Author: It’s Time to Log Off

Digital Detox Tips That Actually Work

Digital detoxing is difficult, and it can be hard to know where to start. Here’s some tried and tested low-effort but-high impact digital detox tips that actually work.

Allow only essential notifications

Let’s make things easier for ourselves.

We probably all know the feeling of being super concentrated on a task, or engaged in a conversation with a friend, when our phone buzzes. The second we check the notification, we interrupt our train of thought. The longer we loiter on our phone, the less likely we are be able to pick up where we left off and resume our stream of productivity.

To lower chances of this interruption in the first place, the first of our digital detox tips is about limiting the number of notifications you receive. Turn anything that you do not need to receive in real time, such as social media and news notifications. This means you have control over when you check your phone: not the other way round.

Leave your phone behind

Next time you go out and you deem it safe and sensible to, leave your phone behind. Whether going for a walk, to someone’s house, or even just running errands, use the outing as an opportunity to put some distance between you and your tech. If you can’t access it, you cannot succumb to the temptation to check your notifications or go on it.

If you don’t have a reason to leave your home, make one! Go for a walk over lunchtime or after work – your mind and body will thank you for it.

If the thought of leaving your phone at home makes you feel anxious: digitally detoxing is definitely the right move for you. Feeling nervous when separated from your phone is a sign of digital addiction, and could be having negative impacts on your productivity, relationships and sleep quality. Therefore, as difficult as it can be, breaking the habit of being accompanied by your phone everywhere you go is a really important step towards developing a healthier tech-life balance.

Make time for the activities you love

Find something to fill up the otherwise dead time you spend on your phone. If you have something you love and look forward to doing – for example baking, running, arts and crafts – you will not feel the need, or even want, to go on your phone. Investing time into doing the things you love will leave you feeling happy and fulfilled. Scrolling mindlessly on your phone will only delay (and possibly even exacerbate) your boredom and leave you feeling lethargic and dissatisfied.

Extend this to your morning and evening routine. Starting and ending the day on your phone is terrible for your self-esteem, productivity and sleep cycle. Find an activity that makes you feel good in the morning and sets you up for a productive day ahead – such as yoga or journaling – and one that relaxes you and helps you to wind down before bed, like reading, jigsaw puzzles or colouring.

Use your tech only when you need to

Often technology does enrich our lives, for example by allowing us to stay in contact with friends and family. Mobile phones in themselves are not harmful, but if we do not use them responsibly we can end up in a detrimental cycle of unhealthy technology use.

To make sure that you are using your phone mindfully, every time you pick it up, ask yourself why exactly you are using your phone. Your friend whom you are meeting for dinner is asking you what time you’d like to meet? Let them know! Agree on a plan, tell them you’re looking forward to catching up in person, and put your phone down. Instagram account @user49235 has liked your photo? You probably don’t need to go on your phone (and if you are receiving notifications like these, please refer to number 1 in our digital detox tips!)

Hold yourself accountable

The constant theme tying all these tips together is accountability. Question your actions: do I need to go on my phone right now? Do I even need my phone with me? Will going on my phone right now make me happy?

Asking yourself these questions will help you to align your digital habits with want you want from your daily life. A digital detox is a kindness to oneself: it separates your work life from your home life, gives you back time to do the activities you love, and promotes more activity and better quality sleep, leading to a healthier, happier day-to-day.

View the original article at itstimetologoff.com

The Problem with Group Chats

Group Chats. Whether for family, sport, work or pleasure, most of us belong to one or another. With the advent of the pandemic in 2020, these chats became an emotional and practical way to keep in touch with the outside world. However, this period also exposed the problem with group chats, which for many has overshadowed the usefulness that they once provided.

The Work Chat

With the advent of Whatsapp in the early 2010s, many workplaces started using group chats as a method of communication. Why send a lengthy internal email when you can just post to the chat?

