Tame Those Devices: 10 Tips to Achieve Digital Balance
Amy Blankson, chief evangelist for the Digital Wellness Institute, shares 10 tips to achieve digital balance and improve well-being. She discusses how to be intentional with technology, manage distractions, protect social connections, and navigate digital use at home and work.
Deep Dive Analysis
15 Topic Outline
Introduction to Digital Wellness Day and its Purpose
The Problem with Unmindful Technology Use
Defining Digital Balance and its Importance
Becoming Intentional with Technology Use
Techniques for Managing Digital Distraction
Protecting In-Real-Life Social Connections
Engaging in Screen-Free Social Activities
Addressing Physical Challenges from Increased Screen Time
Navigating Technology Use in the Bedroom to Protect Sleep
Implementing a Screen-Free Morning Practice
Using Technology to Support Happiness Habits
Setting Digital Boundaries in the Workplace
Understanding and Dealing with Screen Fatigue
Creating Digital Boundaries with 'Invisible Fences'
Fostering Social Connection in Remote Work Environments
8 Key Concepts
Digital Balance
Digital balance is finding a 'sweet spot' of digital flourishing where technology works for you, rather than the other way around. It's about achieving a happy medium between being addicted to technology and swearing it off entirely, allowing individuals to be more thoughtful and in control of their interactions.
The Really Rule
The 'Really Rule' is a mental gut-check technique to question the necessity of engaging with a digital activity, such as asking 'Do I *really* need to watch another cat video?' It helps individuals become more mindful and aware of their digital habits, preventing excessive consumption beyond the point of maximum utility.
Stopping Cues
Stopping cues are visual or auditory signals that help individuals pause or step back from digital engagement. These can be self-imposed, like a timer, or built into apps, serving as a reminder to take a break and prevent getting stuck in endless scrolling.
Bottomless Bowl (App Design)
The 'bottomless bowl' refers to a design feature in some apps where content continuously loads without a natural end, such as endless scrolling on TikTok. This design provides no inherent signal to the user to stop, making it more challenging for individuals to disengage and requiring stronger personal boundaries.
Mere Presence Study
The Mere Presence Study found that simply having a phone in one's line of sight decreases attention, focus, and connection to the person or task at hand. By hiding the phone, individuals can reclaim a portion of their brain power, as the need to be needed causes eyes to flicker between the screen and the immediate environment.
Fubbing (Phone Snubbing)
Fubbing is the act of 'phone snubbing,' where someone interrupts an in-person conversation to check a notification on their phone. This behavior breaks emotional connection and eye contact, disrupting the hardwired human connection facilitated by mirror neurons and making the other person feel ignored.
Screen Fatigue
Screen fatigue is a state of malaise, irritability, or physical discomfort, such as dry eyes or headaches, that arises from prolonged screen exposure. It's often caused by the intense mental energy required to process multiple visual stimuli during virtual interactions, like the 'Brady Bunch effect' of Zoom calls.
Invisible Fence (Digital Boundary)
An 'invisible fence' is a digital boundary set for oneself and communicated to others, similar to a dog training fence. It involves recognizing a desired boundary (e.g., no phones at the dinner table) and working with those around you to respect it, creating digital space for flourishing without physical restrictions.
8 Questions Answered
Digital Wellness Day, observed on May 3rd, is a global holiday dedicated to pausing and reflecting on how, when, where, and why we interact with technology. It's important because unmindful tech use can lead to negative impacts on social connection, productivity, mental health, and physical well-being.
Intentionality is crucial because setting an intention makes you 40% more likely to follow through on actions. Understanding your current digital behaviors, often by checking screen time data, provides the necessary awareness to set clear intentions for change.
Simply having a phone in your line of sight, even if not actively using it, can decrease your attention, focus, and connection to the person or task at hand. By hiding your phone, you can reclaim 10% of your brain power.
