One technique which has helped me manage my Digital Addiction while working Fully Remote
After reading Simon Sinek’s book ‘Leaders Eat Last’ additional chapter on millennials, I came to the realisation that my addictive personality may not be just my own personality fault but my generational. As lucky as we are to have grown up alongside technology, in reality we’re the most disconnected generation. I’m sure we can all agree that it’s a rare sighting if you walk into a room of millennials without a phone in their hand or within an arms reach. Due to the global pandemic we’ve now found ourselves (not just millennials) spending the majority of our day interacting with digital devices be it work related or personal. The worst part of this is, most of us do this without any form of digital detox like a real physical break or social interaction and for some of us it’s now starting to have a negative effect our lives.
Throughout the pandemic, I’ve been fortunate to have had the option to go into an office environment at least once or twice a week, engage with my colleagues face to face and actually enjoy a walk to/from work. Although with recent government restrictions, I haven’t had that luxury. I’ve now been working fully remote since January. Working from home has caused many of us to feel isolated, which in turn pushes us towards our digital devices to help us someway feel connected. In the beginning of being fully remote, I really related to this statement. I noticed my digital addiction was exacerbating because I was feeling so isolated. Recently, I looked up and seen I was spending most days within the same four walls rotating between screens; waking up to my phone, staring at my desktop screen for work, taking breaks through my phone, exercising using my tv and socialising though my laptop. I also noticed I’d became even more reliant on my digital dopamine hit than I ever had before.. Dangerous right?
A number of weeks ago I sat through a resilience talk in work and ever since I’ve started asking myself is ‘Is this helping me or harming me?’.
The truth is while working fully remote I’ve started harming myself by fuelling my digital addiction. To help solve this, I started asking myself the following questions; What is the unnecessary noise in my life? Why am I wasting my time scrolling aimlessly through multiple platforms - LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, WhatApp and Strava? Why do I instantly lift my phone when it vibrates or sounds? Why is it the last thing I look at before bed and the first thing I wake up to? And ultimately how can I change this noise to signal ratio? I found I’ve been using my digital dopamine hit as a way to feel more connected and less isolated when in reality it’s actually causing me to feel overwhelmed, disconnected and less present to those around me.
To cope with this, one thing I’ve recently started to ask myself is ‘What can I move into a Not Do list?’ until I’ve properly managed my Digital Addiction. After carrying out this exercise, I’ve now muted or deleted any platforms which are causing me unnecessary ‘noise’. As a result of using this one simple technique, I’ve been able to manage my noise to signal ratio, become more present in my life around me and help improve my overall mood. Instead of scrolling aimlessly through screens at lunch and after work, I’m now finding my dopamine hit through meeting a friend for a coffee, finishing walks, runs and books, more productive activities which are actually helping me destress and disconnect from the digital world.
Try it yourself, find your noise, move it to a ‘Not Do list’, spend the time doing things you really enjoy and value instead of the things which don’t! You won’t regret it, good luck!
