Did you wake up this morning and immediately check your Apple Watch or Fitbit to see how many hours you slept and whether it was good quality sleep? Have you managed a minimum of 250 steps in the past hour? Is your phone or computer ‘pinging’ your schedule and deadlines for the day, reminders of what you need to do to achieve your daily tasks? Technology is great, isn’t it? Keeping us on track in every area of our daily lives both at work and play, there seems to be an App for everything. But are we ruled by technology, has it taken over our lives for the good or to the detriment of our wellbeing? It certainly has its advantages professionally, keeping teams in touch with online scheduling and online meetings, streamlining administrative tasks, and completing projects. But it doesn’t stop in the workplace, it has spilled over into our leisure time too so we are constantly relying on a screen to tell us what we should be doing and how we should be doing it. Ways to embrace technology but not let it rule our lives:
- We all need downtime from our screens, too much staring at the screen creates eye strain which in turn may cause headaches. Use technology to set a time say, 10 minutes each hour to just stop, get up and walk away. Take a breather. Even this short amount of time helps to clear your head and gives your eyes a rest.
- Emails are a great way to communicate but could a phone call also work? There are times when it is just so much easier to pick up the phone and speak to the person instead, discuss what needs to be done, form an action plan and then just confirm details by email. It can save time rather than trying to type it all out, wait for a response etc. We have forgotten the art of talking whether that is on the phone or face to face, let’s start a revival!
- Downtime during the working day is important not only for taking a breather to clear your head but also to encourage you to get up and move. Use technology to find an App or use an online workshop to do some simple stretching exercises for 5-10 minutes on a regular basis throughout the day or schedule 15 minutes at the end of the day as a way of winding down.
- Get outside and walk/run/cycle and make the most of the fresh air and natural environment. Use an App such as Couch to 5k, or a cycling challenge, anything that will benefit your physical and mental health, but not obsessively. Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t reach a certain goal or number of steps in a day. It is easy to feel you have ‘failed’ if you don’t reach a target, do not let it rule you. The fact that you have done some activity or exercise is an achievement. Be proud of yourself.
Technology is great if we use it to our advantage but going back to basics is also essential to achieve a balance. Don’t be ruled by that screen, the number of steps, do what is best for you and celebrate your achievements no matter how big or small. Image credit – Pexels