Author: It’s Time to Log Off

  • Você ama mais seu smartphone do que seu parceiro?

    Você ama mais seu smartphone do que seu parceiro?

    Este é o post 5 de 6 na série "#LogOffForLove"

    1. Dia dos Namorados 7 dias para Desafio Desintoxicação Digital #LogOffForLove
    2. Desafio de Desintoxicação Digital do Dia dos Namorados #LogOffForLove
    3. Dia dos Namorados 2018: #LogOffForLove Desafio Digital de Detox
    4. #logoffforlove este Dia dos Namorados
    5. Você ama mais seu smartphone do que seu parceiro?
    6. #LogOffForLove Este Dia dos Namorados 2022

    À medida que o Dia dos Namorados se aproxima, estamos fazendo a pergunta complicada "Você ama seu smartphone mais do que seu parceiro?" Você está fazendo eles se sentirem como a terceira roda em seu relacionamento com seus hábitos de verificação compulsivos? Pode ser incrivelmente fácil de fazer, e já escrevemos sobre os perigos muitas vezes antes: então aqui estão os sinais para tomar cuidado!

    Você os 'phub' eles?

    Todos nós estamos cientes de como phubbing (esnobar aqueles ao nosso redor olhando para o nosso telefone em vez de se envolver) pode fazer as pessoas se sentirem. Sabemos como se sente quando acontece conosco (alerta de spoiler: não é ótimo) e muitos de nós nos últimos anos temos levado a deixar nosso telefone em uma bolsa, ou desligar notificações a fim de comprometer totalmente o tempo e a energia para aqueles com quem estamos. Ironicamente é quando estamos com nossos entes queridos mais próximos que nos sentimos menos inclinados a seguir esta regra. Talvez seja porque os vemos o tempo todo, talvez seja porque eles sabem o quão vital é esse e-mail de trabalho, ou talvez nós simplesmente não nos notamos fazendo isso. Isso levou a uma epidemia de phubbing em níveis sem precedentes, com mais de 17% das pessoas em um estudo recente admitiram ter phubbing aqueles ao seu redor mais de quatro vezes por dia. Se você cair naquele acampamento: cuidado!

    Seu celular está no seu quarto?

    Outro sinal de que você pode estar priorizando seu smartphone sobre seu relacionamento são os espaços físicos que você permite. Você está, por exemplo, enrolando à noite deitado ao lado do seu parceiro no seu telefone: ignorá-los? 40% dos americanos levam seus telefones para a cama, então se você também, você não está sozinho. Mas da próxima vez, lembre-se de como você se sente quando quiser falar com seu ente querido, ouvir música juntos ou apenas deixar o espaço aberto para o tempo juntos e você foi desligado por eles focando apenas em seu telefone. Talvez deixá-lo fora da sala hoje à noite para tentar?

    Quando foi a última vez que teve uma refeição de graça?

    Da mesma forma que o limite físico de manter seu telefone fora do quarto, pense nos limites que você tem em torno do tempo, como refeições. Quando você toma um café da manhã rápido ou mesmo jantar com seu parceiro você está se envolvendo com eles? Ou vocês dois estão sentados juntos em seus telefones? Mais de 75% dos britânicos usam seus telefones enquanto comem, então novamente você não está em minoria, mas isso não significa que esta é a prática mais saudável para manter uma relação sólida.

    Você é intencional sobre seu relacionamento?

    Levando em frente a partir dos dois últimos: quando você está usando seu telefone com seu parceiro apresentar a pergunta mais importante é se você está usando-o intencionalmente. Em média , verificamos nosso telefone a cada 12 minutos, muitas vezes inconscientemente. Podemos desligar isso até certo ponto quando passamos tempo com aqueles que não vemos com frequência, e quando participamos de atividades planejadas. Mas, se você ama seu smartphone um pouco demais, quantas vezes você está gerenciando esse nível de concentração em casa com seu parceiro? Infelizmente na era dos smartphones não podemos simplesmente relaxar em hábitos fáceis de comunicação: devemos lembrar de intencionalmente abrir espaço e tempo para nossos parceiros sem a distração das telas. 70% das pessoas relataram que os smartphones interferem regularmente em seus relacionamentos, afinal.

    Já surgiu antes?

    A última e mais óbvia pista de que você ama seu smartphone mais do que seu parceiro é se isso é um problema no seu relacionamento. Você tem conflitos à noite, ou na hora da refeição sobre um de vocês se concentrando demais no seu telefone? Foi mencionado por amigos e familiares? Você é conhecido como aquele que não consegue desligar o telefone? Se esse é o caso, então é hora de fazer uma mudança.

    Para mais sobre como você pode melhorar seus relacionamentos, dando um controle sobre seus hábitos tecnológicos – pegue uma cópia do nosso novo livro: My Brain Has Too Many Tabs Open. Disponível para encomendar aqui.

    Veja o artigo original em itstimetologoff.com

  • Îți iubești smartphone-ul mai mult decât partenerul tău?

    Îți iubești smartphone-ul mai mult decât partenerul tău?

