The Ecology of Technology

Like any other journey, this one starts with becoming more aware. In this case, we are becoming more aware of how technology is woven into our lives. The journey can be both personal and vocational and it starts by taking inventory of what we have versus what we need. This way, we can make a conscious internal decision to re-set our own digital ecosystem in a way that not only serves us but those around us.

This principle includes shrinking our inventory so we can spend more time on things that increase our productivity and well-being. Most people are overwhelmed by the thought of managing their digital lives (too many devices, apps, email), so with the core principle of reducing, we can focus on the things we really need in order to flourish more in our lives. You can think about this principle as "Less is More." It is important to keep in mind that this process is different for everyone and is ongoing. The EoT movement will provide various ideas, strategies, work -and life hacks, and personal stories so each member can feel supported in reducing their digital lives.

This principle is about adopting the habit of asking ourselves when using technology: Is this the most ecological way of me doing something? It is one thing to reduce the number of emails we send and receive and another to write simpler emails (precise, shorter) so we become more ecological in communicating and in accomplishing our tasks. If reducing is about shrinking the clutter, simplifying is about reducing the digital “noise”.

This principle is about being more conscious about the actual time we spend with our digital devices. Being constantly plugged in can cloud our awareness of how we use technology as a distraction. We can get caught up in an activity to the degree that we lose our sense of time, connecting to others in a meaningful way and our own health and well-being. Whereas technology can be a great servant for reminding us and making us more aware of things that are important to us, we also need to use it in such a way that leaves us conscious of the present moment. Disconnecting (unplugging) allows us to reconnect with the important aspects of our lives.

As with any other living being, we need to recharge our energy on all levels (physically, mentally, emotionally), otherwise we are wearing ourselves out (which indeed does happen to a lot of people). Recharging can mean different things for different people. In the same way as we recharge our phones every day (sometimes multiple times), technology can be used as a tool to assist us in recharging ourselves at different times and in various ways.

This principle is around re-using technology to automate and improve our lives. We don’t have to reinvent the wheel for everything and we can rely on the collective wisdom that is available to us. Reusing stuff that works for other people is a simple way to improve and streamline our lives.

In order to keep the principles above in line, we need to constantly keep asking ourselves: what can we say NO to in our lives? (and especially in our ever growing digital lives). So for each of us, the question becomes: 'What are we refusing? '

To keep the digital and cognitive clutter in check we can make ongoing choices around what we choose to engage in and what to refuse to eliminate potential overload in our lives (De-Fusing). The outcome is gradually moving from refusing stuff that does not improve your life, to making space for infusing your life with what brings you joy, efficiency, and purpose.