In a world where working from home has become the norm, chats acted as a “virtual water cooler” chat for the 21st century. The contents of these chats are felt to be private, with no real world consequences for what was said. But, of course, there are. Not only have there been cases of firings for group chat comments, they also have unforeseen consequences. Bullying and employee burnout are chief among them. The “right to disconnect” movement was partly inspired by the 24/7 modern work week. Work chats also have a negative effect on employee performance, with one study estimating an average of eight minutes from replying to chat to returning to the task at hand.

And the problems with chats has now permeated our homes, in the form of the family group chat.

The Family Chat

When the pandemic hit, the family and friends group chat became more important than ever. With real life communication gone and some families separated by thousands of miles, it seemed the only option. However, the sheer number of members in single groups created the first of many problems: switching off. Constant notifications, and a fear of missing out or FOMO resulted in many users feeling annoyed or even isolated. We have three top tips on how to successfully detox from the family group chat.

1. Mute Notifications

Instead of being constantly annoyed by sounds and banner flashes, simply mute notifications. This will not only enable greater relaxation but also allow you to choose when you go back. This makes it more likely that you’ll be able to use it effectively.

2. Cut Back Daily

A useful analogy for activity on group chats is to think of it like a sauna: stay for a while, then leave. Whilst it might not be in your best interest to stop checking the chat right away, it definitely is in your interests to cut back your daily chat time. Choose specific times in the day to leave the chat alone and engage in activities off screen.

3. Leave the Chat

This is the most drastic but also the most simple of the tips. Taking a break from the constant chatter of family and friends online can be a better way to interact with them off it.

If you are still looking for tips or tricks, our new book, “My Brain Has too Many Tabs Open” written by our founder Tanya Goodin, is available to order from Amazon now.

View the original article at itstimetologoff.com

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?.

‘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?

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

View the original article at itstimetologoff.com

Digital Detox Tips That Actually Work

Digital detoxing is difficult, and it can be hard to know where to start. Here’s some tried and tested low-effort but-high impact digital detox tips that actually work.

Allow only essential notifications

Let’s make things easier for ourselves.

We probably all know the feeling of being super concentrated on a task, or engaged in a conversation with a friend, when our phone buzzes. The second we check the notification, we interrupt our train of thought. The longer we loiter on our phone, the less likely we are be able to pick up where we left off and resume our stream of productivity.

To lower chances of this interruption in the first place, the first of our digital detox tips is about limiting the number of notifications you receive. Turn anything that you do not need to receive in real time, such as social media and news notifications. This means you have control over when you check your phone: not the other way round.

Leave your phone behind

Next time you go out and you deem it safe and sensible to, leave your phone behind. Whether going for a walk, to someone’s house, or even just running errands, use the outing as an opportunity to put some distance between you and your tech. If you can’t access it, you cannot succumb to the temptation to check your notifications or go on it.

If you don’t have a reason to leave your home, make one! Go for a walk over lunchtime or after work – your mind and body will thank you for it.

If the thought of leaving your phone at home makes you feel anxious: digitally detoxing is definitely the right move for you. Feeling nervous when separated from your phone is a sign of digital addiction, and could be having negative impacts on your productivity, relationships and sleep quality. Therefore, as difficult as it can be, breaking the habit of being accompanied by your phone everywhere you go is a really important step towards developing a healthier tech-life balance.

Make time for the activities you love

Find something to fill up the otherwise dead time you spend on your phone. If you have something you love and look forward to doing – for example baking, running, arts and crafts – you will not feel the need, or even want, to go on your phone. Investing time into doing the things you love will leave you feeling happy and fulfilled. Scrolling mindlessly on your phone will only delay (and possibly even exacerbate) your boredom and leave you feeling lethargic and dissatisfied.

Extend this to your morning and evening routine. Starting and ending the day on your phone is terrible for your self-esteem, productivity and sleep cycle. Find an activity that makes you feel good in the morning and sets you up for a productive day ahead – such as yoga or journaling – and one that relaxes you and helps you to wind down before bed, like reading, jigsaw puzzles or colouring.