    Acest lucru este post 5 din 6 în seria "#LogOffForLove"

    1. Valentine's Day 7 zile la Digital Detox Challenge #LogOffForLove
    2. Valentine's Day Digital Detox Challenge #LogOffForLove
    3. Valentine's Day 2018: #LogOffForLove Digital Detox Challenge
    4. #logoffforlove acest Valentine's Day
    5. Îți iubești smartphone-ul mai mult decât partenerul tău?
    6. #LogOffForLove Ziua Îndrăgostiților 2022

    Pe măsură ce se apropie Ziua Îndrăgostiților , punem întrebarea complicată "Îți iubești smartphone-ul mai mult decât partenerul tău?" Îi faci să se simtă ca a treia roată din relația ta cu obiceiurile tale compulsive de verificare? Poate fi incredibil de ușor de făcut și am scris despre pericole de multe ori înainte: iată semnele de care trebuie să fiți atenți!

    Nu le "phub"?

    Suntem cu toții conștienți de modul în care phubbing (snubbing cei din jurul nostru, uitându-se la telefonul nostru în loc de angajarea) poate face pe oameni simt. Știm cum se simte atunci când ni se întâmplă (spoiler alert: nu grozav) și mulți dintre noi în ultimii ani ne-am apucat să ne lăsăm telefonul într-o pungă sau să oprim notificările pentru a dedica pe deplin timp și energie celor cu care suntem. În mod ironic, atunci când suntem cu cei mai apropiați dragi, ne simțim cel mai puțin înclinați să urmăm această regulă. Poate pentru că le vedem tot timpul, poate pentru că ei știu cât de vital este acel e-mail de lucru sau poate pur și simplu nu observăm că o facem. Acest lucru a dus la o epidemie de phubbing la niveluri fără precedent, cu mai mult de 17% din oameni într-un studiu recent a recunoscut că a phubbing cei din jurul lor de peste patru ori pe zi. Dacă cazi în tabăra aia: ai grijă!

    Telefonul este în dormitor?

    Un alt semn că s-ar putea să-ți prioritizezi smartphone-ul asupra relației tale este spațiile fizice în care îi permiți să intre. Ești, de exemplu, de lichidare în jos în seara de situată lângă partenerul tau pe telefon: ignorându-le? 40% dintre americani își iau telefoanele în pat, așa că dacă și tu o faci, nu ești singur. Dar data viitoare, amintiți-vă cum vă simțiți atunci când doriți să vorbiți cu persoana iubită, să ascultați muzică împreună sau pur și simplu să lăsați spațiul deschis pentru timp împreună și ați fost închiși de ei concentrându-vă doar pe telefonul lor. Poate lăsați-l în afara camerei in seara asta pentru a da un du-te?

    Când a fost ultima dată când ați avut o masă gratuită prin telefon?

    În mod similar cu limita fizică de a vă ține telefonul departe de dormitor, gândiți-vă la limitele pe care le aveți în jurul timpului, cum ar fi mesele. Când mănânci un mic dejun rapid sau chiar o cină pe îndelete cu partenerul tău, interacționezi cu el? Sau sunteți amândoi așezați împreună pe telefoanele dvs.? Peste 75% dintre britanici își folosesc telefoanele în timp ce mănâncă, deci din nou nu ești în minoritate, dar asta nu înseamnă că aceasta este cea mai sănătoasă practică pentru menținerea unei relații solide.

    Esti intentionat in legatura cu relatia ta?

    Pornind de la ultimele două: atunci când utilizați telefonul cu partenerul, cea mai importantă întrebare este dacă îl utilizați în mod intenționat. În medie, ne verificăm telefonul la fiecare 12 minute, adesea inconștient. Putem dezactiva acest lucru într-o anumită măsură atunci când petrecem timp cu cei pe care nu îi vedem des și când participăm la activitățile planificate. Dar, dacă îți iubești smartphone-ul un pic prea mult, cât de des gestionezi acel nivel de concentrare acasă cu partenerul tău? Din păcate, în era smartphone-urilor nu ne putem relaxa pur și simplu în obiceiuri ușoare de comunicare: trebuie să ne amintim să facem în mod intenționat spațiu și timp pentru partenerii noștri fără distragerea atenției ecranelor. 70% dintre oameni au raportat că smartphone-urile interferează în mod regulat cu relațiile lor până la urmă.

    A mai apărut?

    Ultimul și cel mai evident indiciu că îți iubești smartphone-ul mai mult decât partenerul este dacă aceasta este o problemă în relația ta. Ai conflicte seara, sau la orele mesei peste unul dintre voi concentrându-se prea mult pe telefon? A fost menționată de prieteni și familie? Ești cunoscut ca cel care nu poate coborî de pe telefon? Dacă acesta este cazul, atunci este timpul pentru a face o schimbare.

    Pentru mai multe informații despre cum vă puteți îmbunătăți relațiile prin obținerea unui mâner cu privire la obiceiurile tehnologice – ridicați o copie a noii noastre cărți: Creierul meu are prea multe file deschise. Disponibil pentru comanda aici.

