10 Tips to Overcome FoMO

NEW DELHI, INDIA: FoMO (Fear of missing out) is a modern day malady, thanks to the internet based devices on which our life surrounds 24/7. From constant tweets, status update to selfie fever the whole world is entwined with this problem. The fear of missing out important updates and social media related news keeps the people logged in all the time and their devices rarely sleep.

These devices are carried to the kitchen, toilet and lots of other places. People are using it while having their meals, driving and even while walking. Most of the road accidents are due to mobile usage on the road, either while driving or crossing.

I remember the selfie fever catching up everywhere when Ellen DeGeneres clicked that multi-starrer selfie with all the Hollywood bigshots. Because of this technological disorder people are shunning their social life to make way for internet life.

Here are 10 ways to overcome it.

Do Not Over Engage

According to a new survey conducted by MyLife.com 56 per cent of people are afraid of missing out events, news and important status updates if they are away from social networks. The idea is to maintain a gap between social media usage and be disconnected for a while.

Block Distractions

• Always turn off all notifications from social media sites which are not important.
• Gmail users on Android/iOS can customize email alerts by label.
• You can try Chrome extension StayFocused or LeechBlock for Firefox.
• Keep your cell phone in silent mode while driving.
• Go on a social media vacation once in a while.

Prioritize

Make a list of your daily priorities, like reading books, going out with friends or hanging around with your family members. This will help you in keeping your heavy social media dependency in check.

Be in Control

Whenever you get that incurable itch to check in your social media feeds just think that your mind is in control and you are in-charge. You can do the following:

• Make a list of your favorite hobbies or interests you used to pursue before; it’s better to continue with them again.
• Train your mind to be focused.
• Relax by going out for a walk or cycling.

Keep Needs Limited

There is no need to overindulge with all the available social media services. Human nature likes to experiment but there has to be a limit. Decide what your highest priorities are and be focused on them.

No Multitasking

Many “smart” people out there love to multitask. For many of them it is an important trait but human mind can only respond to one action request at a time and not multiple.

Information Overload

With the digitization of information since the World Wide Web, facts are more freely available to the public.People find it hard to catch up with such wide variety of information available online but they still crave for getting more and more infoin their head. This feeling can be attributed to increasingly competitive human behavior.

Organize

Google's new Priority Inbox is the best available tool to focus on the important messages that arrive in your inbox. A Chrome and Firefox extension called Boomerang lets you schedule when you send and receive emails.

Trend is Not Always Right

People become tech addicts because it's cool, fashion and hip or because everyone else is doing it. The recent Facebook picture by Mark Zuckerberg with digital India theme was followed by most of the Indians. Suddenly, everyone was feeling patriotic on Facebook but in reality it is just another trend which will be lapped up till the time it remains in vogue.

*Zuckerberg’s picture might be a gimmick to generate vote for internet.org.

Disengage

It’s better to disengage yourself with others life on social media. The more you maintain distance the better it is.