Taking some time off your gadgets without swiping, scrolling and surfing help to strengthen your relationships become more productive and improves your sleep. Checking emails and login into social media less frequently has been found to reduce psychological stress levels. Getting a few minutes of your day off the digital overload ultimately helps you live in the real world improving your relationships with those around you as suggested by Tim Sims in a blog on dude pins. This can be achieved through:
Reduce the Noise
Declutter your inbox by screening and deleting all unread messages especially newsletters and unsubscribe from a newsletter that is no longer relevant. Check the sites you are following on social media that no longer interest you such as charities, celebrities, organizations, shops, companies and unfollow or unlike their pages if you have outgrown them to avoid flooding your information. Switch off notification from all social media to ensure you have a quiet working time or time out with your friends. This will help you have a routine to catch up with the happenings on social media, family, friends and your work, making you strike a balance with all aspects. If need be deleted some of the time-wasting applications such as games and social media apps that are addictive.
Set Healthy Boundaries
It is important to come up with a schedule for work and non-working time. This is to enable you to have a good focus on the activity you are engaged in. during work time, ensure you engage fully and wrap up all pending work activities such if it is the non-working time you give full attention to your family, friends, hobbies, relaxation and self-care. Create a space to disconnect to reconnect that will provide for the freedom and permission to truly unplug and decompress. Set up your work boundaries and ensure your boss, colleagues, or clients are aware of your work hours, and designated times for checking email and adhere to the schedule. Set up an automatic out of office notification reply to emails coming in during off hours.
Spend Time Offline
When taking a break, take your gadgets offline or even better switch them off to ensure you have your alone time or time with the family at peace. For instance when at the gym, at the church, at your child’s pre-school graduation, in the bedroom, avoid external distractions that will distract you making it impossible to attain your set goals such as a 30 minutes workout, uninterrupted sleep, fun time with your kids, meditation time.
Sign Up for Digital Detox Retreats
Digital retreats are integrated experiences that help to nourish the mind and body, without the digital distractions. When you take part in a digital retreat you gain a personal insight into your lifestyle techniques and practices that help you create a balance both online and offline. This helps one to make a disconnection with technology while reconnecting with themselves and the others around them such as friends, colleagues and family.
