn't matter where I recognise that actor from. I'll just watch the programme, and pay attention. Maybe, just maybe, my little brain will spark into action and I'll remember what he was in all on my own. A technology fast, now that's more appealing than green juice...

To read all of Ray's previous blogs please click the link https://www.leigh-on-sea.com/blog/tag/ray-morgan.html