    Vezi articolul original la itstimetologoff.com

  • #LogOffForLove This Valentines Day 2022

    #LogOffForLove This Valentines Day 2022

    This is post 6 of 6 in the series “#LogOffForLove”

    1. Valentine’s Day 7 Days to Digital Detox Challenge #LogOffForLove
    2. Valentine’s Day Digital Detox Challenge #LogOffForLove
    3. Valentine’s Day 2018: #LogOffForLove Digital Detox Challenge
    4. #logoffforlove this Valentine’s Day
    5. Do you love your smartphone more than your partner?
    6. #LogOffForLove This Valentines Day 2022

    We all choose to spend Valentines differently: some go all out with gifts, activities and grand gestures whilst others choose to spend the day much like any other, stay in or get a takeaway. Regardless of the importance you place on the day, nothing screams romance less than someone who is glued to their phone and doesn’t pay proper attention to their Valentine. We have written before about the impact which phubbing (snubbing someone with your phone) can have on a relationship, and that is not the only point of tension between phones and loved ones!

    So, we have put together some tips to help you log off for love this Valentines as part of our annual campaign encouraging you to prioritise relationships over devices.

    Give an analogue gift

    The most obvious display of Valentines spirit is in the gift giving, so this year we are challenging you to think outside of the box and give an analogue gift. From hand writing a card to booking a holiday for the two of you, there are lots of options for gifts which can focus on the person you love rather over technology! Especially on Valentines it is even more important that the thought behind your gift focuses on the real world, and demonstrates your investment in the relationship.

    Plan offline activities

    If you are celebrating the day in style with some Valentines related activities we recommend going for some offline events too! Perhaps you could play crazy golf, go up in a hot air balloon or simply cook them dinner and do a puzzle together. No matter how you celebrate there are lots of ways to spend time together in person and focus on quality time over consumption of media like going to the cinema or watching TV at home.

    Intentionally log off

    There will be lots of variety in ways that we all log off for love this Valentines but one thing we can all do throughout the day and incorporate into all our activities is to have the intention to log off. This means that we can plan in advance. If you know that you might be distracted by work emails, a match score or internet gossip instead of being fully focused on your partner take steps in advance to make sure that doesn’t happen. You could let your colleagues know you are going off-grid that night, or perhaps turn off notifications for the evening. We all know how easy it is to get distracted so get ahead of it!

    Keep your phone out of the bedroom

    One way in which you can plan ahead is to commit to leaving your phone outside of the bedroom, at least for this one night. We have written before about the damaging impact which having your phone in your room can have on sleep (only 20 mins can significantly impact sleep quality) and our mental health but it is equally damaging to our relationships as its presence can often cause us to split our attention and leave our partner neglected.

    Log off for love throughout the year!

    Finally, the best gift you can give this Valentines is to log off for love all year round. Take these tips and institute them in your day to day life beyond one celebration of love. Your partner deserves it, and so do you!

    View the original article at itstimetologoff.com

  • Six Simple Steps to Beat Your Tech Addiction

    Six Simple Steps to Beat Your Tech Addiction

    Tech addiction is defined as an impulse control disorder that involves the obsessive use of mobile phones, the internet or video games. Put in a simpler way, it combines excessive use of tech with negative repercussions {such as social isolation} and withdrawal symptoms {such as moodiness, depression or irritability}. Tech addiction can seem like an impossible hurdle to jump, but with the right advice, beating it could be less daunting than it feels. Here are seven simple ways to beat your tech addiction.

    1. Admit The Problem

    It’s a common cliché that the first stage in fixing a problem is admitting that the problem exists. If you don’t admit you have a problem your desire to change will be lukewarm at best. Be honest and evaluate if tech impairs your ability to function on a day to day basis. If your mood is dependent on “the little demon in your pocket”, then your relationship with tech has become at the very least unhealthy.

    Six Simple Steps to Beat Your Tech Addiction
    Acknowledging you might have tech addiction is the first step.

    2. Carve Out Screen Free Time

    It goes without saying that dedicating time as screen-free is an ideal way to ween yourself off tech. Go for a walk, a bike ride or a run. Read a book or chat with a family member or friend. Or do absolutely nothing and re-calibrate during the day. If you are able to do a task or activity that does not involve a screen throughout the day then you are one step closer to breaking your tech addiction.

    3. Switch Off from Work

    Six Simple Steps to Beat Your Tech Addiction

    A lot of tech addicts can trace their problems to one place: work. The prevalence of tech in the 21st-century workplace means that it can be very hard to switch off even when your working hours are over. Baby steps are important as you are unlikely to be able to switch off from work-related tech for large periods at a time, at least in the beginning. Try turning off notifications for apps that are non-essential outside work (like Slack, for example). Or set up email labels that filter out emails so that you can reply to them at a later date. These should help alleviate some of the stresses of any potential tech addiction and help you to beat it.

    4. Use Tech That Helps You Stay Away from Tech

    As the founder of the Digital Citizenship Summit David Polgar puts it “If we were left alone with our devices, we would use them all day”. But technology can be used as a tool against tech addiction by using specialised apps and functionality. For example, the app Space, designed to help you think about how you are using your phone, can send you notifications to log off that get progressively more insistent as they are ignored. And Apple’s Focus Mode allows you to set limits around the functionality on your phone depending on the type of break you want from it. Using tech as an aider rather than an enabler, your relationship with tech could start to become healthier.

