I am one of “those” people who loves the new year, makes resolutions and normally fails to keep up with most of them by the end of January.
But there is one I might actually be able to stick to this year.
I pledge to not check my email, Twitter and Facebook every time I walk into my kitchen, which is where I leave my not one but two devices (I can’t give up a BlackBerry!)
Every time I sneak a quick peek, when I’m making breakfast for my girls or getting dinner ready for my husband and me, I ask myself, “What could possibly be so important that I need to do this right now?”
And I am definitely not alone. Based on what I heard from people on social media and via email, there seems to be a growing need to unplug — even just a little bit.
Diana Graber, co-founder of CyberWise.org, a digital literacy site for parents, educators and tweens and teens, says the desire to be “in the moment” seems to be getting a lot of traction this year.
“I think we are experiencing a bit of a pendulum swing with a craving for real life re-emerging,” said Graber, who teaches “cybercivics” to middle schoolers in Aliso Viejo, California.
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Janis Brett Elspas, founder of Mommy Blog Expert, says this is the year to finally conquer email overload. “As a busy lifestyle blogger, I get 3,000 emails a day and that number keeps increasing. In fact, right now, I have 22,000 unopened emails sitting in my mailbox, so my resolution for 2015 is to empty my inbox by the end of every day.”
14. Keep “kind” in mind
Sue Scheff, a parenting advocate, author and passionate follower of digital lifestyle trends and research, said 2014 was filled with studies and articles about how kindness was being left behind for all ages online. This year, she said she’s noticing a shift — people saying on Twitter and Facebook that they want to make sure that at least once a day they say something nice to a complete stranger or even someone they care about.
“Start living your words of kindness instead of just talking about it,” said Scheff. “Tweet out a quote to someone, make someone’s day. … Use your keystrokes for kindness.”
Now that’s a reason to pick up that BlackBerry every time I walk into my kitchen!
What’s your digital resolution for the year? Share your thoughts with Kelly Wallace on Twitter or CNN Living on Facebook.
