Our world is more connected than ever. We are more connected than ever, even if we are more isolated than ever. More about that later, but your connectivity or ability to be always available is essential–at least for most people.
Think about the last time you sustained a day without looking at your phone, checking social media, your email, listening to music, or incessantly waiting for the next upload of this content. A gentle plug for Margin on that last one.
Many people can’t remember the last time they went without being connected to a cell network or Wi-Fi, getting updates on everything they opted-in for.
Have you ever stopped to think about what is essential in your connectivity? Is it connecting with family or friends, conducting business, being lost in browsing, or is it games or gaming? Would you call it a distraction, maybe your largest distraction from focusing on what or who is right in front of you and from what is most important?
Look at your screen time; how much time do you spend on your phone? In many cases, I’m sure it’s significantly more than you thought possible. But what do you do when you are stopped at that red light, waiting in line to check out, or sitting at an appointment? These little devices allow us to avoid awkward small talk and keep us tied to whatever is happening outside our immediate world.
Although widely considered a necessity, it can be easy to overspend on technology and services to connect with others. Figuring out what is essential around the technology and supporting services you need to have in order to connect with your community is important.
Now, this is not just your phone plan, the existence of cable or satellite in your home, or having internet. It’s all of the apps that you use to connect with others. These apps can have a seemingly nominal monthly cost or are set up with that annual cost that seems to always creep up on you. The issue is that many of us download that cool new app and then forget about it.
Take a look at the application store you use and see what streaming services, games, and conveniences that either in and of themselves cost you or are avenues to which you spend on products or services provided on their platform.
Then look at your tv, cable, gaming system, and internet to see what opt-ins you have been paying for without necessarily realizing it.
These costs may be tied to something essential but not be necessary in and of themselves.
CTA:
My call to action is to go through the process of looking at your technology and the services that support that technology. Review your bills and what has landed on your billing statement either by mistake or that has just simply been forgotten.