Use your tech only when you need to

Often technology does enrich our lives, for example by allowing us to stay in contact with friends and family. Mobile phones in themselves are not harmful, but if we do not use them responsibly we can end up in a detrimental cycle of unhealthy technology use.

To make sure that you are using your phone mindfully, every time you pick it up, ask yourself why exactly you are using your phone. Your friend whom you are meeting for dinner is asking you what time you’d like to meet? Let them know! Agree on a plan, tell them you’re looking forward to catching up in person, and put your phone down. Instagram account @user49235 has liked your photo? You probably don’t need to go on your phone (and if you are receiving notifications like these, please refer to number 1 in our digital detox tips!)

Hold yourself accountable

The constant theme tying all these tips together is accountability. Question your actions: do I need to go on my phone right now? Do I even need my phone with me? Will going on my phone right now make me happy?

Asking yourself these questions will help you to align your digital habits with want you want from your daily life. A digital detox is a kindness to oneself: it separates your work life from your home life, gives you back time to do the activities you love, and promotes more activity and better quality sleep, leading to a healthier, happier day-to-day.

View the original article at itstimetologoff.com

How your Digital Detox Could Save the Planet #COP26

This is post 1 of 3 in the series “COP26”

1. How your Digital Detox Could Save the Planet #COP26
2. When we put down our phones and connect with nature, it’s not just good for the planet #COP26
3. The carbon cost of our digital habits #COP26

With 26th annual UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) on the horizon, being held in our back garden here in the UK, in Glasgow, many of us are reinvigorated in our desire to cut our carbon emissions. Perhaps you are researching electric cars, bikes, insulation, or a vegan diet? Well we have one more way to help you save the planet, at no cost, whilst maintaining your digital wellbeing at the same time- win win. You just need to turn off your devices once in a while.

There’s a carbon impact from digital activity

If you didn’t realise it already, using your devices has an impact on your carbon footprint. We have to charge them, run WiFi systems, hard drives and more, and all has an impact on the electricity bill and the power each of us uses daily. To put it into perceptive: each email you send costs around 4g of carbon, if it has a photo attached that could go up to 50g. Now think about how many emails, texts, WhatsApps, DMs, and memes you send a day: over the course of a year that adds up.

Sending 65 emails is roughly equivalent to driving 1km in a car

The world’s email usage generates as much CO2 as having an extra seven million cars on the roads.

BBC Science focus

eWaste is a growing problem

But it isn’t just our digital activity which has an environmental impact, there’s an impact from the devices themselves. In Britain alone we buy 1.65 million tonnes of electrical devices each year with 500,000 tonnes of waste electricals thrown away, stolen or illegally exported annually. Each of us has a tech-drawer at home, full of old phones, tablets, laptops etc that we don’t know what to do with. That collection of devices is costing the planet dearly as we constantly update to the latest models of smartphones, tablets and laptops and fail to fix our old ones.

How can we reduce our carbon impact?

The first and most obvious solution is to cut down on screen time. Our founder, Tanya Goodin, recently spoke about the workplace app Slack, describing its negative effects on our mental health and the impact it has on our ability to work effectively. Instead she recommended phone calls, limiting information to infrequent emails and even going to speak to a colleague in real life. As we return to the office this is becoming more and more feasible and face to face chats will stop you sending emails and cut down Slack (or similar) spam, give you a change to stretch your legs, and give both parties some time off screen. At home, instead of spending your time on your device why not pick up a new hobby? You could get back into reading or crafting or just get outside again after a long day at work. There are so many options, and each one of them will help save the planet if you cut down on time on your devices doing it.

Learn how to fix it

Unfortunately there is no world where we can just switch off our devices and eliminate our digital environmental impact completely to help save the planet. So we have two other tips to help mitigate the impact when you are online: the first is to use the iFixit community and all their tools. In our podcast It’s Complicated, we talked to iFixit about how hard it is to fix our devices and the need for constant upgrades and they provided solutions: from ways to dispose of your goods more safely to kits to fix your phone yourself and tips and tricks to keep it running longer, they will all help you stop adding to your tech junk drawer.

