For Entrepreneurs
An Entrepreneurs Guide To Preventing Digital Fatigue
5 Tips to Help Manage Screen Usage
Before the pandemic, our reliance on digital devices was already prevalent. However, it wasn’t until after the pandemic that we saw an increase in our digital usage. Whether we attend Zoom conferences, pay bills, order groceries, watch movies, or set up reminders, we use technology for just about everything. In fact, technology has become such a normal part of our lives that we have become apathetic to its impacts.
According to a recent survey, “Americans are spending up to 19 hours per day immersed in our technology. At that rate, the average American would spend 44 years of their life glued to a screen!”
If the amount of time you spend on your device affects your physical, cognitive, and emotional well-being, then you must find ways to manage your digital usage to avoid experiencing digital fatigue. As technology evolves and societal expectations drive you to conform to increased usage, you must be strategic, creative, and consistent with your use of technology. In this blog post, I will share five tips to manage excessive screen time and prevent digital fatigue.
What is Digital Fatigue?
Digital fatigue is the state of being mentally and physically exhausted by the constant exposure of screens or digital devices. Symptoms of digital fatigue can include:
- Anxiety
- Depressive symptoms
- Eye strain and Loss of focus
- Headaches and Neck pain
- Disrupted sleep and Tiredness
- Social isolation
- Tendonitis
- Upper body soreness
- Weight gain
For instance, when you stare at your screen for long periods, you blink less, which causes your eyes to become tired. Constantly hunching your neck and looking down at your screen can lead to neck and shoulder soreness.
Likewise, the blue light emitted from your device contains high-energy waves that your eyes cannot filter out. Although blue light helps you stay alert, exposing yourself to it can make your brain reprogram itself into thinking it is still daytime.
How Does Digital Fatigue Impact Your Entrepreneurial Performance?
Some entrepreneurs find it challenging to detach themselves from work as they respond to emails, meet with clients, update their calendars, or develop content. For example, Alfred Boediman, an entrepreneur, felt tired, irritable, and unattentive. Although attending Zoom conferences and responding to emails were part of his routine, his inability to take a break from his devices impacted his overall engagement, enthusiasm, and desire to attend future meetings.
Communicating through a computer screen is not necessarily negative. The problem arises when you solely rely on your device to connect and interact with others. For example, when you meet in person, you unconsciously look for non-verbal cues like body posture, eye movement, and tone of voice, to engage in a serve and return response. However, when you meet via zoom, you miss out on these cues, which forces you to expend a certain amount of mental and social- emotional effort.
People have become isolated in an increasingly digitally connected but socially disconnected world.
— Nikki Blacksmith, Blackhawke’s Co-Founder
In short, as an entrepreneur, whether it’s creating a product or communicating your thoughts, you need to use technology to work. If you want to perform at your optimal level, then you need to figure out how to manage your screen time. So, how can you use technology without compromising your well-being? Below are five tips to help you control excessive screen usage and prevent you from experiencing digital fatigue.
Tips to Prevent Digital Fatigue
- Be Aware of Why You Cling To Your Device:
We should be aware of when and why we cling to our digital devices as we may rely on them to escape reality or distract ourselves from the constant stress of the world. However, understanding the reasons for our digital dependence can help us manage it more effectively.
2. Track Your Digital Usage:
Monitoring the time you spend on your digital device can help you manage your screen time and prevent you from experiencing digital fatigue. Fortunately, your phone has built-in features that allow you to track your daily screen usage, set time limits on your apps, and schedule downtime with reminders.
3. Set Boundaries and Take Strategic Breaks:
Although the times you take your breaks vary every day, planning when to step away from your digital device can be beneficial. Although spending the majority of your day on a task is essential, having a balance between work and relaxation time can prevent you from feeling overwhelmed. For example, after spending two hours on my work assignments, I dedicate 30 minutes to practice on my piano. Not only does this give me a break from staring at my computer, it helps me clear my mind from the tasks I need to finish.
4. Use Nature to Redirect Your Attention:
When staring at a device, you have to focus your attention for extended periods of time. However, observing nature does not require such directed attention in the same way that digital devices do. Naturally it captures our attention. Nature positively impacts our physical health by activating our parasympathetic nervous system, which regulates stress levels, improves our digestive system, and increases blood flow to the brain. So, expose yourself to nature by decorating your environment with natural elements, touching grass, or looking at trees outside.
5. Reduce Blue Light Emissions:
Activating night shift mode on your digital device warms the color temperature of your screen. Staring at the blue light of your device does not necessarily damage your eyes, however, it can tire your eyes. So, warm your digital screen temperature to protect your eyes, and avoid using your digital device for 30 minutes to improve your quality of sleep.
What NOT to do:
Simply switching between devices does not effectively manage digital fatigue. Even if you switch from a larger device like a laptop to a smaller device like a phone, you are still staring at a screen. I know that it won’t be easy to disconnect, but you must entirely remove yourself from your digital devices.
Conclusion
Although we should take responsibility for performing at high standards by meeting business and personal demands, we must ask ourselves what that cost would be. While our lives have become more convenient with the advancement of technology, it has its negative consequences. Managing and balancing our digital usage is crucial in preventing digital fatigue. Therefore, although technology is inescapable, it does not mean it should consume our lives.
Share some methods or techniques you use to manage your screen time in the comment section below!
About the Author
Caroline Martinez is passionate about helping employees discover purpose and fulfillment in their work. She places high value on promoting employee health and well-being, workplace safety, ergonomic practices, professional growth, psychological safety, work-life balance, job crafting, and workplace motivation. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Industrial-Organizational Psychology at Florida International University.”
Have Questions or Need Advice? At Blackhawke (soon to be Symeta Behavior Science), we have several I-O psychologists with expertise in performance and the changing nature of work. Feel free to schedule a 15-minute consultation; we’d be happy to provide some advice or answer questions, no strings attached!
About Blackhawke Behavior Science
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