Evolution has benefited us with millions of progressive adaptations since the beginning of time. Earlier we were only molded by nature but gradually humans created and adapted to changes for their own betterment. The printing press lead to a thought Rennaissance in the 15th century, the industrial revolution was another thought upgrade in the 19th century. Now, we find ourselves in the midst of another upgrade, a digital revolution, where perspectives are being molded, behaviors are being altered, and new ways of thinking developed and acquired.
Although the human mind has always adapted for its betterment, but in this latest phase of evolution, there are a few factors which indicate that all changes might not be productive. The advantages of the digital revolution and its impact on us has been immense but more and more cases of stress, exhaustion, lethargy along with physical disabilities surface as this evolutionary phase matures.
The Juggle trouble
The modern world demands the brain to be in a state of super charge all throughout. It has a constant supply of data for every waking moment. From the moment you wake up you are flooded with emails, messages, social media updates etc. The sheer volume and variance of this data leaves the brain no choice but to multitask.
The day starts with receiving, analyzing and reasoning information from every sphere of life. These include emails about the next project, news and everyone’s opinions about these news, the smartest meme of whats trending, updates about an old friends engagement and his sudden celebrity status, the online monks posting pictures of positivism, the deceiving pictures from a distant friends party, scores from the late night sports, these along with the remnants of the unnecessary conversation you had before sleeping and some candy crush requests.
By the time you get out of bed an hour later, you are decoding the mysteries of some of these stories while discovering newer ones. The breakfast seems to be a distraction to the above but you somehow manage to rush your way through it. Just like you somehow manage to rush your way through the rest of the day.
The brain tends to juggle many jobs at any point, the endless feed of information ensures that there is something more exciting lined up. This has resulted in a shortening of attention spans, where people seem to be bored too easily and want something new every moment. It has also lead to focuslessness, where the mind seems to wander for something better when you try to focus on an important task.
Managing the Super charge
A state of perpetual super charge leads to exhaustion and illnesses, The need to control oneself is more now than ever. Only then will you be able to reap the benefits of the digital evolution and not be led astray by it.
Here are 6 ways to control your super charged brain and your lives in the modern digital setting:
1. Slow it down– The super charged brain will never rest until you make it, your environment encourages its super chargedness and if you let it slide, it will stay super charged and then burn you out. Take control of your brain and slow things down. When you slow it down, you tend to observe more, be more efficient and less distracted.
2. Realigning focus– Distractions are more always testing your focus. They come in the form of the most alluring news that will change your life or the most anticipated message when you are doing the most important task. When you come across such a distraction, notice it and then let it pass. It will be excruciatingly difficult at the start like any other habit, but once you master it you will realign your focus automatically. It is impossible to not be distracted but realigning your focus is your most potent tool to combat distractions.
3. Choose and commit– Controlling your urge to know everything and delaying it to a later time is very significant. You have to be able to consciously choose and commit to a task for long enough for it to accomplished. Sacrifice everything else which is less significant, when you commit to the task you choose.The energy of a super charged brain is being wasted if the effort is not sustained.
4. Be patient, anything substantial takes time– If you wait all your life for lucky breaks you will keep waiting. Anything substantial takes time and sustained effort. Your super charged brain will keep running helter skelter from one task to another without really completing anything and preventing you from doing justice to any. This will be detrimental to your chances of succeeding in the longer run. Go against the flow of the universe and re-inculcate patience. You will be better prepared to handle your super charge brain.
5. Indulge in more traditional hobbies- Your work, your play and most of your life is spent online, Traditional hobbies like hiking, cycling, playing outdoor games and swimming are too inconvenient when more entertaining and engaging things are a few clicks away. As compared to the more traditional hobbies the internet keeps your mind working at full throttle even when you take a break. Hobbies serve as an escape from usual activities, if you spend this time doing what you usually do they serve no purpose.
6. Digital Exile- Exile yourself from all technology for a specific time frame. This will enable you to re align your mind to whats necessary and refresh your super charged brain. This may be beyond the realms of possibility for some of you, and you might have all sorts of reasons to justify yourself, that signifies the extent of your technodependence.
The mind is forced to acclimatize to the vastness of data it receives every moment. Hence a super charged nature has to be maintained. Although it might enlarge the receptive paradigm temporarily but it causes multiple problems in the long run. Hence it has become a necessity to tame your minds so that they can function efficiently in the long run and focus on what is really important.