Before checking your phone’s screen time, guesstimate your online usage and top three apps, then reflect on your top three life values. Comparing your guesses to actual data creates awareness and inspires intentional change in your digital habits.
Before picking up your phone or engaging with an app, ask yourself, ‘Do I really need to do this?’ This gut check helps you determine if the action is truly necessary or the best use of your time, preventing excessive digital engagement.
Simply placing your phone out of your direct line of sight (e.g., behind a laptop, in a pocket, or a bag) can reclaim 10% of your brain power. This improves attention, focus, and connection to the task or person at hand by reducing the urge to check for notifications.
Start your day with a screen-free morning practice, even if just for five minutes, to avoid immediately engaging with notifications. This allows you to control the course of your day and cultivate mindfulness before reacting to external demands.
Establish digital boundaries, or ‘invisible fences,’ for yourself and clearly communicate them to others (e.g., a sign on an office door, an email footer). This helps train those around you to respect your availability and protects your personal and mental space.
Recognize that many apps are designed with a ‘bottomless bowl’ feature to encourage endless scrolling without a natural stopping point. For these apps, be more intentional and self-disciplined about setting personal boundaries to avoid getting excessively drawn in.
Implement filters or screen limits on your devices or specific apps for yourself, similar to those used for children. This creates automatic breaks and prevents excessive usage, especially for highly engaging activities like gaming.
Switch your phone to grayscale mode to remove all color, flashing lights, and potentially sounds from your screen. This reduces visual stimulation, making the device less engaging and helping to break addictive usage patterns.
Utilize visual or auditory stopping cues, such as a timer app (e.g., Pomodoro technique, Insight Timer), to structure your work sessions. This signals when to focus deeply and when to take a break, boosting productivity by alternating between intense work and rest.
Adjust your screen height so it is at your direct line of sight, using tools like a stack of books for a laptop or a height-adjustable desk. This practice is crucial for improving posture and significantly reducing back and neck pain caused by prolonged screen use.
Proactively plan short breaks between different screen activities for yourself and others when scheduling meetings. This helps combat screen fatigue, which can manifest as irritability, headaches, and reduced focus, preventing burnout.
When experiencing screen fatigue or rising frustration, step away from your computer and engage in a manual activity. This could be washing dishes, folding laundry, taking a short walk, or briefly chatting with a colleague, providing a mental and physical change of scenery.
Create a ‘walk and talk’ option on your calendar for meetings, encouraging colleagues to step away from their desks and screens. This allows for physical activity and a change of environment during discussions, combating screen fatigue.
Actively avoid ‘phubbing’ (phone snubbing) by keeping your phone out of sight during conversations with others. This ensures you remain present and connected, preventing interruptions that diminish the quality of social interaction.
Actively seek out and engage in screen-free social activities such as playing board games, outdoor games, making art or music, cooking, or simply being present with others. This helps foster deeper in-person connections away from digital distractions.
Write down a list of enjoyable screen-free activities and keep it accessible. This ‘go-to’ list provides ready alternatives when you’re unsure what to do, helping you choose non-digital engagement over screen time.
If you keep your phone in the bedroom, adjust its settings to decrease the amount of blue light emitted and reduce screen brightness. This minimizes disruption to your circadian rhythms, making it easier to fall asleep and improve sleep quality.
Leverage technology to support positive habits like journaling (e.g., iPhone Journal app), gratitude (e.g., Gratitude app), acts of kindness (e.g., sending supportive texts), meditation (e.g., Headspace), and exercise (e.g., fitness trackers). Choose methods that work best for you to stick with them over time.
Initiate conversations at work to establish and communicate your digital boundaries, especially with senior colleagues. This ensures your boundaries are understood and respected, preventing an ‘always-on’ work culture that leads to burnout.
Add a footer to your work emails that specifies your response availability (e.g., ‘I do not respond to messages on the weekend, but I look forward to getting back to you on Monday’). This manages expectations for colleagues and protects your digital space.
Cultivate a personal mantra (e.g., ‘I want to be more mindful,’ ‘I want to be more digitally well’) to serve as an internal ‘invisible fence.’ This mental tool helps you stay on task and maintain digital balance through self-control.
Weave social connection elements into virtual meetings by starting with brief chat time, a short meditation or reflection, calling out names in chat, using emojis, and ending with gratitudes. This fosters belonging and engagement, enhancing remote work interactions.
Make a conscious effort to ask colleagues how they are doing and show genuine interest in their personal lives, even in virtual work settings. This simple act builds social connection and belonging, which are vital for happiness at work.