I recently wrote here about a common excuse that people cite why they procrastinate: they say that our lives today are much busier than in the past. We seem to have a lot more around us competing for our attention and our behavior. But that is a myth - a false excuse, if you will. For centuries, there were 168 hours a week and life progressed within that time frame. We cannot manage time; we manage myself.
Another common false excuse I’ve often heard over the last 30 or more years of research on disposal - and that’s also a myth - is that today’s technology makes disposal easier. Our “technology toys” seem to be “sucked” all the time when we have to do other things, and these devices and programs are more of a hindrance than a help to live satisfying lives.
There is truth in this myth; most myths have some small level of truth, which is why they spread and are believed: They make sense and we can connect. It is clear that there are some people who feel like an “add-on to the Internet” because of such frequent use of technology. This is a serious and seemingly growing concern and treatment is recommended. (See Ferrari, 2010, for more details on chronic disposal).
However, the question remains: do technological tools promote disposal today by making disposal easier than in the past?
My answer: Not.
Let me answer by telling a short story from a media interview I gave a few years ago. In 2006, a Connecticut newspaper reporter asked me on the phone for my opinion on alarm snooze buttons. Alarm clock? Storage buttons? Why would he ask me? What did I know about them? (Does anyone still have those buttons — or those watches? I do!)
The journalist continued, saying that in 1956, the disposal buttons were first made available to consumers on alarm clocks, and that now 50 years have passed since their first availability on the market. Moreover, he claimed that the delay buttons were “the first technology that allowed us to procrastinate”.
How clever! How interesting!
You see, pressing the snooze button on your watch gives you another 8 or 9 minutes of “sleep” before the alarm goes off again. It allows a person to procrastinate with getting up in the morning.
But and, how false. Although the delay button allows for longer sleep, it was not the first technology to help us procrastinate.
After that interview, I did a little research and learned that in 1885, Benz Motors made the first “gas car”. Now, instead of taking the time to drag the horses into your cabin, set up the reins for the carriage, spending a lot of effort and time, with the new “horseless carriage” one could wait until they were ready and just go down a mile to see his friends. The auto industry has let people procrastinate.
In 1879, Alexander Bell created the thing we call the “telephone.” Prior to that technology, a person who wanted to contact others had to write a letter, send it to the postal service, and maybe wait a few weeks before receiving an answer. Now, with this new tool, you could start your phone, reach a person called “operator” and they could connect you with your friend or family member in a few minutes. Bell Labs made the delay easier.
The point?
Don’t blame today’s technology toys for procrastination. It is myth. There has always been a technology that made life easier. These tools are not a problem; it is the way we use or abuse technology that promotes procrastination.
Ask yourself if your smartphone, instant messaging, and snap chat make you more productive? I doubt not. Those who know me know that I still use and prefer my old-fashioned daily planner as a calendar. I’ve discovered (and laugh when that happens) that I can turn a date on my schedule faster than others using electronic calendars. Is calendar technology helpful? Of course it can be. But depending on so much technology, we can spend our time focused on the technology toy, not life.
Disposal Essential Reads
My friend is moving away from technology toys. Don’t use them as a false excuse not to end things. Instead, focus on others, on relationships, on community. Make the world a better place, not a virtual space. They say we are 70, 80 years old if we are strong. So, ask yourself, how are you going to leave a legacy that lasts for the betterment of the world?