Carbon offset your digital activity to save the planet

Finally, look into carbon offsetting: you can find out how much your use of your device costs the planet and then pay offset the costs by planting trees or similar carbon reducing practices. Alternatively you could use a carbon-negative phone plan such as the one offered by Honest Mobile so that your phone use at least is not hurting the planet.

If you want to learn more about how to switch off, and the many other ways in which our bad digital habits are impacting our lives – and how to fix them – you can read more in Tanya Goodin’s new book: ‘My Brain Has Too Many Tabs Open’.

View the original article at itstimetologoff.com

The Problem with Group Chats

Group Chats. Whether for family, sport, work or pleasure, most of us belong to one or another. With the advent of the pandemic in 2020, these chats became an emotional and practical way to keep in touch with the outside world. However, this period also exposed the problem with group chats, which for many has overshadowed the usefulness that they once provided.

The Work Chat

With the advent of Whatsapp in the early 2010s, many workplaces started using group chats as a method of communication. Why send a lengthy internal email when you can just post to the chat?

In a world where working from home has become the norm, chats acted as a “virtual water cooler” chat for the 21st century. The contents of these chats are felt to be private, with no real world consequences for what was said. But, of course, there are. Not only have there been cases of firings for group chat comments, they also have unforeseen consequences. Bullying and employee burnout are chief among them. The “right to disconnect” movement was partly inspired by the 24/7 modern work week. Work chats also have a negative effect on employee performance, with one study estimating an average of eight minutes from replying to chat to returning to the task at hand.

And the problems with chats has now permeated our homes, in the form of the family group chat.

The Family Chat

When the pandemic hit, the family and friends group chat became more important than ever. With real life communication gone and some families separated by thousands of miles, it seemed the only option. However, the sheer number of members in single groups created the first of many problems: switching off. Constant notifications, and a fear of missing out or FOMO resulted in many users feeling annoyed or even isolated. We have three top tips on how to successfully detox from the family group chat.

1. Mute Notifications

Instead of being constantly annoyed by sounds and banner flashes, simply mute notifications. This will not only enable greater relaxation but also allow you to choose when you go back. This makes it more likely that you’ll be able to use it effectively.

2. Cut Back Daily

A useful analogy for activity on group chats is to think of it like a sauna: stay for a while, then leave. Whilst it might not be in your best interest to stop checking the chat right away, it definitely is in your interests to cut back your daily chat time. Choose specific times in the day to leave the chat alone and engage in activities off screen.

3. Leave the Chat

This is the most drastic but also the most simple of the tips. Taking a break from the constant chatter of family and friends online can be a better way to interact with them off it.

If you are still looking for tips or tricks, our new book, “My Brain Has too Many Tabs Open” written by our founder Tanya Goodin, is available to order from Amazon now.

View the original article at itstimetologoff.com

When we put down our phones and connect with nature, it’s not just good for the planet #COP26

This is post 2 of 3 in the series “COP26”

1. How your Digital Detox Could Save the Planet #COP26
2. When we put down our phones and connect with nature, it’s not just good for the planet #COP26
3. The carbon cost of our digital habits #COP26

There are many good reasons why you might want to look up from your phone from time to time but, with the 26th annual UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) taking place right now, one of the things you might want to consider is how your phone habits are disconnecting you from nature and the natural world around you.

Why should we connect with nature?

There are a few reasons why we should be worried that we connect with nature less than we used to, and they aren’t all about the planet:

• Studies show people with a greater connection to nature are more likely to behave positively towards the environment, wildlife and habitat
• Developing an enduring relationship between people and nature is critical for future nature conservation and the health of our planet.
• And, there’s lots of evidence of a positive relationship between a person’s connection to nature and their physical and mental health and wellbeing.

How long are we spending with our heads in our phones?

The amount of time we’re absorbed in a screen has risen dramatically in the last five years alone.

