Growing up with technology has really changed the game when it comes to productivity. We want more, there are whole industries dedicated to making everything more convenient for us. To even compete in the world today you need to be able to get results quickly.
This has shortened attention spans, especially with the rise of TikTok, where a video that is 1 minute is too long. This need for constant stimulation is relaying into everyday life, where human interaction isn’t even interesting anymore.
It brings up the age-old question, what came first the chicken or the egg?
As human beings are we becoming more impatient so technology needs to adjust or is technology making us more impatient? Or is it just a vicious cycle where one is feeding into the other?
While doing research for this article, the overwhelming consensus of impatience is that it stems from technology. But the truth is for technology to be an instigator for impatience, it needs to have already been there in our biology. Meaning we were always predisposed to being impatient, but technology amplified it. The good news about this is that we can counteract it.
Ways technology affects our impatience
We want instant gratification
Along with the smartphone came the ability to have everything at our fingertips. Overnight delivery. Same day booking. Takeout food delivery. We want everything now and not a minute later. Literally or else the pizza’s free. This changes how goals are approached, and if longevity is what we want, is it even possible.
Is instant gratification holding us back from real long-term progress?
We see people flaunting their money, their amazing bodies, and their success but don’t see the years of hard work behind it. Just the end result. We could be holding ourselves back from our full potential because greatness isn’t built overnight.
We underestimate how much something is going to cost.
How much time, dedication and sacrifice is this going to cost?
What we’re not seeing are all the times someone has failed or the decisions that almost drove them to quit. Everything takes…
