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Many of us spend significant amounts of time interacting with technology and emerging research indicates that extensive use of digital technology can have a profound impact on brain and behaviour. From sleep and concentration to social and emotional intelligence, dozens of factors can be affected by technology.
Translated into day-to-day life we might consider how much time we spend in front of a screen and in what capacity, and how that affects how we think and feel about ourselves and world around us.
Iain Thompson, Learning Technologist
School of Geography and Planning
Try to separated your online digital life from your work life. Some ways you might do this digitally:
Turning off notifications on work emails after a certain time.
Shutting down work-related tabs at the end of the day - remember you can bookmark useful sites instead - before using your laptop or computer for leisure activities. You could even having separate browsers for work and leisure.
Setting up a separate work area that is separate from the areas you relax in - so not just working on your bed!
Take breaks away from the screen - this sounds simple but even getting up to look out of a window to 'stretch' your eyes can help reduce eye strain. Better yet, ensure you make time for yourself to get out of the house and into fresh air, you can take a look at our 'Explore Our Outdoor City' site for recommendations on places to visit.
Be careful of what you do before bed - if you can, you might consider avoiding using a screen at all, but if not explore our 'Device Settings' page for setting you can use to minimise eye strain. Even doing something as simple as avoiding social media before bed, which is particularly stimulating in keeping your mind active when it should be winding down, and avoiding having your phone or device too close to you when you've put it down to go to sleep can help provide a more restful night.
Along with colleagues in the School of Geography and Planning we have created a Digital Wellbeing website which has lots of practical tips for reducing the consumption of digital technologies and managing your interactions with it. This includes guidance and links on:
Using device settings to manage your screen time, as well as how to utilise out of office and do not disturb modes.
A range of apps you can use to manage time, maintain focus, making online reading easier and practising mindfulness.
A guide to using social media purposefully and safely.
How to create - and consume - digitally accessible content that works for everybody.
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