4 Tips for Creating Digital Boundaries for a More Productive Life
In a time when work from home is the norm and technology is blurring the lines between our personal and professional lives, it’s necessary to create boundaries to stay productive and preserve your wellbeing. It may seem impossible to get away from using technology and the constant notifications that come with it, but if you follow these four tips to set clear boundaries, you can start to bring balance to your life.
1. Start Your Day As Tech-Free As Possible
When you begin each day, aim to have a morning routine that minimizes the use of technology first thing. If your phone is your alarm clock, limit any morning interaction with your phone to just turning off your alarm. Place your phone across the room at night so that you’re forced to get up to turn it off and you reduce the chances of getting stuck scrolling social media or checking work emails before you even make it out of bed. Then after turning off your alarm, put it in a box or drawer and get going with something productive like working out, eating breakfast, or meditating.
A better way to wake up tech-free is to use an alarm clock. Try a battery-powered one that only gives you the time and sets an alarm if you’re too tempted to scroll your phone in the mornings.
2. Build in Breaks To Your Digital Calendar
Once your day is going, it’s easy to lose track of time and neglect your breaks. If this sounds like you, you’re not alone, about 29% of workers skip meals to work. Skipping breaks during the day can result in drained energy that will ultimately hinder your productivity. Use technology to your advantage and block off-breaks in your Google Calendar, iCal, or other digital calendar and stick to them.
Depending on your hours, block off 30 minutes to an hour for a meal and at least two other breaks that are about 5 to 10 minutes long. Doing this will send actual reminders to you to take your breaks, and it will set aside time in your professional schedule so that colleagues don’t plan back-to-back meetings that prevent you from eating lunch.
These breaks should also be considered a break from technology, so get away from your phone and digital workspace and concentrate on a non-digital activity. Your body will thank you for it, and you’ll feel refreshed and be more productive once you go back to your work.
3. Set A Deadline to End Work
Have a tendency to keep working late into the evening? It’s understandable given that so many of us don’t have to physically commute home anymore, but don’t be a part of the 11% of Americans who work over 50 hours per week. Set a hard deadline to end work for the day and engage in an evening routine like Tommy’s that practices digital minimalism.
If you do enjoy unwinding with a little Netflix or Youtube binge, make sure to set a timer so you don’t spend even more hours staring at a screen. Make time for a couple of episodes or videos and then wind down with another activity like journaling or relaxing with loved ones. This will help you fall asleep better and prioritizes your relationships.
4. Make Technology Work For You
The final tip for setting boundaries for technology is to make it work for you, and if it isn’t working for you, you should cut it out of your life and schedule. This rule applies to more than just your work life and can help you personally and financially.
In your personal life, if the people or accounts you follow on social media breed toxicity and negativity, unfollow them. Social media shouldn’t be an added stressor in your life, so don’t worry about what anyone else thinks and block that negative friend or at the very least, mute them.
Technology should also be doing work for you financially. Don’t waste time every month logging onto various online portals to manage your money or even forget to pay your bills. Instead, you should spend an hour one day automating everything. You can set up automatic, recurring payments for bills and contributions to savings, so you can spend less time online and more time being productive in other ways.
Use these four tips to bring balance to your life by creating digital boundaries. It might not be easy at first, but creating boundaries is one of the first steps toward better digital habits. Once your boundaries are ingrained in you, you can take control of your life and find more time to do the things you love.
