Calm, Cool, and Connected- 5 Digital Habits for a More Balanced Life- Review

I’ve got a bit of a dilemma. As a blogger, vlogger, and writer, technology plays a huge role in my life. Every day I spend hours upon hours on my laptop working, marketing, and interacting with those looking for homeschooling advice.

As a mom of 11, I find this very. very. draining.

You could say I’ve got a bit of an aversion to technology. You’d think that would make it easy for me to limit the time I spend on my phone and computer, but no. I get pulled in just like so many other people.

Did you ever notice that there’s always one more notification to check? One more email to respond to? And one more blog post to read? Before you know it, your “quick check-in on social media” turns into a 3-hour marathon tuning into everything, except for the reason you logged on to begin with! 

Exhausting, I tell you.

Today I just finished reading something that I know is going to change the way I approach technology and everything related to it.

(I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This post contains affiliate links.)

Calm, Cool, and Connected- 5 Digital Habits for a More Balanced Life, by Arlene Pellicane, is going to be a game changer for me.

The first thing I’ve got to share that I love about this book is that it’s a quick read. As busy as I am, no matter how much I like to read, there just aren’t enough hours in the day for me to trudge through a 400-page piece of literature. You might be tempted to think that its length may be a hindrance to its depth, but that just isn’t the case.

Arlene Pellicane did an amazing job of outlining five practical ways to cut down on technology usage using the word “habit.”

H= Hold Down the Off Button

A= Always Put People First

B- Brush Daily: Live with a Clean Conscience

I= I Will Go Online with Purpose

T= Take a Hike

By incorporating a variety of anecdotes to convey her message, the author did a phenomenal job of helping me learn how to be intentional about “tech time,” rather than popping off and on dozens and dozens of times throughout the day.

While this book was written for those who feel like they can’t live without Wi-Fi, as someone who wishes it didn’t exist sometimes, I found this to be extremely useful for me, too. Although I would rather not be online, I often feel guilty about limiting the time I spend in cyber space.

After all, as a blogger, that’s par for the course, isn’t it?

Arlene Pellicane has not only provided me with realistic steps I can take to disconnect, but she has also given me the permission to do it that I’ve been longing to hear.

There is so much more out there than the web. Family. Friends. Community. Nature. And most importantly, God.

Technology can be a wonderful tool. Unfortunately, however, it can quickly become an addiction. Life is too short and too precious to ignore the flesh and blood people standing before you because you can’t pull yourself away from those on a screen.

If you see any hints of yourself in this, I implore you to check this book out. I am so glad I did.

And my children will be, too.