Me and technology

Maybe you’ve noticed, more likely you’ve not… but I have been a lot less active on social media lately. Actually, I’ve been on my phone a lot less in general. Starting about 5-6 weeks ago life events led me to realize how unhealthily dependent I’ve been on social media to be a salve for my mental / emotional wounds. That “mindless scrolling” actually gives me a pretty good dopamine hit, and I was effectively an addict. I constantly chalked up my need to be on my phone with staying connected with the coffee community, or advertising my business / staying relevant on Instagram etc. The reality was that I was on it far more frequently, and for much longer spans of time that I needed to be in order to keep the business afloat or stay connected. So… I started just setting my phone down and leaving it alone… sometimes for almost the entire day without picking it up to check it.

There have been growing pains. For example, I missed a talk I was giving online with Bettr Barista 100% because I hadn’t touched my phone all day and I simply forgot (the calendar reminder was going off, and my WhatsApp was blowing up as they tried to get in contact with me). Side note, I’d like to thank the Bettr Barista team for covering for me and coming up with something on the fly, but I 100% own that I just missed it.

Another outcome is that I am also a little slower to respond than I have been in the past. It’s not a bad thing unless you need to get ahold of me about something that is time sensitive… but it is taking me a little longer to get messages back to people these days.

That being said… it has 100% been worth it! I know when many people quit social media for a time they talk about how it’s because of that social media platform being: too toxic, too fake, too much negativity, etc. For me (and this is only for me… I am not necessarily telling anyone else they need to do this) it wasn’t the social media… it was me. I was the one forming the addiction, I was the one who wasn’t present for their family the way they needed to be, I was the one using it as a poor coping mechanism instead of doing the work I needed to do to right myself.

Now, I’m able to be present with Laura and my children. Now, I’m able to have the deep conversations and spend time journaling and thinking. Now I am able to focus a bit better, for a bit longer without turning to my phone as a distraction, or salve. It’s been a great experience so far, and I plan to continue it into the future.

What can you expect in the future from me?

• I am still going to post news, information, and content to social media. It is (fortunately or unfortunately) an amazing tool for connecting with the industry and getting my news out there. I am going to do my best to respond to comments, messages, etc. But, it may take me a little longer than you’re used to.

• I’m moving over to email and email-lists. I’ve made a decision to start focusing on coming up with email driven content for people who choose to be part of my email lists. I want to make sure they have exclusive discount codes, early warning about classes before I post about them on social media, and more of a direct connection to me than anyone else in the industry. Email is a huge part of my plan going forward.

• If you need to get ahold of me more urgently than email, please send me a WhatsApp or a text to +1-937-903-0825

• You can definitely expect the same amazing content, and personal candor that you’ve come to expect from me regardless.

I appreciate anyone who has been willing to read this far. You’re a real gem of a person… or you’re tremendously bored. I’m not here to judge either way. But thank you for reading, I’m going to keep working at taking back my life from the grips of my digital addiction, and keep waiting for people to take COVID seriously enough we can start to get our numbers to go down and stay down.

Warm Regards,

Rob Hoos