Technology Addiction: 8 ways to save yourself from too much tech

Ariana Huffington (founder of the Huffington Post and author of the book Thrive) experienced burnout as a direct result of working too much. One day Ariana collapsed from exhaustion and hit her face on her desk, resulting in a broken cheekbone and five stitches around her eye. This experience taught her that if you don’t learn to unplug and recharge, you’re not going to be good as a leader in business.

As small business owners it’s vitally important to take time out and schedule some downtime. Just because technology gives us the ability to be connected at all times, it doesn’t mean we have to be. We are better leaders and business owners if we are taking care of our health and wellness needs first.

We’ve put together some top tips on turning off the tech and putting your own self-care first:

1. Switch off your tech at night

Decide on a time each night where you need to start switching off. While we have the ability to stay connected all night if we wanted to, it’s not doing anyone any favours. 8pm is a great time to power down. This allows your mind time to rest, preparing yourself for sleep.

2. Make your bedroom a no tech zone

If you’re like me, you’ll charge your phone beside your bed. This is bad news! Having your phone within arm’s reach increases the temptation to grab it and start scrolling if you can’t sleep, or first thing in the morning. Give yourself some time to fall asleep and also wake up, without overloading your brain with online stimulation. The best idea here is to buy a regular alarm clock (do you remember those?) and charge your devices in another room altogether. Temptation gone!

“The toughest part was disconnecting from all my devices. I thought people would need an answer, things would be left undone, I had to get better at living with incompletion” – Ariana Huffington

3. Allocate time for focused work

If you need time to work on tasks with no distractions, you’ll need to set aside time for them and make a concerted effort to make sure they are distraction free. Block out time in your calendar, turn your phone onto flight mode and get stuck in. Something that has worked well for me is to not check emails first thing, block out a few hours in the morning to get some bigger projects done, and then look at emails and social media in the afternoons.

4. Don’t go online first thing in the morning

Prioritise some self-care to take place before you get stuck into your daily activities. Do you like to exercise, meditate or just spend some time with your family getting ready for the day? This is the time to do it. Since you’re no longer sleeping with your phone beside your bed, you’ll be reaping the rewards of this new habit in no time.

5. Schedule your social media time

As a business owner, it’s likely you use social media regularly to market your business. But social media can turn into a time sink if you let it. So make sure you give thought to your social media content in advance, then schedule it. Book in 15 minutes a day to go back in and reply to comments and engage with your audience, but make it work for you rather than being a slave to social media!

6. Switch off when you leave work

Smartphones have made it really hard to switch off during non-work hours. While it’s great to stay on top of everything by working an hour or two over and above the call of duty, doing this repetitively will eventually lead to burnout. Make sure that you aren’t constantly putting yourself ‘on call’ and enjoy your down time. Your work time will benefit as a result. As a responsible employer, you should also encourage any employees in your business to do the same.

“I learned to say no to things that I wanted to do. The reality was I couldn’t do it all.” – Ariana Huffington

7. Ask yourself if you’re making a difference or merely spectating

Are you adding value to conversations online and actively seeing results from the time you spend on social media and using your online business tools? If you’re not, then it’s time to switch them off. There’s no doubt that they are great tools for business, but only if you’re using them wisely. If your social media time turns into a stalking session, you’ve got better things to do.

8. Delete addictive apps

This is a great one to try with your Facebook app. If you notice that you’re aimlessly scrolling through an app, sometimes without even noticing that you’re doing it, you’re addicted baby! Get rid of the app and go cold turkey. You’ll be amazed at the extra space in your mind this creates, and how much more time you’ll have.

Ariana said “the toughest part was disconnecting for all my devices. I thought people would need an answer, things would be left undone, I had to get better at living with incompletion. I learned to say no to things that I wanted to do. The reality was I couldn’t do it all.”

It’s so easy for us to slip into technology addiction, but the benefits of controlling your tech use are clear. Take more time for yourself and your own self-care, and your business will soar.

If you want to make your #selfcare a priority, come and join us in our 30 day challenge.