The future requires more thought...

Photo courtesy of Pixdaus,
used with permission

Jason Kotke recently posted this clever little entry in his blog saying that the "Future is Amish." I don't think it is likely that we'll see the return of the horse drawn carriage any time soon. The future is generally more like the present than the past.

However, the number of choices we face on how to get along in the world continues to increase. Technology does not spring forth from seeds, like milkweed floating on the breeze. It is not made by "corporations." A corporation can't make anything. A corporation is as inanimate as an umbrella. The technology we use is made by people for people.

I make technology, and I know lots of other people who make technology. Creative, thoughtful people. These are people who think big. And that can be a problem. Each bit of technology contains a vision of the future. Often a big vision, that doesn't necessarily mesh with other visions of the future. When we choose a bit of technology, we might be buying in to more than a gadget.

To stay in tune with your heart's desires, for each new media choice, be sure to look at the impact on your use of your time. You have a right to your own vision of your own future. And you have every right to think big too!

Consider hidden choices. Do not neglect the hidden choices. Television is wonderful, but before we slump into the sofa, it is good to consider for a moment what else we are missing. Hulu, and similar services, offer different ways to "watch television" from your computer screen. This can free up your time if you get to watch what you want when you want it. However, it is also possible that Hulu will just keep you from getting up to go to the sofa. For some, this level of convenience, could actually be a step back if you never leave the confines of your desk chair. You may need to push yourself to go for a walk instead. For each "social" media activity available online, other choices exist, but they literally are not in your face about it. Ask yourself if you really would prefer to go out to play music in a band, go to the park to paint, take your kids to the zoo, join the local poetry group or soccer team. Make it a point to consider activities that might require you to participate, learn new skills, or have a"do it yourself" element.

Minimize interruptions. How many interruptions in each day do we need to be well informed? One glance at the morning *gasp* paper, three glances at CNN, or a check of Google news at lunchtime? Or a buzz of incoming RSS feeds every five minutes? Do they serve your purpose, or do they merely provide more distractions? Pay close attention to the interruptions you allow in to your work flow. Each time you switch gears, it takes some time to regain your mental momentum.

Choose tasks that contribute to your long term goals. As the choices increase, we need to be more discerning. We need to protect our time, and our best interests. We need to say that if our car is not a sentient being, not a horse -- then we need to be in charge, driving it, and not texting at the same time. I'm sure that there are people out there trying to make cars more sentient, like horses so that we can text from the back seat while the car follows a trail of breadcrumbs to our destination. That's not the point. Pay attention to your tasks. Are you bouncing from task to task like twig caught in the current of a stream? Or are you carefully choosing which tasks to pursue so that they add up to achieving your long term goals.

Don't get hooked. Meanwhile, other developers are trying to make game technology devilishly appealing. Consider World of Warcraft, which is designed to get you to type 5,4,3,2,1 over and over again for a monthly fee. They do not want you to stop and do something else. And yet, we must. Because after a while, constant entertainment can become very tedious. Before too long, we'll be seeing news stories about Wii repetitive motion injuries.

Participate in real life. I am a technologist, using technology to promote real life, not Second Life. This life. So my vision of technology includes your pile of laundry that you've been ignoring while you've been "connecting" on Twitter. I like Twitter. It's interesting to me to see the flow of daily triumphs, miseries, trivia and other shared experiences zoom by 140 characters at a time. Like haiku, it has a certain appeal for communicating the essence of a zen-like moment. However, I'm not going to point a finger at the moon, but directly at that pile of laundry over there and encourage you to do the wash and hang it out on the line to dry. Once the chores are done, get out... explore the world. It is full of richly textured wonderful things that could use some doing, beyond the glowing flatness in front of you. I want you to step away from the screen, and build furniture, go dancing, read to your children, volunteer, or just sit for a while under a tree in the sunlight. Go somewhere quiet, and listen for your own thoughts and ideas for awhile.

As we have all witnessed, Labor Saving Devices can run amuck, if the vision behind the technology is not aligned with your own, it can be like letting an unruly horse wander wherever it wants to go, nuzzling through the neighbor's garden, or crushing the corn fields.

Keep in mind, that the future of dazzling new social media choices may lead us all into deep internetty thickets. It takes some extra effort to get yourself out and really interacting with others on a deeper and more meaningful level!

Perhaps we need some new kind of buggy whip.

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Copyright @ 2010, Catherine E. White, permission is granted for this article to be redistributed and shared with others in its entirety as long as links and attribution are maintained.
Catherine E. White is president of Llamagraphics, Inc., developer of Life Balance™ software for Mac OS X, Windows, Palm OS and iPhone. Life Balance provides a structure for your goals, projects and tasks that is priority driven, so you can to make better decisions about how to use your discretionary time. To learn more, please visit http://www.llamagraphics.com/