Salibonani, 

So let me start by saying this, I work guys. And I genuinely love what I do.

I work in E-commerce/digital marketing/communications yeah yinxushunxush. In other words this is a polished way of saying I spend a large portion of my life encouraging people to move online. Use the app. Click the link. Scan the QR code. Send the email. Use the portal than going there physically. Kahle kahle I am preaching the embrace the future gospel.

And I mean it when I say I believe in it. Digital platforms make things faster. More accessible. More efficient. You can open accounts, pay bills, order dinner, check the news and wish someone a happy birthday without leaving your couch. And for a lazy bum like me, it’s convenient. It’s powerful. It’s progress.

Korea savelelwa nge ‘technologia!’ This whole thing brings a lot with it because it’s never just one notification.

It’s fourteen WhatsApp messages before 7am. It’s emails that breed overnight. It’s an app telling you something needs your attention. It’s another app telling you to breathe.

Before you’ve even brushed your teeth, the world has already entered your nervous system. Just this week I received a WhatsApp message that almost made me lose my sleep. If it was Lobengula years ago, the person would have to wait the next day to tell me in person, I digress. 

Here’s the thing, the digital world is just so convenient. Everything works exactly as it’s supposed to. That’s the problem yohlupho. 

We designed systems to be instant. So now everything is instant. Responses are instant. Expectations are instant. Reactions are instant. Even outrage is instant. WELELEEE!

We wanted accessibility. What we got was availability.

When everything lives in your pocket, the boundary between working hours and existing hours starts to dissolve. You’re at dinner and your phone lights up. You’re watching a show and your screen glows again. You wake up in the middle of the night and, for reasons you don’t fully understand, you check your notifications – yes you!

There is no dramatic emergency. Just constant digital tapping on your shoulder.

The irony of me saying this is not lost on me. It’s like a fitness instructor admitting they don’t enjoy burpees. I am part of the ecosystem and I see the benefits every single day.

But I also see the fatigue.

We’ve optimised the customer journey. We’ve streamlined services. We’ve removed friction from almost everything.

Except boundaries.

Just because I can respond immediately doesn’t mean I must. Just because something is accessible doesn’t mean it deserves instant access to my attention. Just because I’m online doesn’t mean I’m available.

Digital should feel like a tool in your hand. Not a leash around your time.

I still believe in digital-first solutions. I still think technology can make life better. But in a digital-first world, we have to be boundary-first people. 

Otherwise, we’ll spend our lives responding instead of living.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to ignore three notifications and pretend I didn’t see them.

For balance. 😌 

But don’t let this stop you though from reaching out if you need any help being digital for your business. 

Love and light 🧡