    5. Design Your Tech Free Zones

    By having tech around you every second of the day, the likelihood of a relapse or the temptation to use tech more than you should will always be present. The answer: tech-free zones. Zones at work or in the house where tech is not present. By removing tech from certain physical spaces, you will ensure that those places are where you can truly relax and remove the temptation of overindulging with tech.

    6. Favour Face Time

    Technology has undoubtedly changed the way we communicate. However, communication online is never truly the same as that in person. By placing the emphasis on meeting others face to face, social interaction not only happens more organically but also removes obvious dependence on tech. Just make sure your phone is away when you are with anyone else!

    Six Simple Steps to Beat Your Tech Addiction

    For more about how you can manage tech addiction and on other bad digital habits that are changing lives – pick up a copy of our new book: My Brain Has Too Many Tabs Open. Available to order here.

    View the original article at itstimetologoff.com

  • Time to rethink working from home in 2022?

    Time to rethink working from home in 2022?

    Thanks to the pandemic, the last two years have seen an explosion in the number of people working from home right across the globe. But as new research and studies begin to emerge on the impact of #wfh, is it time for us to re-think our home-work habits as we go into 2022?

    Some of the studies have told us things we probably could have worked out for ourselves – it’s not been great for women. Some may come as a surprise – we’ve been a lot less productive than we may initially have thought.

    Women have been disadvantaged working from home

    Time to rethink working from home in 2022?
    Women have been juggling work and childcare, much more than men, during the pandemic.

    Anecdotal evidence seemed to suggest that women all over the globe felt the burden of lockdowns – with the expectation of combining home working with home schooling – was falling mainly on them.

    And indeed, research by scientists at the universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Zurich showed that working women in the US, UK and Germany did more childcare and home-schooling across all wage brackets in the early months of the pandemic, compared to men with similar earnings. The difference was even greater in couples where the man had worked outside the household during the pandemic.

    Similarly, a study from the University of Chicago found that the productivity of those working from home fell by up to a fifth, especially among women (who it is assumed took the brunt of household and childcare tasks).

    Working hours have increased, productivity hasn’t

    Time to rethink working from home in 2022?
    Late night working has become the norm

    Of course, though women may have suffered disproportionately, changes in working habits affected everyone working from home. One study found the average length of time an employee working from home in the UK, Austria, Canada and the US was logged on at their computer increased by more than two hours a day in the pandemic. In fact, UK workers were found to have increased their working week by almost 25% and, along with employees in the Netherlands, were logging off at 8pm,

    Surprisingly, those extra hours didn’t result in a corresponding increase in productivity. Japan’s Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI) says that the productivity of employees when working from home during the Covid-19 pandemic was, on average, 30–40% lower than that in the office. A similar study from the US, using data from a survey of small and medium-sized firms, reported a decrease in productivity of about 20% on average.

    We may make more mistakes working from home

    Time to rethink working from home in 2022?

    Some people working at home felt they could concentrate better than when they were working in the office (apart from those struggling parents), but one study found that home working may actually lead to more mistakes. Researchers at the Rotterdam School of Management in Netherlands found that world-class chess players made worse moves when playing from home online than when facing their opponents over the board. They hypothesised that work tasks often require the same sort of skills as chess moves, such as analysis, strategy, and decision-making under pressure, and that it may be a sign that remote working may impact quality of work in the same way.

    Of course, the decision to carry on working from home may not just be based on working hours and productivity. Quality of family life and the lack of a commute might also be big attractions. But all these studies do suggest that, as in so many areas, just because the technology exists to enable us to work from home, there may be complex and subtle human reasons that may mean it might not always be the best choice. Food for thought, as we go into 2022.

    Time to rethink working from home in 2022?
    My Brain Has Too Many Tabs Open

    If you need more practical help and inspiration, not just on working from home but also on tech-life balance, our new book will help you this year. Pick up a copy here.

    View the original article at itstimetologoff.com

  • 10 Digital Detox Resolutions for 2022

    10 Digital Detox Resolutions for 2022

    10 Digital Detox Resolutions for 2022

    This is post 4 of 4 in the series “Resolutions”

    1. 5 Achievable Digital Detox Resolutions for 2018
    2. 7 Realistic Digital Detox Resolutions for 2020
    3. 10 Digital Detox Resolutions for 2021, after a Year on Screens
    4. 10 Digital Detox Resolutions for 2022

    It’s the end of the year. It’s time to focus on new habits that might just make the new year healthier and happier than the one behind us. Some people don’t like the idea of making resolutions just because it’s a new year, but we’re big fans. So, we’re sharing the ten digital detox resolutions that we think will make an appreciable difference to our health, our productivity and our relationships, as we leap hopefully into this new year. 

    We’ve had a whole heap of new research, and insights from within Big Tech, coming out this last year so we’re going into 2022 feeling more informed and empowered than ever about our relationship with tech.

    10 Digital Detox Resolutions for a Healthier, Happier New Year

    #1 Define your ‘why’

    10 Digital Detox Resolutions for 2022
    Why do you want to cut back on screen time? What’s your motivation?

    Changing habits is hard. Any resolution you make is only going to be effective if you’re really motivated. So, start with why. Are you cutting down on time on screens for your mental health`? For your work and productivity? To improve your relationships? Work out what ‘success’ looks like to you in tech:life balance terms. Hitting your goals will be that little bit easier.

