It happened again.
I ventured out into the world and paid the price for it. It’s weird isn’t it? We become so reliant on technology it almost takes over our lives.
My phone has been acting up lately, so I should have known something was up. I had a massage appointment at 8:30 in the a.m…well, I was late.
My not-so-smart phone was supposed to route me directions to the place (I haven’t been there since I moved to the wetlands so I needed a little help). Anywho, maps takes me out to the middle of freakin’ nowhere.
…and just stops navigating. BOOM. The app blew up. End of navi. So sorry. You’re on your own.
Thanks Obama.
Not the first time it’s happened either. When it’s not working right, it’s usually telling me I’ve arrived at my destination…when I’m still in the midle of the road or at a redlight.
So, here I am swearing at at a hunk of metal and glass realizing just how dumb this is. I am blaming my phone because I have no clue how to get from “A” to “B” on my own.
Then it hit me (I’m a little slow)…I rely way too much on technology. Automated this, app that. In some ways, it’s replaced my need to think about a situation. But, I’m not alone. You probably do the same thing, amirite?
So…I did something I should have done a LOOOOONG time ago: I deleted all but a handful of apps. It felt good.
More:
I made a not-new year’s resolution to actually learn about my surroundings, and to pay attention to where I am instead of relying on a map app that often doesn’t do what it’s supposed to.
Anyway…why does any of this matter to you?
Well, maybe it doesn’t…unless you use those fancy-schmancy automated apps to “simplify” your accounting and bookkeeping. Unless you aggregate your financial accounts to “save time” or for “convenience.”
Let me tell you something I read about this afternoon…it’s a bad idea, dood.
In a fit of frustration over this morning’s technological failure, I went online (ironic, right?) to start reading about memorization strategies so I could end my dependence on my flunkphone.
I came across a study done at UCLA and another in Seoul, Korea (where 67% of people are connected to digital devices) on…”digital dementia.” It looked at people who rely on smartphones, tablets, etcetera and so one…and so it showed people who spend 7 or so hours connected to their devices are suffering cognitive impairment similar to what people experience after suffering a head injury or psychiatric illness.
…cognitive impairment over time similar to what Alzheimer’s disease patients experience.
Crikey!
Apparently, over-dependence on smartphones depresses the brain’s ability to think creatively and solve problems.
That’s the kiss of death when it comes to managing money. And yet I see it all the time. People become reliant on apps that flood their brain with useless data points…that teach them to let numbers “stream” to their devices…apps that remove the ability to think about what they’re doing because the app is managing everything from expense organization to goal tracking.
No thank you. No thank you. No thank you.
It got me thinking about this eBook I’m finishing up. my wicked ways are very luddite in comparison. No automation. No fancy apps needed. You have to think about what you’re doing (but not too hard). No data overload.
Just simple, practical, usable data about your business and finances.
If you know anyone who’s suffering from info overload, or relies too much on their smartphone or financial aggregation tech, send them this email and tell them to get on my email list.
