4 astonishing ways digital detox boosts productivity

As a nation, we’re addicted to technology. We can’t seem to put down our smartphones, even when we’re at dinner with friends. And, with half of all UK adults admitting to being ‘completely hooked‘ on their smartphones, we all believe our addiction is normal.

The reality is that digital addiction isn’t normal and it’s actually having a negative impact on your life. Not only is your constant use of technology proven to make you unhappy, but it also severely impacts your productivity.

At Time To Log Off, as part of our manifesto we promote a healthy balance between our life online and our life offline. We do this through digital detox retreats. Today we’re looking at four ways a digital detox specifically boosts your productivity at work;

#1 You’ll be less stressed

When we’re stressed, we find it difficult to focus and productivity goes out the window. Work can be stressful enough when we’re in the office, yet, most of us decide to then take it home with us. Simply replying to a few out of hours emails isn’t as productive as we think, and it brings the stress of work into our homes.

Some businesses are finally realising the impact that hyper-connectivity to the digital world can have on employees’ stress levels. Some large companies in Germany, such as BMW and Volkswagen turn off emails at the end of the working day to ensure employees can fully relax after working hours. Arianna Huffington, of the eponymous Huffington Post, tells her employees to switch off and not reply to emails out of office hours.

A digital detox retreat will let you get a real break from work and you’ll feel less stressed. Guests at our last digital detox retreat were asked how ‘stress-free’ they felt, on average they scored 4.8 before logging off, but after a tech-free week it almost doubled to 8.8 – or almost completely stress-free.

#2 You’ll be more creative

It is important to unplug from time-to-time to allow us to reconnect in other ways. We can spend time focusing on our friends and family, we can recharge professionally, and replenish our creativity and allow it to come through into our work.

When we’ve got our phones and other technology to distract us we simply cannot focus on the task at hand. We go from scrolling through Twitter on our phone to looking for a new outfit online and then back to our project. Multi-tasking is a myth, it is proven to lower both productivity and creativity.

Harvard Business School studied the work patterns of over 9,00 people working on ‘creative’ projects. The study found that those who concentrated on one activity throughout the day were more likely to be creative. Those who tried to multi-task had a decline in creativity and stress levels rose.

Try turning off tech every once in a while and watch your creativity soar!

#3 You’ll improve your focus and concentration

Do you get distracted at work a lot? Human attention spans have declined significantly in the last eight years, since the launch of the smartphone. It’s now shorter than that of a goldfish.

Our smartphones are the biggest cause of distractions, even when we’re not looking at then. Push notifications, text messages and emails our phones are constantly buzzing. The act of just receiving a notification, even if you don’t respond to it, is enough to severely distract you. By taking a break from technology, you’ll improve both your focus and concentration which will help with productivity in the workplace.

#4 You’ll return to your work refreshed

Switching off means you’ll have a proper break from work. We’re all part of the ‘always-on’ culture and even when we go on holiday, we never take a real break. We still spend time replying to work emails and taking phone calls and 60% of people say a traditional holiday does not relieve their stress.

During a digital detox, you’ll experience a real break, no phone calls, no emails, no work texts. Just pure relaxation, time to unwind and destress. Once you’ve finished you’ll feel happier and you’ll go back to working feeling much more energised and productive.

If you want to boost your productivity, why not take a look at our digital detox retreats?