We Have Technology
I’m a proud member of the Spongebob generation.
That absorbent and yellow and porous little guy was a staple of our afternoon routine when my brothers and I were growing up. To this day, we’ll punctuate our conversations with quotes from our favorite episodes, especially from those unassailable early seasons.
One particularly memorable moment comes in Season 3’s Wet Painters. After spilling paint on the first dollar Mr. Krabs ever earned, Spongebob and Patrick frantically seek a solution. They wash, polish, hose, and bludgeon to no avail.
Then Patrick, in his infinite wisdom, leads Spongebob to a desktop computer. “We’re not cavemen,” he muses. “We have technology.”
The bad news is, Patrick’s right. We do have technology. In fact, we have so much technology that our heads are spinning like Nolan totems. The three-headed monster of Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok, among others, are vaporizing massive chunks of our precious time.
But the good news is, Patrick’s right! We do have technology! Sure, in a perfect world we’d all have the willpower to simply put our phones down when we’ve had too much. But in reality, we often need a gameplan. And fortunately, there are plenty of tools at our fingertips (literally!) that will help us establish the disciplined life we’ve been craving. Here are five ways to fight technology with technology (for iPhone users):
1. Set (and honor) app limits. For your most-used apps, set a daily time limit. And resist the urge to override the limit when it shows up. Or better yet, let someone else set your screen time password. Whether your limit is 20 minutes or 2 hours, you may be surprised how quickly you reach it each day.
2. Use Focus. Automatically disable your apps during certain parts of your day. I’ve found this to be especially helpful at night. After 9pm, I’m less likely to doomscroll before bed.
3. Turn your screen to Grayscale. I recently learned about this. Simply put, turning your phone to Grayscale mode makes it less fun to look at. Try it out!
4. Disable notifications. The constant flood of digital stimulation is disruptive at best and destructive at worst. Notifications keep our brains on high alert at all times. Quiet your mind by quieting your phone.
5. Track your screen time. How often have you sheepishly laughed off your weekly screen time reports on Sunday mornings? If you want your daily average to decrease, start tracking it. Choose a healthy number to shoot for and take the steps to get there.
As we approach Christmas and the beginning of 2025, I encourage you to evaluate how your relationship with your phone is impacting your relationship with the world and the people around you.
Patrick proceeded to use his computer to Hulk-smash the tarnished dollar bill. It didn’t work. But Patrick got one thing right: We do have technology.
Let’s use it.