    #2 Stop the blur between home and work

    10 Digital Detox Resolutions for 2022
    What are your ‘do not cross’ lines for work and home balance?

    Perhaps the biggest problem of the last few years, is how screens have taken up residence in every corner of our homes. Thanks to us all working from home, work-life balance is harder than ever before. Setting clear boundaries between work and home was a struggle before the pandemic, with work emails pinging us day and night, it now feels impossible. Set your rules for 2022 on where your office ends and your home begins, for a calmer, less stressful, you.

    #3 Connect with nature (for a 28% reduction in loneliness)

    10 Digital Detox Resolutions for 2022
    Get outside and connect with nature

    The power of nature to soothe and restore us has never been more evident, or needed, than in the last year. A new study has found that getting outside and enjoying nature can reduce feelings of loneliness by up to 28 per cent in city dwellers. If you need one more reason to get outside in 2022, we think that’s a pretty good one.

    #4 Have more ‘face time’

    10 Digital Detox Resolutions for 2022
    Invest in real-life face time

    Last year we were very restricted in who we could meet up with face-to-face. This year, things have been much better. But many of us still pick up and check our phones when we’re with our nearest and dearest. Invest more in real-life face time in 2022. Put down your phone and properly connect with the people you’re with.

    #5 Cut mindless screen scrolling

    10 Digital Detox Resolutions for 2022
    Be more mindful about your screen habits in 2022

    Using screens and the digital world to connect, to work, to inspire, isn’t the problem. It’s the mindless two hours spent on TikTok when we only meant to jump on for a few minutes. Getting dragged back into ‘work’ mode when we went to read one email. And hours spent doom scrolling when we only intended to check the headlines. Making a resolution to use screens mindfully and with intention in 2022 should be one of your goals.

    #6 Say ‘no’ to notifications

    10 Digital Detox Resolutions for 2022
    Stop your phone from shouting at you in 2022

    If you’ve still got notifications enabled on your phone, honestly, we don’t know how you’re managing. With an average of 40 apps on our smartphones buzzing, popping up and shouting at us for attention, that’s a lot of interruptions. In 2022, be ruthless about the notifications you get from your smartphone. Decide which are essential and which you can ditch with 2021. Frankly, the fewer notifications you get, the better.

    #7 Take time out

    10 Digital Detox Resolutions for 2022
    Pause more, without your phone, in 2022

    Schedule time out from screens as regular dates with yourself in your 2022 diary. Ten to fifteen minutes, just you and a book, or a cup of coffee, staring out the window, with no smartphone in your hand is a good place to start.

    #8 Put audio over video

    10 Digital Detox Resolutions for 2022
    Not every call has to be a video call

    Stanford University found that Zoom fatigue was a real phenomenon this year. The strain of staring at others on a screen for too long leaves us feeling burnt out. Listening to someone’s voice on the other hand has been proven to deepen empathy and understanding. Make a goal to switch to audio when you can in 2022.

    #9 Keep scrolling thumbs busy

    10 Digital Detox Resolutions for 2022
    Keep hands busy and you won’t miss your phone

    Find something you can do off screens which completely absorbs you. It should enable you to completely switch off from everything else going on around you. When we are in this mindful state called ‘flow’, it gives our brains time to rest. It leaves us feeling rested and rejuvenated. The bonus is we are so absorbed we don’t miss the feeling of mindless scrolling on our phones. Find your flow in 2022.

    #10 Un-friend social media

    10 Digital Detox Resolutions for 2022
    Is it time to say ‘no’ to social media?

    Many people have been talking, and writing, this year about giving up social media for good. With more bad news about the impact on mental health we feel like the balance is swinging against it every year. But many of us need it for our work, and enjoy using it. We don’t have all the answers but in 2022 one of our goals should be asking ourselves seriously if the good still outweighs the bad. Let us know how you get on!

    10 Digital Detox Resolutions for 2022
    My Brain Has Too Many Tabs Open

    If you need more practical help and inspiration, our new book will help you with has all your digital detox and digital wellbeing resolutions this year. Pick up a copy here.

    View the original article at itstimetologoff.com

  • Our Top 10 digital detox articles of 2021

    Our Top 10 digital detox articles of 2021

    This is post 6 of 6 in the series “Top Ten”

    1. Our Top 10 digital detox posts of 2015
    2. Our Top 10 digital detox posts of 2017
    3. Our Top 10 digital detox posts of 2018
    4. Our Top 10 digital detox blogs of 2019
    5. Our Top 10 digital detox blogs of 2020
    6. Our Top 10 digital detox articles of 2021

    Another year, another twelve months spent more on screens than we’d care to admit. We had another record year of visits to our blog to make the most of our advice, help, ideas and round-ups of the latest facts, research and statistics on living healthily with tech. Here, at the end of this second year of the pandemic, were our top digital detox articles in 2021:

    10. The Latest in Digital Detox Research

    Our Top 10 digital detox articles of 2021

    As we emerged from the last full lockdown in the UK in July this year, we wanted to review how our tech habits had changed in the pandemic, and what impacts these changes have had on our overall wellbeing. This article reviewed some of the newest research.

