How do you balance your screen time and wellbeing in the era of remote work and social media?

Tim Smits
2 replies
Share your tips and tools for staying productive and healthy online.

Replies

I love this question. I manage two companies yet I have been personally notification free for 5 years. Whether from work apps or social apps. That alone completely changed my relationship with screens and gave me back control of my time. Everyone asks how do you do it. I simply shifted my mindset to be obsessed with digital wellbeing. Nothing is urgent. And for when it is urgent, I communicated clearly with everyone around me an escalation process to get to me: slack, text then call! Happy to elaborate more for anyone who needs help with this!
Cy Wise
There's an old meme you can go revive from the dusty meme-vaults that says something like. "Tired of losing at the Bad Screen, can't wait to go home and look at the Good Screen". It was made at the time of co-located work, and making fun of our entire lives being on a computer, but I kinda unironically believe in it? That the separation of Work and Not Work can help in our brave new world of remote work. Although, not so much different computers, but different spaces. I'm lucky enough to have a dedicated office space, and I try really hard to make sure my remote work and social media happen ONLY in that space, on my computer. Not on my phone, and not quickly on the sofa or in bed while I'm streaming something. So, for example, if I see an email come in on my phone and I feel the urge to "just type a quick reply"... it has to be important enough for me to stand up, walk to my office, and type it out there. Otherwise, I have to trust myself to remember my Very Important Response tomorrow. Before I had my office, I had my kitchen table, but the same rule applied. I found it helped me take a step back and at least consider how important it was to start work again. I talk about this like I'm flawless. I flaw alot. Mostly when I think I have a particularly *witty and smart* response to an email. But it does add a little bit of a barrier, and even when I fail, it serves as a reminder for what I'm striving for. I'll take it!