Today I’m honored to be a guest on Jeff Brown’s excellent Read to Lead Podcast. We’re talking about digital habits for a more balanced life from my book Calm, Cool, and Connected. You can listen to the conversation here.
Here’s a brief excerpt from the interview for you to consider today:
Jeff: It’s not unusual today to go in public and see a family together at a restaurant table…I’ll often notice that the parents have their noses buried in a device. You can’t help but wonder, is that child dying for attention?
Arlene: It’s so true…How often are we able to have dinner or lunch with these people? So don’t waste it by looking down at your phone. Now for the parent this is ignoring their child, I get that. It’s easier to pretend that you’re busy. I’ve got this important email, I don’t want to deal with my 5 year old pesky kid. But it is so important that you get your priorities straight, whether you’re with children or someone else. Do I want a relationship here or do I want convenience? Because it’s more convenient to look at my device. It’s more convenient – if the conversation is awkward, let’s all look at our devices. But that’s not going to get you far in life. That’s not going to give you the relationships you want. No one at the end of their life says, “Oh I wish I would have spent more time on Instagram.” No one is going to say that! It’s the relationships you have.