    9. 10 Questions that Will Help You In Your Digital Detox

    We know how difficult digital detoxes can be, with many struggling to make it through the first few hours, let alone the days and months which might allow healthier habits to form. We put together some questions to help you digital detox effectively and maintain your habits long term, beyond 2021.

    8. Phone Addiction: Spotting the Symptoms and Taking the Next Steps

    “Is it addiction, or am I just a bit overly-connected to my phone?” is one of the questions we get asked the most. So we did a deep-dive into what really constitutes ‘addiction’. We looked at how you could spot the symptoms in yourself and others and how to take the next steps in dealing with it.

    7. 8 Ways to Put Your Phone Down More in 2021

    Our Top 10 digital detox articles of 2021

    As we emerged into 2021 the question on everyone’s lips was how to avoid being glued to our phones and screens as much as we were throughout 2021. Ofcom found that during the first UK Covid lockdown, Brits spent 40% of their time watching TV and online video, and that’s before they were working online, or browsing social media. Our first post of 2021 was full of tips to help you revamp your screen use and get the most out of the new year.

    6. 5 Things to do Instead of Scrolling on Your Phone

    Our Top 10 digital detox articles of 2021

    One of the biggest challenges we face when we start a digital detox, or make the resolution to log off, is what to do instead. We know from our years of experience that when our hands are busy it makes it just that little bit harder to pick up our phones. This article suggested five things you can do to help you stay offline.

    5. Our 2021 Digital Detox Resolutions

    Always one of our most popular digital detox articles of the year (look out for the 2022 one in January 2022), this one is where we set down our resolutions for the year. We always hope it helps you to set your own challenges too.

    4. How to Deal with Digital Burnout

    Unsurprisingly, after the last couple of years digital burnout was a hot topic this year. It was one of the most requested subjects for our corporate and school talks in 2021 and frequently requested as a topic for our digital detox articles too. This article focused on how to deal with burnout from screens, phones and video calls if you felt you might be suffering.

    Also ranked very highly was…

    3. The Growing Problem with Digital Burnout

    We looked further at the new research on how being glued to screens for the past few years was impacting us all. The fact that two digital detox articles in our top five in 2021 were on the subject of digital burnout told us all we needed to know about how you were all feeling…

    Our Top 10 digital detox articles of 2021

    2. Why You Should be Active, Not Passive, on Social Media

    Very few of you want to give up social media completely, but you do want to know what ‘healthy’ use looks like. In our second most popular article in 2021, we shared the latest research on how an active use is better for us than passive scrolling.

    Which brought us to…

    1. 4 Ways to Stop Social Media Ruining Your Relationship

    Our No.1 post this year was focused on your worries on how social media might be impacting your most important relationships. The fact that it was the most popular post told us just how worried you all are about it. With practical and realistic suggestions, we really hope this one helped.

    2021 felt a tiny bit like Groundhog Day at Time To Log Off Towers. At the end of 2020 we hoped that we’d be off screens and back off out into the real world. It hasn’t happened in quite the way we all thought (yet). But, the silver lining for us was that you kept coming back to our site and reading our digital detox articles in another record-breaking year. We hope they all helped in some way. Do let us know!

    Our Top 10 digital detox articles of 2021

    For more ideas, suggestions and help on living healthily with the digital world, pick up a copy of our new book which also came out in 2021.

    View the original article at itstimetologoff.com

  • Technoference: What it is and How to Stop Doing it.

    Technoference: What it is and How to Stop Doing it.

    This is post 3 of 3 in the series “My Brain Has Too Many Tabs Open”

    1. Are You Guilty of Sharenting? How to Stop
    2. Have you been ‘phubbing’ your loved ones? We can help.
    3. Technoference: What it is and How to Stop Doing it.

    It’s a tale as old as time: a family is gathered in a kitchen, the living room or in the car. This is a time for chatter, a time for the conversation to flow and for bonds to be strengthened. However, there is no chat. Only pairs of glazed eyes focused on screens all around. This habit has a name: technoference. It’s something we have all done or had done to us. Studies suggest that not only are parents are using technoference in order to disengage with children, they also find it more difficult to engage with a child when they put their screen down.

    Technoference: What it is and How to Stop Doing it.

    What is Technoference?

    Technoference is a portmanteau of the words “technology” and “interference”. Technoference has many recognisable forms. It could be a meal with family, where the conversation is interrupted every minute by the need to keep up with the football score. Or, maybe someone asks you a question and you fail to answer because you are engrossed in your device. If you are not present in the conversation because of preoccupation with tech, or dropped out of a conversation midway because of something tech-related, you are guilty of technoference.

    Technoference: What it is and How to Stop Doing it.

    Why is Technoference a Problem?

    Most of us know the feeling of having a conversation halted because someone needs to check their phone. You can lose the thread of what you were saying, or think that the conversation was not important to the person in the first place. All this makes us slip further within ourselves, furthering the loss of interaction that the pandemic has left us with. We should make an effort to be more social than ever before if we are to ameliorate the effects of technoference. These effects, according to research, include lower relationship and life satisfaction than those who use devices less. The bottom line is clear: technoference leads to real world difficulties.

