Spring Cleaning, @Pixabay, Pexels.com
through Drew Russo, Hacknon
SXSW is all about tech, queues, inclusivity, and the smashing of the patriarchy. But one of the most life-affirming takeaways, indeed one of the most surprising mindfulness experiences at the conference, came from an unexpected source.
Brian Solis is best known as a digital anthropologist and futurist. He is widely credited with shaping many market trends, from the rise of Web 2.0 to startup acceleration to experience design to digital transformation and enterprise innovation. But recently, his career has become more insightful than the sum of his studies.
From business technology to humanistic care
In previous years at Southby, Solis had spoken of Experience innovation, Why is Silicon Valley so chaotic? and How we become like lab rats addicted to social media. This year, he’s taking a closer look at the human condition, trying to understand why our focus and focus have vanished, and what that means for those of us trying to reclaim our happy lives in the age of social media.
Ahead of a book signing during an anticipated SXSW keynote, Solis celebrated the book launch at an intimate venue with sponsors cobalt robot. He spoke with TechCrunch contributing editor Josh Constant at the Eleanor Hotel in Austin’s Warehouse District. Solis introduced his new book to more than 200 people present,
Ok Google, why can’t I write this book?
The book is his eighth, but Solis said it is his first solo adventure. It came about because he was trying to write a different book – but hit a wall of “perpetual distraction” that kept him from getting the job done. Solis took a step back and wondered what was wrong, why he had such difficulty concentrating, and how this related to our increasingly technology-dominated lives. As a researcher, he mined data. Lifescale dug into his findings.
On the surface, Lifescale touches on many familiar health touchpoints:
- Get enough quality sleep
- Start mindfulness practice
- Refresh your personal core values and goals and use them to define a more timely personal vision and mission
But what was shocking about this demonstration was the sheer volume and quality of data Solis provided, proving that we need to move away from multitasking and Pavlovian responses to our devices and Facebook accounts. Solis combines effective short-term techniques like the Pomodoro Technique with a deeper exploration of our distraction problem and how to permanently fix it.
The call to action comes from inside the house
Solis makes his point not from the perspective of a health expert but from the perspective of a Silicon Valley veteran. Rather than succumbing to the temptation to denigrate technology with general judgments, he uses specific examples to illustrate how certain uses of technology are making us sick in some way, and what we can do to reverse this.
Along the way, Solis ventures from his usual realm of commercial marketing into personal, even moving insights into what it means to be human and live a fulfilling life.
Lifescale also contains some revealing content about the tactics tech companies use to keep us hooked on their products. If the way Facebook handles members and their data makes you uncomfortable, first listen to what the Netflix CEO has to say about his viewers.
Brian is the Marie Kondo of mind, body and spirit for the modern era.
This is a book you can’t forget
Solis’s perspective struck me. I’ve been thinking about them since everything settled at SXSW, and on the plane ride home I found myself devouring my newly signed copy of Lifescale . As his previous speeches have shown, there is some tension between Silicon Valley elites and those who just want to be human. Through Lifescale, Solis provides us with the knowledge to regain control of our consciousness. Put it on your spring reading list.
If you’re one of those people who starts the new year by watching Marie Kondo’s Tidying Up , consider this a spring cleaning of your consciousness. Yes, seriously, Brian is the Marie Kondo of mind, body, and spirit in the modern era.
