Are you one of those people who checks their phone several times a day? Do you spend nine hours a day and five days a week in front of a computer? Do you always have to keep updating your Facebook and Instagram?
Then you are in for some serious digital toxins in your system. Undoubtedly, technology is incredibly beneficial and informative, and it allows unquestionably as much creativity, connectivity, and enjoyment as possible.
Untethering from your smartphone is difficult for most people, at first. But eventually, it can bring clarity and strengthen performance.
A lot of successful people, especially entrepreneurs, in financial services, media, and law, agree to this detox. It enables them to think differently in a different situation, out of their own personal experiences and self-acquired instincts. This works better for them when compared to knowledge acquired from online sources.
Constant digital distractions also undercut your ability to do other key parts of your job well: strategizing the best course for your company, enabling innovation, solving problems, and making the people you speak with feel valued and heard.
They agree that giving up their smartphones during their stay and spend a lot of time in nature learning to be present and talking about the pressures they feel to be accessible 24/7.
They also learn how their never-off attitudes establish the tone for the rest of their teams and strengthen the myth that if you are not united by an electronic chain all the time you’re not doing a good job.
If it causes you to distract from doing what you ought to be doing it negatively influences your relationships, or your work or your education, or costs you more money than what you can afford, then it starts to become severe and dangerous.
If it negatively impacts your life one needs to evaluate what you do online, when and with whom.
Some Hard Facts On Technology Usage
- An average person checks his/her phone at least 200 times in a day which is once in every six and a half minute
- One out of four persons spends more time online on the bed rather than sleeping in.
- When given a choice of texting and talking, a major chunk of 70% of 16 to 24-year-olds prefer texting to talking.
- 92 per cent of the world’s currency is digital
- 8 billion devices will be connected to the internet by 2020.
- There are over 3.5 billion searches per day on Google.
- 47% of the jobs will disappear in the next 25 years as robots will replace 5 million workers by 2020.
- More than 56 million hours of music is streamed daily.
How Does A Digital Detox Help You?
For most of us, our jobs depend on the usage of technology, and this term might only help us going towards an anxiety attack faster. But the fact is, in the current work atmosphere, it is paramount to strike a balance between work as well as personal life.
Taking a glance at your phone in between an informal conversation can have its own repercussions, not today but later on. Read through the following points to know why you should go for a digital detox.
A boost of Self-confidence
Research has found that internet and social media can be damaging to our self-esteem. Because of social media, you’re in a constant juggle to maintain your e-profile rather than concentrating on your real personality.
You might tend to take up specific activities because of the influence on social media or the things that are trending on the internet. Once you are not able to accomplish or take up that thing for a planned period, you tend to get conscious and depressed about the same.
You can try boosting your confidence by pursuing your passion and hobbies and spending more time with yourself. Detaching from the digital world means more time spent on you. Assume how good you could feel if you spent those hours caring for yourself.
Mindful behavior.
Concentrating on the world IRL rather than through a digital screen will help you practice mindfulness daily. You’ll learn to be better praise the world around you and focus on the present rather than worrying about the past.
Studies have proven that practicing mindfulness can lead to less stress, lower blood pressure, and enhanced mental health.
Healthier relationships.
If you’re stuck in the cyber world too long, your social connections in real life can take a back seat.
A study in Australia resulted in 43 percent of people in Australia who are in a relationship believe their partner uses their phone too much and 70 percent admitted to using their phone during suppers with friends or family.
We all know one person who doesn’t get off their phone even at the dining table. Don’t be that person! For most of them, the digital world has harmed people skills. How many times have you noticed yourself ignoring your friends or loved ones at a social event?
A study by Forbes found that three out of five people claimed they spend more time on their digital devices than they do with their partners. Learning to put down your phone in these settings will help you build upon existing relationships and even form some new ones.
Your physical health will improve.
If your eyes are always on the screen, you’re probably sitting or resting. The growing obesity problem in India is partly due to a lifestyle relaxing on the couch staring at the screen.
It’s not only terrible for the lower back and neck, but it’s also wrong on your waistline. Unplug, go outside and get the blood thrilling. You’ll be amazed at how much better you can feel.
Improved sleep.
When the body is up to sleep, your brain releases a chemical called melatonin, through which it helps the body relax and prepare for some shut-eye. Science has presented that when you look at a screen before bedtime, your brain is tricked into thinking it must remain alert and awake, preventing melatonin from being released.
