As a tech journalist, I am often worried that gadgets—a smartphone or a shiny new watch—occupy every inch of my space and time. Over the past two or three years, I have found myself constantly scrolling and consuming content and unable to read a book. Frankly, I am a bit exhausted by all the tech around me. But in 2022, I did make some changes and switched to reading good old paperbacks as I sought to control my screen time. To some extent, I did succeed. I managed to read the maximum number of books—10 odd titles—a pale shadow of what I was capable of once upon a time. But still, there are miles to go before I feel I am truly the master of my gizmos and not the other way around. So in 2023, I hope to implement four new tech rules in my everyday routine, and here they are. Rule one: No smartphone when I’m with my toddler This rule has already been in place, and I intend to implement it more strictly in 2023. When I play with my son in his room, I typically keep my phone in a different one. The idea is that I give him my full concentration and engage in playing with him. Whether it's helping him build with his blocks or just reading a book. The problem is that when I have my phone next to me, inevitably some WhatsApp message or email will grab my attention, and I feel the need to reply. And one thing leads to another, and I’m soon scrolling. I don’t want to sit and scroll on the phone in front of my child, especially when we are supposed to spend time together. The only disadvantage of this rule is that sometimes, I might miss recording or taking pictures of the cuter moments that my toddler displays. These videos are what I inevitably send to his grandparents and my extended family. So there is a trade-off when the device is not there in my hands. But overall, I have noticed that not having my phone is a better decision. My son too gets a bit disappointed when I start texting on the phone, while he is busy playing with his toys. Toddlers demand full attention, which can be challenging for a working parent. But I have decided the phone will not be in the same room when we play together. Rule two: No charging tech products in the room where we sleep First, I saw on the internet that many are implementing this rule. Second, I am not doing this because I think the radio waves from my phone are slowly killing me. The reason I want to keep these devices in a separate room for charging is simple: better sleep. I have realised it is too easy to constantly be on the phone when it is within easy reach. When I have trouble sleeping at night, or if some small disturbance causes me to wake up, then I inevitably start scrolling. That’s because the phone is just right there, within my reach. Either it is charging right next to me or on my bed’s headboard. And if it is not my main phone, then it is another review unit next to me. So I have decided, the phones will be in a separate room at night for charging purposes. At least this way, I can’t fall back to mindless scrolling late at night. The only problem I foresee: making sure my husband’s phone is also in another room so that we can both sleep peacefully. Rule three: No sitting at a laptop for more than an hour This is a rule, which I have to follow perhaps more rigorously because it is about saving my spine. You see, years of typing and crouching over the laptop in a poor posture means my lower back and neck are in a bad shape. In fact, for the longest time, I have had pain radiating down to my wrists and hands, which makes typing painful. And inevitably, sitting long hours in front of the laptop ensures the pain returns in full force. This year, I avoided a particularly bad episode, because I took regular breaks. I even installed an app on my phone that asked me to get up every half an hour, and I followed it largely, till the constant notifications from it annoyed me. Of course, I have bad days still, triggered because I sat in front of a laptop for three to four hours continuously. But I have managed to avoid any need for physiotherapy this year, and I hope to take more frequent breaks in 2023 to keep my pain in check. Rule four: No phone when I wake up or late at night I admit I will have a tough time implementing this one. Most of us wake up and start looking at our phones and end our day by scrolling on them. For many of us, it is a way to unwind after a long taxing day. I am not above this. In many cases, the phone does accompany us to the bathroom as well, and I am guilty of the same thing. I usually search for news stories first thing in the morning, and also late at night. Or replying to WhatsApp messages. Or just scroll mindlessly on Instagram. It is a hard habit to break. But I want to ensure that it is not the first thing I spend poring over early in the morning. Or late at night. Instead, I want to finish reading a book at both times. The first 30 minutes of the day and the ones before I go to bed are the only ones I get to myself. The rest of my day is usually occupied by work, housework or my toddler. So far, I have actually succeeded in reading more before going to bed. But that late-night scrolling hasn’t stopped completely. Will I do better in 2023? Guess, we will know in December next year.
