Digital Detoxing - Escape the smartphone trap

Digital detox

I have to say in advance that unfortunately, I am not a good example of digital detoxing. I just got back from a wonderful vacation in Croatia and did not manage a digital detoxing. Plus, I usually don't even switch off my mobile phone but put it in the charger in the evening. Certainly not healthy, but at least the device stays in the kitchen and never finds its way into the bedroom.

I am always frightened when I see statistics on where people take their smartphones. Bedroom, bathroom - all those rooms where we are supposed to be very private. But no, many people can't do without what's going on online even in those moments. There is even a technical term for it: FOMO - Fear Of Missing Out. The fear of missing something. Is it really fear or rather just our habit?

Researchers from the German Mental Balance project, who used an app to study the behavior of 60,000 smartphone users, found that they activated their cell phones an average of 88 times a day. 35 times to look at the clock or check whether they have received a message, 53 times to surf, chat or otherwise use an app. Assuming eight hours of sleep, the participants looked at their smartphone every 11 minutes.

But aren't we being forced to keep the smartphone in our hands? We use apps and tools to carry out many private and professional tasks. Quickly book a flight or hotel, online banking, researches, and mobile payment. And of course, the addiction number one: Social Media. We do Facebook, Instagram, and tweet as much as we can, and I am one of them.

But what if digitalization and the trends of the industry 4.0 become too much? Collaboration tools – a curse? Too many open windows which want something from us. All channels are blinking and beeping with new tasks and the reaction times become or rather must be even faster. “Didn’t you see my message on Slack?” The new way of working is not always helping us with tools, apps and software. The pressure to be a part of the fast-moving New Work generation is a big burden for many and often brings us into the work-life balance trap. Followed by burnout or depression. Digital burnout is no longer a buzzword, but a serious problem, especially for the younger generation.

So, let's do some digital detoxing together and get out of the smartphone stress. But it's not always that simple. In addition, a study by the University of Zurich came to the conclusion that so-called digital detoxification treatments do not have the desired effect.

If you want to change your “relationship” to your smartphone, you need time and the will to change your habits. For all those who stumble on their way there - like me - here are a few tips and tricks to get a better grip on the mobile phone use:

• Deactivate push messages and turn your smartphone on silent

• Do not charge the smartphone in the bedroom. Early risers should buy an analog alarm clock. Yes, you can still buy them.

• Detoxing Apps: Curiously enough, there are also apps that help limit the use of mobile phones. Some of the best known are QualityTime, Methal, Offtime, Freedom or Forest. But you can also have your "screen time" displayed on your own device and you will often be amazed at how long you have been online again without noticing it.

• Activate the flight or sleep mode more often.

• Determine smartphone-free times and rooms: In a first step, the dining table and bed are the best options. iPhones also have the "Do not disturb while driving" function, which can also be used to send automatic replies to text messages.

How addicted are you to your phone and other devices? Share your positive and negative habits with us and do not feel bad if you are glued to your phone – many are, and this is one of the reasons why I wrote this article.