Creating a phone-free zone.

Creating a phone-free zone has many benefits. From reducing burnout to creating stronger connections to name a few. As we continue to explore ways to manage stress and improve health, here are some thoughts on technology usage.

Between work and personal life, the average adult spends nearly 11 hours looking at a screen per day. Similarly, the University of California Irvine found that if we get distracted from a task by a phone notification, it takes us an average of 23 minutes and 15 seconds to fully regain our focus. It probably doesn’t surprise you to hear that 3 out of 4 adults use their phones in the bathroom. It probably also won’t surprise you to learn that increasing screen time has an increasingly large effect on our overall wellbeing in a number of ways.

For example, a study by the University of Texas found that smartphones affected intelligence and attention span, just by being on the participant’s desk. Not to mention, when others are distracted, it lowers the quality of our conversations. And that study didn’t consider smartwatches that add another layer of connectedness via constant notifications literally at arm’s length.

• Do you have your phone on your person nearly 24/7?

• Do you feel overwhelmed by being constantly connected?

• Are you experiencing burnout?

• Do loved ones complain about your phone usage?

You aren’t alone. It might be time to set some limits and boundaries around your phone usage. There are many ways you can do this. Most phones now report back on your average daily use. Can you set a goal to lower that each week? Start small like reducing it by 5%. Designate phone-free zones, like the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, and car. In fact, distracted driving is downright dangerous anyway.

What if you reflect, meditate, or listen to music during your daily commute? Or perhaps you could designate a time of day to put your phone away. Maybe it’s two hours prior to bedtime, when you walk through the door after work or while you’re working? Or even specific to the day of the week like a Sunday phone-free day?

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