Surviving Without e-Gadgets

CNET editor Andrew Lim reviews mobile phones for a living. In fact, CNET says he was born with “built in Bluetooth and spends more time reading and writing about mobile phones than is medically advised.” Perhaps that is why Andrew took part in an 8-Step Technology Detox. What happened during the detox? 

The article walks readers through the 8 steps of technology detox and details how Andrew tried to survive without his beloved mobile phone, computer, MP3 player and a big-screen TV.

Some of the steps used to wean himself from his tech habits:

-Use a cup and string instead of a cell phone
-Forget email; befriend a pigeon to transmit your message
-Ditch the MP3 player and listen to vinyl (records)
-Forget the computer and use a typewriter
-Sing to yourself
-Play a board game

At the end of his 8-step detox, Andrew actually feels more relaxed without all the gadgets.

“I began to realize that without a mobile, I had a lot more peace in my life,” he writes. “There were no text messages to check, or calls to answer in the middle of meetings. My non-mobile life had a more leisurely pace.”

But old habits die hard, and Andrew cracks after a few days:

“My zen-like calm didn’t last for long. Once I’d finished my gadget starvation, I was straight back to the tech bingeing. I guess I’ll just have to face the fact that I’m an incurable tech addict – I can give up for a few weeks, but the cravings will always get the better of me in the end.”

How about you? How long could you go without your iPod, cell phone, IM, laptop, 5 email accounts, Tivo and Hi Def TV?

How often do you email or IM or text, when you could have walked over and actually talked to the recipient of your message?

Tongue-in-cheek as the 8 Steps of Technology Detox are, Andrew drives home a virtual point about today’s e-Gadget addiction.