3 Techniques for Changing Tech Habits for Good

29 Jan 3 Techniques for Changing Tech Habits for Good

We know how hard it can be change your tech habits permanently; we have been writing about the addictive nature of tech and the digital sphere for years! 66% of UK smartphone users even admit to suffering from nomophobia, the fear of being away from your phone, which we discussed in a recent blog. If the very act of taking some time away from our screens is causing us stress it is no wonder those well-intentioned new years resolutions to change our tech habits are not working!

So, we have put together 3 short and easy tips that should help you to finally make those resolutions real, taking them from the aspiration to action in each of our lives.

#1 Copy someone who is doing it better

This is the best cheat code out there! It can often be hard to take the nebulous idea of “changing your tech habits” and turn it into concrete actions in our lives, copying other people is one way to skip the complicated steps of deciding where to institute boundaries and what you want your relationship with tech to look like and jump right to the end. First, look around your friends and family and try and think of someone who has a better relationship with their tech habits than you. Perhaps it is someone who also works from home but seems to have a good balance or leisure vs. work, or it is someone who brags about their amazing sleep and concentration?

Next, talk to them about their boundaries with tech. Do they have it at meal times, in the bedroom, or on the loo? Do they have a routine for when they don’t go on their phone? How do they handle the issues you are struggling with (such as being unable to ignore notifications?). All you have to do then is copy their habits. If you live with them, this will be even easier, if not you could get them to write you a daily schedule showing how and when they use screens for you to live by (and adapt if absolutely necessary) until you find your groove with logging off.

#2 Be playful

All of this talk of boundaries, health benefits and statistical analysis of your screen use can seem a bit intense. If a methodological or scientific approach is not working for you that’s fine! Instead you could try treating changing your tech habits as a game and being a little more playful. You could set up a competition between your household/ bubble to see who can use social media the least in the next week (you can monitor this through screen-time). You could pick up a hobby from your childhood to take the place of the time you would normally spend doom-scrolling, or you could make a game out of living as much as possible without your phone. For example: 10 points for navigating without a phone, 5 points for completing your morning routine without touching your phone and give yourself a reward once you reach 100 or similar.

#3 Let your daily routine replace resolutions

Resolutions are notoriously difficult to keep. Over 80% of New Year Resolutions fail and they are supposed to be 10x more likely to succeed than those made during the year! So, our big secret to help you change your tech habits is to tie your new resolutions to routine. For example, if you make coffee every morning after getting up, tie picking your phone up for the first time to after you have washed up the cup. If you are used to locking up at 10 each night, why not lock and turn off your phone at the same time? Tying your new habits to old routines will make them much easier to remember and follow, and you will finally be able to change your tech habits for good!