You CAN put the phone down, you CAN close your computer. Managing your dependency of New Media.

I have said about three times now that I do not believe a person can be addicted to technology, like a person can be addicted to drugs, so I'm going to practice what I preach and show how technology dependency can be managed. I understand that it is really difficult not to be totally engrossed with devices as our society is "technology-saturated". There are numerous strategies ranging from psychological tests to simple lifestyle changes that can help cut a fault between you and the vast sea of technology.

I am a huge believer in self-help, where individuals are the key to their own success and the anchor to their failure. How about a nice do's and don't's list from The Do's and Don't's of 'Selective Availability':

DO:


• Establish time boundaries.
  
  College professors have worked this way for decades: “I only read email between noon and five PM,” one announced on the first day of class. While your own hours might be longer, you can set clear parameters. If you don’t want to check email after 10 PM, stick to it, and make sure that coworkers, clients, and other contacts are aware of this rule.


• Have an A-list.
  
  If you decide to only answer your phone half as often, make sure you’re answering it for the right half. Choose a few people – family, boss, business partner, etc – whose calls you will always answer. This prioritization will help you figure out who matters the most.


• Make your time count.
  
  Deciding to be selectively available doesn’t just affect you – it also affects the people you work with. If you want to spend less time on the phone, make the best of the time you do have.


DON’T:


• Be wishy-washy.
  
  Like with all goals, your plan will work better if you’re more specific. Saying “I am going to spend less time on email” is one thing, but saying “I am going to shut off my BlackBerry an hour before bed” is better. The more specific your guidelines, the more likely you’ll adhere to them.


• Update to the latest technology.
  
  Being a bit of a Luddite can work out for you if you’re suffering from technology overload. If your cell phone can’t juggle multiple calls, you have a really good reason not to make them.


• Answer your phone in the middle of sex. (DUH!)
  
  
  If you feel inclined to answer your phone during sex, you should ask yourself how good that sex really is.

This list gives a lot of common-sense type of suggestions, but ask yourself do you in fact have times setup for emails? Do you have time boundaries for phone calls or emails? I'm going to say probably not, and don't worry I said no to most of these as well, but I will be taking these tips to help balance my professional and private life to ensure happiness in all aspects of my life.

Well this all sounds fine and dandy, but at first I didn't feel like I needed to manage my usage of technology and so I looked up signs to look for, to determine whether I needed to take action. In an article, Fighting Back Against Technology Addiction the authors depict the following signs:

Addiction warning signs vary, but they include being preoccupied with thoughts of the Internet, using it longer than intended for increasing amounts of time, repeatedly making unsuccessful efforts to control use, and jeopardizing relationships, school or work to spend time online.

Okay, so we have that down and yes I do think the "jeopardizing relationships" bit is a little over dramatic, but I concur with the increased time spent with the internet and other devices, due to professional life. As I mentioned above, the reason people are becoming so tech dependent can be connected to our technology-saturated society in our career worlds and in our entertainment worlds. Back on track, I decided that it would be in my best interest to check if my usage of technology was overkill, so I took this test to determine my usage score.

Your score falls within the range of 20 to 49 and is within the average range. You may surf the Web a bit too long at times, but you have control over your usage.

Well you can imagine how satisfied I was with these results. It was pretty spot on, like I've said, I use new media for my career and it does take a lot of my time, but I am not completely engrossed with it. Using the tips I found I feel like I can limit my time online even further by setting up schedules where I am doing research, checking emails, etc. I hope that this strategic themed article can help my readers manage their tech usage and break through the hyperlink-fence of e-Abuse!