    How to Stop

    Beyond simply putting your phone down more often, there are plenty of ways you can reduce technoference. Turning off notifications on your device would be good start, as would keeping your phone in your pocket and out of sight. You are less likely to be interrupted by a ringing phone or be tempted to check it if it’s not in your sightline. If there are times when you simply cannot avoid looking at your phone, try and excuse yourself from the conversation first to go to a place where you can take a call ,or check an email. If you engage in technoference, it’s more likely that those around you will too. By making these first steps, you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the difference it inspires it not just you, but also the people around you. Give it a go and see what a big difference a small change can make.

    Technoference: What it is and How to Stop Doing it.

    For more about how digital habits such as technoference are changing our lives – and how to fix it – pick up a copy of our new book: My Brain Has Too Many Tabs Open. Available to order here.

    View the original article at itstimetologoff.com

  • The Time To Log Off Digital Wellbeing Gift Guide 2021

    The Time To Log Off Digital Wellbeing Gift Guide 2021

    Our 2021 Gift Guide is here! With gifts for all budgets, from £2.81 up to £1,500, we think there’s something in here for everyone. We hope you enjoy the suggestions from everyone at Time To Log Off Towers for gifts that will help your recipients (or even yourself) log off and connect with the real world this holiday season.

    For Keeping Twitchy Hands Busy

    When you put your phone away, you’re going to want to keep your hands busy and get into the flow of doing something that’s really absorbing. Here are some ides.

    The Time To Log Off Digital Wellbeing Gift Guide 2021

    This gorgeous puzzle from our puzzling faves, Wentworth Puzzles, will keep someone busy all through the festive period and beyond. Beautifully hand made, carved from wood with unique shaped ‘whimsy’ pieces, these are collectors items and will be treasured for years. From £29.95.

    The Time To Log Off Digital Wellbeing Gift Guide 2021

    We’re huge fans of the craftivism of Badass Cross Stitch who organises online tutorials and workshops, as well as selling unique patterns for you to have a go at yourself. We loved ‘Pooping Deer’ for the holiday season, but there are lots more to choose from so you could gift a set to the lucky recipient. £2.81

    The Time To Log Off Digital Wellbeing Gift Guide 2021

    This Rainbow Admire Vest knitting kit from Olympian Tom Daley’s new knitting website Made With Love by Tom Daley is rated as ‘Easy’ and would make a great present to encourage someone to try a new hobby. You can choose the base colour to coordinate with the stripes and all the wool, pattern and needles are included. £90 for the kit

    The Time To Log Off Digital Wellbeing Gift Guide 2021

    What can be more absorbing, or keep your hands engaged more, than turning the pages of a real-life physical book? Our new book ‘My Brain Has Too many Tabs Open’ by founder Tanya Goodin, will inspire the reader with real-life stories of people struggling with tech and how they ultimately fixed their lives. £14.99

    For Connecting With Nature

    Putting down your screens and getting outside is a big part of our mission, here are a selection of gifts that will encourage the recipient to get out a little bit more and switch off.

    The Time To Log Off Digital Wellbeing Gift Guide 2021

    The Fogo Island Inn sits on an island, off an island, at one of the four corners of the Earth in Newfoundland, Canada. Each room has a floor to ceiling window to allow you to connect with your landscape whilst the Inn is built on concepts of sustainability and is a community asset, supporting the local community. Stays from £1500

    The Time To Log Off Digital Wellbeing Gift Guide 2021

    The Falcon Hotel at Castle Ashby is a beautifully restored former coaching inn built in 1594 on the Marquess of Northampton’s Castle Ashby estate designed as a retreat for those in need of rest and renewal. The hotel is also home to a wellbeing and nature programme as well as being situated amongst the gorgeous British countryside with curated gardens and walks galore. Stays from £190

    The Time To Log Off Digital Wellbeing Gift Guide 2021

    This traditional insulated puffer jacket is a perfect addition to the wardrobe for someone who wants to be getting out and about more in the post-Christmas winter spell. It is made of recycled fabrics, both wind and water resistant and is designed to last a lifetime. Its makers, Finisterre, are a UK, Devon-based brand putting the environment at the centre of their work. £195

    For Being More Analogue

    It’s easy to think that all the best entertainment is on a screen in 2021, but here are some suggestions on how to reap the benefits of being a bit more analogue.

    The Time To Log Off Digital Wellbeing Gift Guide 2021

    Why not bring back some of the boardgames nostalgia of childhood Christmases with this gift for the whole family?Catan has for many been a gateway game to the world of boardgames so you could be setting everyone off on an analogue hobby for the year! £29

    The Time To Log Off Digital Wellbeing Gift Guide 2021

    Similarly, Uno is one for the whole family with easy-to-follow rules suitable for all ages. It’s a shorter commitment than a boardgame too so might be a good choice whilst waiting for dinner or entertaining children before bed. £5

    The Time To Log Off Digital Wellbeing Gift Guide 2021

    Another option for family-bonding could be starting a garden or vegetable patch to feed and entertain everyone. If that sounds like a good idea to you, then how about buying the National Trust School of Gardening 2021 guide, aimed at enthusiastic amateurs to get you started and keep you inspired. £20

    For Saving the Planet

    Don’t be gloomy about the state of the world, there are plenty of organisations doing their bit to make it better. These gifts will help the recipient support what they’re doing.

