A recent statistics reveal that 81 per cent of people are attached to their phones all day; nearly two-thirds of us check our phones within five minutes of waking up; and the average American checks his or her phone 46 times per day.
This extends to the workplace as well and 98 per cent of executives use their phone at night and on the weekends, and 57 per cent of people look at work messages during family outings with their kids.
Just as much as technology is an important part of a day, unplugging is also important.
Our technology is addictive because of the way it is designed. Tech companies do a ton of social good. But they also deliberately seek to hijack your attention and hold it for as long as possible. When designing their products, tech and social media companies leverage the most cutting-edge research on behaviour change, persuasion, biochemistry, neuroscience, conditioning and habit formation.
Their statistics also reveal that being connected all of the time is hurting our health. Research shows that checking your work email off-hours leads to emotional exhaustion, burnout, stress and psychological, gastrointestinal and cardiovascular problems.
But there is an easy cure. Simply spend more time away from your screens. A Harvard University study followed a team at Boston Consulting Group who could not check work email on evenings or weekends. The results? Lower stress levels, more excitement about work, a jump in job satisfaction and no loss in productivity.
Taking control of how you use technology can feel almost impossible. But you can do it one step at a time.
Here are few tips which will come in handy.
* Become aware
Download rescue time for your computer and moment for your iPhone to see how much time you actually spend on your phone.
* 30 before 7:30 a.m.
Sleep with your phone out of your bedroom. When you wake up in the morning, don’t touch it. Grab a notebook or piece of paper, and plan your priorities for the day. Once you finish your 30 minutes of planning, you can look at your phone.
* Progress, not productivity.
Responding to emails makes you feel productive but never moves the needle on what matters. Work on your top priority first thing in the morning. Do it right away and don’t check your email until you finish.
* Phones off the table.
Unplug when you are around other people. If someone’s phone comes out, politely ask him or her to put it out of sight. Ban phones from the dinner table or family gatherings. Research shows having a phone on the table distracts people even if it’s not theirs.
Courtesy: www.success.com
