Digital Detox: Do You Take the Time to Unplug?
Let’s get one thing clear—humans are not digital by nature. No matter how fluent you become in 1s and 0s, you weren’t born to spend all day in front of a glowing computer screen designing UX modules. And this work may be worse than just unnatural—a recent study suggests it’s actively damaging to your health!
That being said, let’s face reality…
You love your work. You’re not going to read one study on the harmful effects of computer screens and then toss your IT career out the window to become a farmer, or a lumberjack, or any other pre-industrial profession that might be better for your physical well-being.
But just because you need to live in the digital domain to do your job, that doesn’t mean you have to remain plugged in during your off-hours.
Playing games, streaming netflix, chatting in forums, falling down that rabbit hole known as “TechCrunch”… IT pros often close their work computers only to then sit down with their laptops for the rest of the night. (And no, it’s not any better to spend all your down time in front of a big flat-screen TV instead of a computer!)
To counterbalance the potentially poisonous nature of spending your day in front of glowing screens, after you punch your clock at the end of the work day it is essential that you perform a digital detox.
For at least one hour, step away from all things digital. Put away your phone. Close your laptop. Turn off your TV. Leave your house—staying home around all your gear provides too much temptation to plug back in. Just go out and do something non-digital.
What that “something” is doesn’t matter much, as long as it keeps your eyes away from any screens and your ears free from earplugs. Personally, I enjoy engaging in physical activities that have nothing to do with tech— like taking a walk, working out, practicing martial arts, and the like. Other people enjoy lower-intensity hobbies—chess, card games, improv classes. Whatever you choose to try, just make sure it keeps you away from the tech for at least an hour!
Will this hour away from the tech totally counteract all the potentially harmful effects of living a digital life? Hard to say. But I do know this— you’ll be surprised by just how much better you feel after even just a short break away from the 1s and 0s.