So, if you’re one of those of people who use their phone immediately before going to bed, now you know why you might be tossing and turning in bed wondering why you can’t get to sleep.
More content and calmer you
There are thousands of social experiments in which people will have to take a break from technology, and the participants are almost always amazed to find themselves less stressed because of gadgets. When you’re on the phone or absorbed in your emails, you’re not living in the present and more in the past.
Only when you open your eyes to at present. So that you understand how easy it is to miss out on the right things around you. Learn to unplug and spend time away from your phone and social media might help reduce some of the stress in your life.
You’ll be more productive
A more significant chunk of time in your day, you’re checking your social media channels and scrolling through your friend’s travel pictures, rather than responding to messages or connecting with other people. Taking a break from technology will help you just see how much time you waste on it! Want to feel more productive at home and work?
Put down your devices! Studies have shown that the presence of digital tools can lower task performance and distract. Keeping your phone on “do not disturb” mode or hiding it away in your desk will help you perform your best and stay productive.
How To Digitally Detox Yourself?
1. Remove Distractions
The essential things in a person’s life are family, friends, health, and work. Anything that hampers your time and effort towards these four things is always a problem.
When you spend time with any of these, it is essential to be digitally distant. That means no beeps, buzzes, alerts, or notifications of any kind, possibly except for voicemails that come in during emergencies.
2. Don’t Glamorize Your Busy Schedule
It seems ridiculous how proud we are of being busy. Saying we are busy is just our attempts to avoid making hard choices about how we live our lives. Staying busy is more comfortable than taking time to pursue what would make us happy.
Worst-case scenario, the Internet makes it so easy to look and be “busy” indefinitely. So be careful not to glamorize busyness just for people sake. By doing this, you can start to think and behave more appropriately about how you are choosing to spend the time.
3. Question “Why?” Whenever You Pull Out Your Mobile
Sure, smartphones are handy tools for finding out answers for many unknown questions, keeping in touch with friends, or even checking the time and latest updates.
But often, or more often than we think, we use our phones to distract, to avoid, or to ignore whatever is happening right in front of us. Keeping the phones in our pockets is one of the bravest things that any of us are doing.
Instead of pushing down the anxiety perhaps when we’re sitting alone or just feeling alone even after being among a group of people we can choose not to use our phones as a security blanket to escape conversation and people. That’s when we remember how to be present and grateful for the moment.
4. The Rule Of Thirds
Divide your life into thirds—8 hours for work, 8 hours for sleep, and 8 hours free. Working more does not make us more productive. Working smart and keeping some time free allows our minds to wander in ways that make the hours we do work more effective.
Research has shown that for remote workers, more than 40 hours per week diminishes productivity; for creative workers, more than 20 hours per week does. So if you let your smartphone be your work ball-and-chain, you’re not doing yourself any favors when it comes to productivity.
5. A Fasting From Electronics
We all strive our best to fast or diet to meet our weight and fitness goals. Yes, soon. Make it a rule for your family will spend an entire week—once in the spring and once in the fall—with no electronic devices.
Having tried this technique, it can’t overstate how positive the effects are. Although it feels a little scary at first, fast electronics forces you to connect with others and with yourself, which turns out to be a pretty fantastic experience.
6. A Gadget List
Before you commit to detox, try making two lists. Firstly, list all the gadgets you have. This will help show you how dependent you are on technology and gadgets. Secondly, contain out of all the things that you enjoy doing in life, but aren’t doing currently.
Listing out will show you how dependent you are on technology. This will help you to realize that, if you cut down your technology use, you’ll gain back hours to do things that you find considerably more meaningful than continually scrolling through Facebook.
Some estimates have shown that we spend the equivalent of three weeks every year on social media and checking emails – time we could be at home or on holiday.
Another way to track your digital activities is ironically the digital way. There is an app called Digital Wellbeing.
They are dedicated towards building technology that is truly helpful for all of them. It contains features and tools that help people focus on what matters most, disconnect when needed, understand better about the extent of their tech usage, and develop good health habits for the family.
The indulgent digital life takes a toll, and sometimes an immediate solution for this starts with the recognition of this fact. A straight yes to reform helps us find a long-lasting way to manage our technology usage in a balanced way just like we do it with other things in life.
Just like we control our dietary calories, there is a continuous call for putting a check on the intake of digital calories too.