Technology contributes to a sedentary lifestyle, which can disrupt metabolism and sleep habits. Prolonged screen use also leads to physical problems like back, neck, and eye strain, often due to poor posture when interacting with devices like laptops.
To protect sleep, individuals can decrease the blue light emitted from their phone screens, use their phone as an alarm (if they have self-control), or keep the phone out of the bedroom entirely if the temptation to check emails or watch content before bed is too strong.
Effective strategies include planning short breaks between screen activities, stepping away from the computer to do something manual (like washing dishes or folding laundry), or taking a 'walk and talk' meeting instead of a virtual one to get away from the desk.
Remote workers can foster social connection by starting virtual meetings with a few minutes of casual chat, incorporating short meditations or reflections, using chat features for banter, and making an effort to ask colleagues about their lives and send encouraging messages.
Effective digital boundaries, or 'invisible fences,' can be set by recognizing a desired boundary (e.g., no phones at the dinner table), communicating it to others, and using tools like screen limits on apps or email footers to manage expectations about response times.
23 Actionable Insights
1. Guesstimate Screen Time & Values
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.
2. Implement the ‘Really Rule’
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.
3. Hide Phone from Sight
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.
4. Adopt Screen-Free Mornings
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.
5. Set ‘Invisible Fences’
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.
6. Beware ‘Bottomless Bowl’ Apps
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.
7. Set Self-Imposed Screen Limits
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.
8. Use Grayscale Mode
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.
9. Employ Stopping Cues for Work
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.
10. Optimize Screen Ergonomics
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.
11. Schedule Screen Fatigue Breaks
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.
12. Engage in Manual Breaks
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.
13. Offer ‘Walk and Talk’ Meetings
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.
14. Stop Phone Snubbing (Phubbing)
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.
15. Prioritize Screen-Free Socializing
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.
16. Maintain Screen-Free Activity List
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.
17. Reduce Blue Light at Night
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.
18. Tech-Enabled Happiness Habits
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.
19. Establish Work Digital Boundaries
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.
20. Set Email Availability Footers
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.
21. Develop Digital Wellness Mantra
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.
22. Integrate Socials into Virtual Meetings
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.
23. Inquire About Colleagues’ Lives
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.
5 Key Quotes
50% of the time we pick up our phone, nobody's actually called or messaged us.
Amy Blankson
I think we as human beings are stronger than these companies are designing for.
Amy Blankson
Literally when I'm working, I'll tuck my phone behind my laptop or desktop screen or I'll put it in my back pocket or I'll put it in a bag. So it's not that it's not there... All I'm doing is getting it out of my line of sight.
Amy Blankson
Most of us don't want to wake up to a fire alarm, and that's the equivalent of what's happening when we open our phone.
Amy Blankson
When you put a footer in your email that says, I do not respond to messages on the weekend, but I look forward to getting back to you on Monday, it gives them a sense of calm that they know when they're going to hear from you.
Amy Blankson
2 Protocols
The J-Game for Happiness
Amy Blankson- Journaling (J): Write down thoughts or daily events (can use apps like iPhone's Journal or a physical journal).
- Gratitude (G): List things you are grateful for (can use apps like 'Gratitude' or a physical list).
- Acts of Kindness (A): Perform small acts of kindness (can send a daily text message to someone in your social support network).
- Meditation (M): Engage in mindfulness or meditation (can use apps like Headspace or YouTube resources).
- Exercise (E): Incorporate physical activity (can use fitness trackers like Fitbit or Apple Watch for inspiration and tracking).
ATB Financial Webinar Structure for Virtual Connection
Mark McConnell (described by Amy Blankson)- Start with 3 minutes of chat and 'get to know you' activities.
- Lead a 1-minute meditation.
- Follow with 1 minute of reflection.
- Transition into the main task of the webinar.
- Throughout the webinar, provide opportunities for chat, call out people's names, and use emoticons/emojis.
- Wrap up the session by talking about gratitudes.