The average person checks their phone 262 times a day, a major increase from the 80 times a day average in 2016

The Guardian, November 2021

At its most basic, we’re simply not noticing what’s going on around us in the natural world, or experiencing its benefits for our health, when we spend so much time with our heads in our phones immersing ourselves in the digital, rather than the physical, world.

What benefits do we experience when we connect with nature?

A growing body of research from all across the globe has found that contact with nature in environments such as parks, woodlands and beaches is associated with better health and well-being. This doesn’t mean you need to live in the countryside, living in ‘greener’ urban areas (where you have access to a park or grassy space, or even trees in your street), is also associated with lower cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, mental health, and ultimately mortality.

One famous study even looked at the impact of just being able to see a green space, rather than walk in it. People recovering from operations in a hospital with a view of green space recovered sooner and required fewer painkillers than those who didn’t have a ‘green’ view.

In Japan, ‘shinrin yoku’ the habit of forest bathing (spending time among trees, observing the sights and sounds of nature), is particularly popular. Researchers have found that doing it can lower stress hormone production and blood pressure while boosting the body’s immune system.

What about the benefits to the natural world when we connect with it?

Studies have shown that engaging in simple nature activities is the largest significant contributor to ‘pro-nature’ conservation behaviour. In other words, when we spend more time outside in the natural world we are more likely to want to protect and preserve it because we notice and appreciate its benefits.

“An understanding of the natural world is a source of not only great curiosity, but great fulfilment.”

Sir David Attenborough

Put your phone down to connect with nature more

Ultimately it’s a win:win when you put down your phone and notice and experience the natural world around you. It benefits your physical and mental health, and it benefits the natural word because, as you experience and enjoy it more, you’re more motivated to want to protect it. It’s been a part of our manifesto ever since we launched Time To Log Off, that spending time in nature is the best antidote to mindless screen scrolling. With the UN Climate Change Conference happening right now, there’s no better time to gently remind you to get off your screen and connect with nature today.

For more ideas on how to fix your digital habits to improve your health and wellbeing, pick up a copy of my new book: ‘My Brain Has Too Many Tabs Open’.

View the original article at itstimetologoff.com

FinTech and our Tech-Life Balance: Online Banking

This is post 1 of 1 in the series “FinTech and Digital-Life Balance”

We are in the ‘FinTech era’. Indeed, it seems that FinTech is on everyone’s lips right now, so you may be surprised to learn that the term was actually coined nearly 50 years ago.

Financier Abraham Leon Bettinger introduced the term in a 1972 articles as “an acronym for financial technology, combining bank expertise with modern management science techniques and the computer”. When he wrote this, Bettinger was describing the emerging primitive digitalisation of finance, for example the invention of the ATM or the handheld calculator.

Nowadays – for example with the emergence of cryptocurrencies and (exclusively digital) branchless banks – FinTech would be unrecognisable to Bettinger. However, the purpose of FinTech remains unchanged: to automate, enhance and improve financial services.

But can FinTech enhance our lives, or is it simply bad news for our relationships with our phones?

Online Banking

Most of us (80%) will already have installed at least one FinTech application on our phone: a digital banking app. Digital banking has steadily grown in popularity for 15 years, but the pandemic has encouraged the public to resort completely to contactless payment and personal finance management; 46% of people now exclusively use digital banking.

Online banking is incredibly useful: we can monitor our money with more ease than ever. Our ability to rapidly access our accounts helps us to spot fraud and theft quicker, and to protect ourselves by instantly cancelling our card. Furthermore, it removes the painful process of standing in line for the bank to transfer money and access other financial services.

However, perhaps FinTech is not giving us back as much time as we would hope. Visiting your local bank branch used to be such an inconvenience. Therefore, when a person had to, they would ensure that they were efficient, and sorted multiple issues at once, so that they could minimise their number of visits. Now that ease of access to our bank accounts has increased so dramatically, people are far less mindful of this.

