Hello again everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful hiatus over the holidays, particularly with your tech. There’s no better time to shut off your devices than when you’re with friends and family! The holidays are also a good time to receive or purchase new tech as gifts, and I’m sure many of you – like me – got some great new tech in your lives. I’m here to try to help you get back into your grove of Switching Off, Unplugging or finding your personal mix of being connected and still living your life.

New tech is always exciting. My first point of advice when getting new tech is to learn everything you can about it when you first get it. Read the manual, do all the setup. Don’t let it sit in its box, and don’t just jump right in. I want you to know everything there is about your new tech so you can avoid the frustration of it not working later in your life. There’s nothing more time consuming than malfunctioning tech, and I would wager (although I’m not a wagering Cyborg, generally) that most malfunctions are user errors. We can avoid these potentially time-consuming and emotionally hazardous pitfalls of tech use if we know all there is to know about it in the first place!

Once you know your tech and have become familiar with it, don’t be afraid to use it. Technology has a purpose, so don’t waste it! Get the most out of your new tech, but always remember to do so with moderation. The tech exists to alleviate pressure or to create solutions in our lives many times by making things easier for us, or encouraging us to do and be better. Let the tech help.

The most wonderful thing about our tech is that most of our devices are entirely customizable. Keep yourself in mind when you are adjusting to your life with your new tech. Keep your Balance, maintain your Mindfulness and above all Put YOU First! If a few months down the road you feel as if your tech is once again taking over your life, don’t be afraid to Rethink it!