5 Easy Tips for a Tech Detox

Do you find yourself reaching for your smartphone as soon as you wake up? Before you go to bed, is the glare of your tablet the last thing that you see? If you answered yes to both questions, then it’s about time that you tried a tech detox.

While technology has its benefits, too much of it can also be a bad thing. Eye strain is fast becoming a problem for many gadget users today. Likewise, some people experience neck pain from being hunched over their computers for too long.

To avoid eye strain, neck pain, and other health problems, here are five easy tips for a tech detox:

1. Limit your social media time.

How often do you check your Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram? Social media networks are a great way to stay connected, but they can also be major time wasters. Before you know it, your “few minutes” could become an hour and you suffer from social media stress.

If you are really serious about getting a tech detox, limit to your social media time. Logging in for a few minutes in the morning and in the evening should be enough. You can also set your accounts to view only the people and pages that are most important to you.

2. Get a grip on your email.

In the early days of the Internet, getting an email used to be fun and exciting. But today, the mere sight of “500 unread” is enough to make anyone dizzy. Fortunately, you can take some steps to manage your ever-expanding inbox.

First, turn off email alerts and “pings.” You do not need a reminder every time you receive an email! Second, set a schedule for checking your inbox, such as every few hours or so.

3. Put your gadget away.

This may seem hard at first, but once you get into the habit, you will wonder why you’ve never tried it in the first place. Instead of keeping your phone beside you all the time, try putting it on a table across the room. This way, you will not be tempted to check it every few minutes.

4. Find other means of entertainment.

Remember the old days, when a good book or some craft paper can keep you occupied for hours? Before the digital age, people actually had hobbies! Even if you can read an e-book or doodle on an art app, the experience is not the same.

Think back on what used to occupy your time before smartphones came. Take a walk, go jogging, plan a bicycle ride with friends. Start gardening, cooking, or anything besides picking up your gadget!

5. Mark it on you calendar.

A tech detox plan becomes clearer when you put it in writing. And no, do not use an app for this! Get a piece of paper or calendar, then write down your schedule for checking email, Facebook, and other tech-related tasks. Do this regularly and your tech detox will become a daily habit.

Even in this day and age of tech gadgets, it is possible to slow down and enjoy the simple things. To prevent Internet stress and smartphones from taking over your life, follow these tips for a well-deserved tech-detox.