In fact, whereas pre-digital banking consumers would visit their branch in person only a few times a month, now only 24.4% of mobile bank customers use their online banking app less than once a week. Moreover, 13.7% of people find themselves using their mobile banking app several times a day.

Despite FinTech being designed to save time and effort, banking is still eating up our time. However, if we sort and prioritise our tasks, as we used to have to, we can find that online banking does give us back precious time.

FinTech is certainly capable of enhancing our experience with financial matters and services. If we are responsible, having FinTech on our mobile phones can give us back valuable time by speeding up personal finance tasks and enabling easier access to financial advice. However, our increased ease of access to financial news and matters could also compromise our digital-life balance: upping our screen time and exacerbating any cases of Nomophobia.

Whether FinTech gives or takes away from our daily lives is up to us. As always, the key here is to retain balance. FinTech was designed to save us effort and time, and if we sort and prioritise our tasks as we used to have to and remain mindful of our hours spent online, we could find that having these apps on our phone really can give us back precious time.

View the original article at itstimetologoff.com

The carbon cost of our digital habits #COP26

As the 26th annual UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) draws to a close we’ve been thinking about how every area of our lives has a carbon footprint – and how that applies to our digital habits too. So we’ve been on a mission to find out if we can quantify the carbon cost of our digital habits. Here’s what we found out:

Calculating the carbon cost

1. The carbon footprint of the internet is responsible for 3.7% of global greenhouse emissions annually, equal to the aviation industry.
2. It is on course to consume as much as 20% of the world’s electricity by 2030.
3. Each global user of the internet is responsible for 414kg of carbon dioxide (CO2) a year.
4. One Google search is equivalent to about 0.2 grams of CO2.
5. Each user of Facebook is responsible for 12 grams of CO2 annually.
6. Using your mobile phone for an hour a day costs 63kg CO2e a year.
7. Every UK adult sending just one email a day costs 16,433 tonnes of carbon a year (equivalent to 81,152 flights from the UK to Madrid).
8. Streaming an hour of video a week on a tablet or smartphone uses the same amount of electricity as two new domestic fridges.
9. One iPhone creates 79kg of CO2 in its lifetime (80% before it’s left the factory) equal to burning 9 gallons of petrol.

‘We don’t think about it because we can’t see the smoke coming out of our computers, but the carbon footprint of IT is huge and growing’

Professor Mike Berners-Lee

It became clear to us as we were researching this piece that all the bags for life and recycling in the world isn’t going to help the planet if we carry on upgrading our phones and sending emails the way we all are at the moment. It may be unpalatable, but our digital habits have a huge carbon impact. Streaming video and music accounts for the biggest big chunk of the world’s internet traffic and it’s a usage that’s exploding.

The five billion plays clocked up by just one music video – the hit 2017 song Despacito – consumed as much electricity as Chad, Guinea-Bissau, Somalia, Sierra Leone and the Central African Republic combined in a single year. Total emissions for streaming just that song are over 250,000 tonnes of CO2.

Rabih Bashroush, EU Eureca project 

So, here are some relatively simple fixes if you want to reduce the carbon cost of your own digital habits.

Cutting the carbon cost of your digital habits

• Watch your streaming – turn off autoplay next, avoid video when you could use audio.
• Switch to TV – terrestrial broadcast TV is a lot more energy efficient than current streaming technologies for popular programmes.
• Cut down on emails – limit ‘reply all’, stop sending ‘thanks’ or ‘appreciated’ one or two-word emails, talk in person.
• Shut down laptops and desktops when you’re away for more than two hours.
• Choose green suppliers – store your data on a green cloud provider which only runs on renewable sources and choose a green search engine like Ecosia which plants a tree for every 45 searches it performs.
• Don’t upgrade – don’t opt for automatic upgrades of your phone, choose a reconditioned model when you do, and learn how to fix your device to extend its lifetime.

For more ideas on how to fix your digital habits to improve your health and wellbeing – and the planet’s, pick up a copy of our new book: ‘My Brain Has Too Many Tabs Open’.

View the original article at itstimetologoff.com