What's the first thing you did this morning? Drank a hearty sip of water? Meditate? Or in what feels like an endless spiral, scrolling through various news and social media channels, answering a few messages with one eye and, while you're at it, check the emails only to realize that you're neither energetic nor motivated when you finally roll off the edge of the bed.
If your answer is the latter, it might be a bit of consolation to know that 57% of Germans feel the same way when they pick up the smartphone within the first 30 minutes of a day Such a Statista study. Experts seem to agree that this is not beneficial.
First 15 minutes of our day are decisive for the rest of the process. News feeds and social media, which are known to be no catalysts for positivity, are therefore not the best way to start the day. On the contrary, excessive use of smartphones can impair our physical and psychological well-being.
Especially in times of pandemic and Ukraine crisis, the emotional need to be informed may be particularly high. However, dealing with bombs on escape routes before you have your first coffee can really hurt. And this is exactly where the addictive potential of smartphones lies: Negative news stimulates more than positive. But we must personally and individually weigh up how much of it we can process well and how much of it is too stressful and unhealthy for our mood, performance and possibly zest for life. Die Cell phones are bad for you!-Keule is already pretty crazy, while we know that smartphones also have a wide variety of benefits to offer. Wouldn't conscious, meaningful use therefore be far more desirable instead of complete smartphone abstinence? Die Google Future Workshop Try to show what that can look like.
The learning workshop was founded with the aim of expanding digital skills — whether privately or in companies — and since then, webinars, events and the like have been held regularly to familiarize participants with methods of navigating through the working world 4.0. On 15.02. the topic was Digital Wellbeing on the agenda.
Describes the process of integrating technologies into life in such a way that they contribute to our well-being, are seen as a positive influence and effectively enrich our everyday lives. It is about maintaining a balance and using the positive opportunities of new technologies while limiting the negative effects. How this process works is different for each of us, but the result is, in the best case, the same: a thoughtful approach to digital habits. A nice project, of course, but how can it be implemented in practice?
The approach for better use of today's technologies is quite simple: Focus on your own perception concentrate and accordingly reflect. In practice, this would look as follows:
As I said, the path to the best possible use of technology is always individual and therefore subjective — and sometimes it is not easy to determine exactly where the advantages and disadvantages lie, as the constant suspension of smartphones can obscure all this; the boundaries often blur. We therefore thought about it once and our Pros and Cons listed below. Maybe it'll help you on your way to your own reflection!
Whether messaging, video calls or creating and recording high-quality photo memories, sharing with loved ones and easily keeping in touch even across continental borders, make up a significant part of our social contacts today. Serotonin at the push of a button.
A gigantic library (magazines and more) and music collection with the right apps in our pockets give us endless opportunities to collect educational points - often free of charge. And if you've overdone it, there are mindfulness or meditation apps that should reduce our screen time.
Fortunately, the Internet is not only the most dangerous procrastination trap but also the largest and most efficient source of knowledge. Whether it's educational YouTube videos, free scientific articles or worldwide news in live tickers — information is available to us in real time.
But as can already be seen from the undertone, these possibilities are both a curse and a blessing:
We're going to go on a YouTube spiral that starts with videos of Richard Feynman talking about magnets and ends much, much later with us watching interviews with Justin Bieber's mom.
Regardless of the helpful content, YouTube, Twitter and the like are equally the ultimate distraction format and all too often end in an endless loop of senselessness. The fact that there is no “end of a feed” reinforces the endless scrolling mentioned earlier. You shouldn't even start with Candy Crush or Angry Birds, otherwise a small game will quickly end in a high-score hunt with the motto “Just one more round.”
That the blue screen light disturbs our sleep in the evening is now generally known and yet many of the one to two-hour abstinence recommended by experts before bed rest is difficult.
After a long day in video conferences, answering messages on all channels during breaks and checking the mirror and news at your desk during lunch, can be damn exhausting. Meeting analogously becomes too much for some, so that, despite all social interaction, they are ultimately isolated. It's only when you laugh out loud while having dinner together that you notice: Damn, that's something completely different than just chatting.
From these advantages and disadvantages and the duality of technological media themselves, a simple conclusion can be drawn: Ideally, our relationship with technology comprises a controlled and targeted Use with added value. The goals for this, and what that means for you, are completely individual and it is recommended to write them down as well for a thoughtful approach!
Our brains usually work according to methods of least resistance. Heuristics of human behavior, which can be carried out without great thought. Or in short: Mental Shortcuts. A stimulus triggers just this shortcut, the shortcut results in an action and the action confirms the appeal for later repetition. A system that we can make use of on our way to digital wellbeing.
So the idea is creating new shortcuts — and this is exactly where our previous reflections come in handy. In order to create new shortcuts, we need above all a good starting position with the intention of consciously taking control of our own behavior.
Here are 3 top tips from our Birchies on their way to digital wellbeing:
lena
I'm not me without enough sleep. That's why I try to stay away from screens in the evening in particular and instead Read at least 30 minutes before bedtime. This reduces stress and promotes the ability to fall asleep! In a book, it goes without saying — to read on an iPad or mobile phone nullifies these positive side effects.
toni
Turn off notifications on your phone! Each time, you consciously decide whether you want to open an app or not, instead of following an automated pattern of behavior - and when the worst comes to the worst, sometimes only cold withdrawal helps. It helps me simply to unpack or switch off my cell phone. When I go for a walk, I like to just leave it at home.
hanna
Sometimes I catch myself scrolling through social media platforms, even though the actual intention of picking up the cell phone was completely different. Removing social media platforms from my home screen so that I'm not directly confronted with them as soon as I use the phone has really helped me. I also like to deactivate social media for a week - it's just then that you notice how often you pick up your cell phone without real intent or automatically.
It goes without saying that it is important to start small first. It is about a meaningful Use, not abstinence. We have therefore identified important tricks for us that help with meaningful use:
Which factors trigger negative habits in you? Get rid of it!
Positive reinforcement is not just a nice buzzword. If you've done something well, feel free to pat yourself on the back and treat yourself to a small treat, be it something delicious to eat, self-care or the like.
Reconnecting the mental cables takes a long time, but it's not impossible. Be aware of your own technical stimuli and establish new ones to establish helpful habits.
None of this will happen overnight; as is well known, good things take time. Take as much time as you need and understand that all of this is a process.
We are looking forward to talking to you!
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