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The range of what we think and do is limited by what we fail to notice. And because we fail to notice that we fail to notice, there is little we can do to change, until we notice how failing to notice shapes our thoughts and deeds.

—R. D. Laing, 1990

I’m noticing in my own life that I don’t have enough time for reflection. I’m talking about a very purposeful type of reflection…I call these purposeful, scheduled “time-withins” Learning Conversations (after the work of a few of my mentors who did breakthrough work in meta-learning or learning how to learn).

What happens when I don’t create the time to reflect? Stress levels go up, worry takes the lead, will power goes out the window, and I’m looking for any old escape button to relieve the pressure (think Facebook scrolling, think media consumption, think ADHD on steroids). Can you relate? Do you think your kids appreciate the need for reflection? Where do they learn that today? When and how do they see you reflecting? [Read more…] about I’m late, I’m late, for a very important date…

Some of you are aware that I started what I’ve called a News-Out on Aug 20 as an exercise in doing a major reset in how I interact with media. On one level it was a survival strategy to manage the volume of news media coming at me in a way that doesn’t sink me. I was definitely capsized on the Info Ocean and was blowing up my flotation vest. Initially I shaped the experiment as a weekend media “retreat” which I extended to two weeks, then eight weeks, then twelve. It became clear very quickly that I’d need a lot more time than a few weeks for a reset. Today I am wrapping up week 12. [Read more…] about Capsized on the Info Ocean—where’s my flotation vest when I need it?

For those of you who read the brief chickadee and the bird bath anecdote in a previous post, the chickadees never showed up. But a few days ago, a Steller’s jay braved landing on the small, hanging bird bath and took a big drink. She or he made a very unique two-part comment—not the usual call I hear them make. (He? She? After checking 3 of my mother’s bird books and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website, I found nothing about how to tell the difference between a male and female…so I brought out the big guns…Birds of the Sierra Nevada—Their Natural History, Status, and Distribution by Edward C. Beedy and Edward R. Pandofino, illustrated by Keith Hansen (I bought my copy from Keith in his studio in Bolinas, California). [Read more…] about What does a bird bath have to do with a mindful digital life?

What are your models for conversation? I’m rereading Sherry Turkle’s book, Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age. Sherry Turkle has been studying human-technology interaction for 30+ years. She shares a lot of insights from her work in her newest book.

In this passage from the book she reflects on the Oxford English Dictionary definition of conversation: [Read more…] about Mindful tech—building trust one conversation at a time

Imagine you have a really open and ongoing conversation in the household about your relationships with technology. Maybe the conversation started as a formal weekly event around the kitchen table where everyone shows up to share, listen, and discuss—perhaps something like Tech Talk Tuesday.

Now, if you’re a Facebook user and you have a tween or teen, consider having a conversation in which you share your Facebook feed—you actually walk through it with your family members, noticing and disclosing how you feel about each post. Think of it as an Investigation. [Read more…] about So what is it about Facebook that you love? Or not…

When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe.”

—John Muir, My First Summer in the Sierra

I’m up early here in Northern California, before the sun. The wind is audible. The air is hard to breathe. Checking the EPA’s AirNow site for my area, the air quality is in the red Unhealthy zone with a warning that “everyone may begin to experience health effects,” not just sensitive populations. I watched the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department fire briefing streamed live from their Facebook page yesterday to get a better understanding of what my many friends who live in the area north of me are facing. I’ve checked in with all of them by email and Facebook. [Read more…] about Parenting in the creative tension with technology

This past week I ran across a short post written by educator Beth Holland for Edutopia, the newsletter of the George Lucas Educational Foundation. Her post—”How Much Screen Time? That’s the Wrong Question”—thrilled me. Seriously. I especially appreciated the title. Beth hit my personal mission to change how we relate to “screen time” AND she referenced a book that underpins a lot of my own work—The Triple Focus: A New Approach to Education, by Daniel Goleman and Peter Senge. [Read more…] about 3 Crucial Navigation Skills for a Mindful Digital Life

In my last post, I wrote about how I consider Co-Creative Conversation and Investigations as foundational practices for Mindful Digital Life. I mentioned I would write about an ongoing Mindful Digital Life Investigation I call Grow Your Sense of Place.

This might seem a bit counterintuitive considering Mindful Digital Life. It is. One of the basic moves you practice In the martial art of Aikido is Tai No Henko (translation: “body change” or “body change direction”)—the “turning” or “blending” exercise. When someone is coming directly at you, you meet their energy with strong grounded hips, and turn them in the direction you want to go. You change yourself and blend with their energy. [Read more…] about Small Steps to Grow Your Sense of Place