I’ve spent the last few weeks thinking about what technology means to me. Is it to make my job easier? To get more done in the same period of time? Or do I just do it to feel like I’m connected to others?

I find myself using technology for number of different things—I communicate over email quite a bit, I research on my handheld and my desktop when I’m at work, I coordinate different people and events as well as publish what I do in my personal life and business ventures. Overall, I think technology has a purpose and a place. With that said, I feel it’s very important to put it down sometimes, to reconnect with the people around us, to build things out of the things in the real world. Sculpture, painting or maybe even landscaping. The point is, technology does have a place in our world, and keeping the balance between the artificial—what we’ve created for ourselves online—and the real world we are living in and the people we interact with on a daily basis are just as important.

I think we all have a lot to learn in managing our day-to-day lives with and without technology. We need to find ways to enhance what we do without becoming dependent on any one thing. Becoming technology neutral is something we should all strive to practice more, finding ways to utilize technology without being used by technology. As we go into the holiday season, take time to hand-write a thank you to someone. Drop it in the mail or, better yet, create your own thank-you card. Take the time to think about the message, find a picture that relays some kind of emotion connected with your message. Take it to a quick-serve printer or big box store and then use that to once again connect with your friends, family and coworkers.

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