Connectivity, interesting subject. Today I was trying to set up a google home mini at my place. Being an IT engineer, it should not be a big deal, right? But it took me an hour to come to the conclusion that I would need a Chrome-cast for my speakers to work at the same time my home mini is playing. Well so much for a degree that I got with the first class. My mom still thinks it’s the best money she spent. I, however, beg to differ.

Going back to the first word of this page, connectivity. I mean is our day really ours till we are connected? I have never spent a day without my phone since I got my first phone post my board exams.

Just like you all I have seen myself spending at least 4 hours on an average, a day. If you say you don’t spend that much time on your phone; either you are lying or you are a saint at the summit of Gir, in which case you should be careful about lions there, and you should not be reading this article. K, bye.

Now to all my folks admitting of doing the same thing or lying about it, lets face this. Most of work on a computer, or if your company is rich, a laptop. In any way a device that emits light right in your face and have never the enough range of adjustable brightness. I mean what is up with that? With so many leds, oleds, amoleds… you could not get me a fair enough adjustable brightness! For this one, my fellow suffering computer workers, I have found a solution. You know those pull up films that we use to keep car from getting hot? Put it on the laptop! Its not dumb if it works. P.S. I know there are glasses to help with the same but as a human who already wears lens to hide the fact that they have glasses, I m not gonna wear tinted glasses over my lens just to be called Chashmish.

Well, now where were we. Connectivity- Laptop. Now with that recap, let me ask you – How many of you come home and enjoy a good Netflix and chill with the dinner!? And my fellow broke people, amazon prime and hotstar counts too. So, if you do that please ping me with some suggestions. My dinners have been spectacularly lonely. But, but if you do that that increase your facetime with a screen by an hour.

We are sailing on the same boat. Sinking in the near future but don’t worry I have an oar for you to push as fast as you can.

I’m work in an MNC, all day on computer that is at least 10 hours minus 2 for breaks and lunch, so 8 hours. I come home to Netflix and chill session with my dinner and Instagram-  YouTube- session on phone till I fall asleep. Facebook you said? Does anyone still use it!? Can’t relate. Anyway! Then Next morning starts with Inshorts for news and Instagram, as while I was sleeping my friends in the west were posting their life in the land of dreams and hopes. And that’s 24 hours. I do call my mom twice a day, dad once and bestie once, that makes another hour on phone.

Now thinking of this, most of it is inevitable. Work and some time on it for fun is granted. But with that connectivity to the world, are we really connected to the world? I mean without phone I would not be even connected to my parents as I leave away from them! So in some cases, we are really really dependent on them. But Let me tell you a few ways to be connected to the actual world, while utilizing the technology to minimum but in most advantageous way possible.

First: make sure you have your dinner on the dining table away from any sort of screen. Make it a family rule to sit together and have your dinner as family time. I have a tweaked the same rule a bit. Since I live away from my parents, I have set a time with them for video call during dinner. Most efficient way to use the technology in our favor.

Second: while you are at work, make it a habit to go out every one hour and have coffee or something with a friend for like 5 to 10 mins. Relax your mind and relax your eyes. Connect with another human! For this, if you don’t know when an hour is over, try to install an app of “water reminder” – every hour it reminds you of drinking water and going out and meeting other creature, not made by man.

Third: once at home, keep 30 mins before sleep technology free. These thirty mins can be for any of the things that you like. Read a book/ dance to music being played randomly, so you would not touch your phone for the song/ Meditate/ Go for a walk with another human.

I have an embarrassing thing that I do for
this half hour. I go through all the conversation I had with other people in
the day and think of a better comeback, better pun or a dirty joke I could have
made.

Whatever works people. Whatever. Works.

I do believe in connectivity. As long as it is in balance of connectivity with human/self and digital world.