    The Time To Log Off Digital Wellbeing Gift Guide 2021

    Give the gift of having a positive impact on the climate with a subscription to Ecologi, for less than less than the cost of a cup of coffee per week. The cheapest ‘Helper’ subscription plan plants 12 trees a month and reduces one carbon footprint (10.6 tonnes of CO2) a year on behalf of the recipient. £4.70 a month.

    The Time To Log Off Digital Wellbeing Gift Guide 2021

    Give the ocean-lover in your life a gift from the Oceana store, the largest international advocacy organisation dedicated solely to ocean conservation. A symbolic adoption of a penguin (you can also choose a puffin, polar bear or turtle amongst others), will give back to help protect the world’s oceans. From £26.

    For Tech that Keeps you Off Tech

    There is some tech that can actually help you spend a little less time scrolling. Here are some of our top picks this year.

    The Time To Log Off Digital Wellbeing Gift Guide 2021

    From the dawn of Time To Log Off we have been recommending alarm clocks to help you keep your phone out of your bedroom and increase your quality of sleep. With a choice of melodies, variable volume and most importantly a lack of internet connection, this alarm from Mudita can do all your phone does, and better. £42 to pre-order

    The Time To Log Off Digital Wellbeing Gift Guide 2021

    One of the biggest fears about digital detoxes is the worry that we will be uncontactable in an emergency. The Punkt MP02 New Generation 4G phone eliminates this entirely by allowing you to use your smartphone’s SIM in this ‘dumb phone’, so you’re still contactable by text and voice, but take a break from scrolling. £279

    The Time To Log Off Digital Wellbeing Gift Guide 2021

    Our last gift suggestion for 2021 is this Faraday cage from Stolph. An electromagnetic layer ensures that once phones are placed inside, no signal can enter. Ideal for sociable areas like the kitchen or dining table. Using the box you can put all devices away at the start of a meal, or scheduled time and set a timer to take the pressure off your self-control! £37

    Whoever you’re buying for, make this Christmas more meaningful with these digital detox gift guide ideas. From the environmentally minded to children to those who need to switch off, we hope there’s something in here for everyone!

    View the original article at itstimetologoff.com

  • Should We Have A Right to Disconnect from Work?

    Should We Have A Right to Disconnect from Work?

    For many people, especially in the world of finance and consultancy, there is no such thing as a nine to five. However, with the advent of worldwide lockdowns, employees have begun to challenge the old status quo. They ask a simple question: should we have a right to disconnect from work?.

    Should We Have A Right to Disconnect from Work?

    ‘Disconnecting’ right now

    A common refrain around digital detox is that the twenty-four working day makes it impossible. Especially in the financial services industry, if someone else is awake or a market is opening, the argument is that employees should be too. We’ve written about the problems with tech-work-life balance before, but for many years a legal “Right to Disconnect” has been a pipe dream. But the movement has spread. An EU resolution for disconnection after work hours has passed and there are murmurs that the UK should follow its lead. The French have led in this. In 2017, the French government passed a law requiring a company of more than fifty employees to draw up a charter that must clearly set out how employers could communicate with staff after designated working hours. Ireland has also recently implemented a series of codes and best practices for employers on the subject to “navigate an increasingly digital landscape”.

    What are the barriers to disconnection?

    Aside from legislation, the biggest barrier to disconnection from work is that companies are more dependent on tech than ever before. Taking email as just one example, the average office worker receives one hundred and twenty-one emails in a day. That’s an average of five every hour of the day and night. Most workers in Britain haven’t worked a traditional ‘9-5’ since well before Covid, making it difficult to formulate any set regular hours into law. That is all before the most obvious question of all: will restricting out-of-hours communication make companies more productive.

    Is disconnection productive?

    Should We Have A Right to Disconnect from Work?

    The short answer is yes. Whilst we can’t truly know the implementation effects until laws have been passed, early results are encouraging. In a study done into the effects of disconnection on home and office workers, 80% of Swedish employers reported higher rates of productivity amongst workers, with similar results in France and Brazil. It also found that even amongst neutral organisations, rather than ones who openly support changes, the results were similar. Longer hours, it seems does not equal greater productivity.

    The Future of Disconnection

    Whilst several countries have passed measures to help employees disconnect, it will surprise few to know that it is far from becoming a reality across the board. The best you can do at the moment is to tailor disconnection to your own individual hours. If you are unsure as to where to start with disconnecting from work, or you want to explore digital detox further, here are some more articles from us on the subject”

    1. Three Overlooked Ways to Achieve Flow and Reach Peak Productivity in the Office
    2. How to Switch Off After Work
    3. Your Work Life Balance Needs Digital Detox
    Should We Have A Right to Disconnect from Work?

    For further inspiration on work-life balance our latest book, ‘My Brain Has Too Many Tabs Open’ is available on Amazon now.

    View the original article at itstimetologoff.com