6 Ways to Break a Tech Addiction

Do you immediately check your phone when you’re alone or have a free moment? Do you get distracted easily at work by the web? Perhaps you’re that person with the wise idea to film a concert on your phone.
Getting stuck in a digital rut is all too common today. People have become enslaved to their devices and it’s tough for them to regain control. Breaking free means drafting a new contract with technology and setting up boundaries that work.
Here are six common habits of a tech addict and ways to resolve them.

1. Skip the morning digital check-in.

Waking up to a techie breakfast of checking your email, Facebook or Instagram likes that you scored since midnight isn’t that nourishing. It saps productivity by flooding the mind with a full plate of everything before you've had a chance to focus on the bigger picture.
Swap the mobile activity by truly becoming mobile in the morning. Do some light stretching or yoga, brush your teeth, read a newspaper or meditate for 10 minutes. Work will be waiting for you in the office.

2. Ward off Internet interference.

You’re in the zone and working on the design of a presentation for a client. Then ding! An email arrives and you’re gazing at four videos of cute kids throwing cereal. Finding your bearings and getting back into the flow of work can be a real challenge, just like trying to do so after consuming a plate of very spicy food for lunch.
Interruptions are a drag, and there are various tools to get them under control. Install a browser extension like StayFocusd and set time limits on visiting certain websites. Or turn off your Wi-Fi for an hour. Better yet, step away from the computer entirely and grab a notepad.

3. Avoid putting out the never-ending fire.

Some say, “With great power comes great responsibility.” But they might as well add, “And zero time to get it all done.”
Managers are often dragged into meetings or fire drills that require immediate attention and suck up the entire day. Mindfulness meditation is a technique that many find useful to instill a sense of presence and regain focus.
Develop a practice and make it part of your daily routine.

4. Stop always being available 24/7.

Technology lets people be reached and work no matter the place or time. With devices in the pocket, work-life fences are down and people are always set to be on. Yet taking breaks is good for the mind.
Who hasn’t had the Monday morning awakening when solutions magically appear to resolve giant problems? Getting there means being ruthless in creating space from screens. One day a week, consciously put in the effort to avoid anything digital. If you’re in need of a longer duration away from digital life, check out Digital Detox.
This Bay Area organization has hosted more than 500 individuals on mindfulness retreats, leading prominent tech companies in day camps and conversations to uncover ethics, healthy technology habits and best practices.
Founder Levi Felix, who is a friend, also runs Camp Grounded, the 100 percent off-the-grid summer camp for adults, “When we unplug for longer periods of time, we reconnect with with our own novel thoughts, our creativity heightens, blood pressure lowers and we are able to truly take stock in what's most important in life,” he tells me in an email.

5. Stop web searching for everything.

Remember exploring hiking trails without using Yelp or taking a risk to check out a pizzeria because it smelled delicious? Trust the gut more and dig inside to find the right answer. While at work, trust your intuition and surprise yourself with your own talents. People are prone to browsing the web for inspiration, but original work demands digging into a personal set of beliefs and experiences. Even if you fail, you’ll learn a ton.

6. Try shedding a phone or two for a while.

Phones can create a barrier between the holder and the subject, and in a way contaminate the purity of an experience. Life is always in high-definition. It’s important to create phone-free zones and times.
At my house, phones are banned during dinner. My friends and I play phone stack at restaurants, piling all the phones in the middle of the table. Imagine a pyramid of phones: Whoever picks up his or hers first pays the entire bill.

Next time you feel the need to pull out your phone and capture the moment, soak it in with your eyes and appreciate it. Over time, the anxiety of not being able to snap a photo of a cool fire hydrant will fade away, and you’ll just be there. Most of IT candidates that make it to an interview are quite qualified, but the one who ultimately gets the job offer must be more than qualified. He or she will have to prove they go beyond expectations and have the right stuff to be an asset to the company. Every day I speak with IT hiring managers in a variety of industries, and regardless of the type of IT role or project, there are six traits that hiring managers routinely say make a great candidate. 1. Extremely coachable and adaptable Often a candidate's education and skillsets are just not enough. Because IT is an ever-changing environment, it's more important that candidates be coachable and adaptable. These traits are at the top of an employer's "must have" list and are equal to a candidate's ability to fit into the company's vision and culture. New hires who are coachable and adaptable are open to change, appreciate fresh perspectives, keep challenging themselves, have higher motivation, and take action to move themselves and the business forward. 2. Willing to go beyond job description Most IT departments feel that candidates who demonstrate that they're willing to go above and beyond are a rare find. The ones who are willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done always stand out. One way to determine whether a candidate is willing to give it his or her all, plus more, is to look at past behavior on a previous job and contact references. Also, when interviewing IT candidates, ask them to describe a time when they went over and above to achieve success on a project. Ask what they did in their last job that was new and put into practice by the supervisor. These types of questions are part of behavioral-based interviewing, a great way to determine behavior patterns and success in a particular job. 3. High emotional intelligence It once was thought that a college degree was the best measure of potential and a predictor of a candidate's success. Now emotional intelligence (EI), often associated with soft skills, is seen as an important factor in professional success. EI is the ability to monitor one's own and other people's emotions and use this information to guide thinking and behavior. With high EI, a candidate is more likely to learn quickly on the job, be competent, work effectively in a team setting, have problem-solving skills, negotiate effectively, and demonstrate leadership potential. More companies are putting employees through critical thinking and personality assessments to gauge EI. 4. Hybrid employee The hybrid employee is a generalist and a specialist all in one. A generalist tends to be someone who knows quite a few technologies but only at an average level. A specialist knows only one or two but at an expert level. A hybrid knows about a great many things at an advanced level and can adapt to any type of project. With a hybrid employee, you're basically getting two people in one. 5. Passionate about profession Passionate people genuinely care about the company, team, and project. They don't allow themselves to get bogged down by difficult personalities or office politics. Passionate people dig in for the long haul, even when it's incredibly challenging. They strive for continuous improvement and innovation and are up on the latest IT trends through research, training, and participation in industry associations and conferences. 6. Entrepreneurial spirit Today's younger candidates are driven by an entrepreneurial spirit that we've rarely seen before. Employers consider it a type of mindset, attitude, and approach to thinking that brings about change. It's about seeing the big picture and taking ownership and pride in projects. Once on the job, candidates with an entrepreneurial spirit tend to be self-motivated. In fact, just recently one of my clients told me that he’s looking for people who don't have to be micromanaged. His day is filled with juggling budgets, resources, and new projects. Therefore, he needs people who can work independently as well as on a team, handle multiple tasks with confidence, and thrive in a fluid IT environment. I assured him that candidates like that really do exist.

Read more at: http://www.informationweek.in/informationweek/news-analysis/298787/traits-candidate?utm_source=referrence_article