Unmotivated at work? Cutting back screen time by just 1 hour can help
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Even if you love your job, there may be times you feel dissatisfied and/or unmotivated at work. But there’s a simple solution, suggests a new study out of Germany.
Cutting back on screen time by just an hour a day may boost not only your motivation in the workplace but also your well-being , according to researchers at the German Center for Mental Health and the Mental Health Research and Treatment Center at Ruhr University Bochum. The findings were published in the journal Acta Psychologica.
Some employers heavily invest in their employees’ work satisfaction and motivation, two factors crucial to a company’s productivity, lead researcher Julia Brailovskaia, PhD, said in a news release. Her team’s findings, she said, offer employers a low-threshold way to improve those elements while also fostering employees’ mental health and work-life balance .
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The randomized controlled trial involved nearly 300 people employed in different industries and workplaces throughout Germany. They were divided into four groups and changed their behaviors accordingly for a week:
More exercise + less screen time = better well-being
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Researchers assessed participants’ well-being before, immediately after, and two weeks after their assigned behavior changes or lack thereof. Employees in the smartphone and combination groups reported significant improvement in their mental health , work-life balance, and work satisfaction and motivation. In addition, they indicated reduced feelings of work overload and symptoms of problematic smartphone use .
All participants asked to change their behavior in some way saw reduced depressive symptoms and an enhanced sense of control.
“A conscious and controlled reduction of non-work-related screen time, in combination with more physical activity, could improve employees’ work satisfaction and mental health,” Brailovskaia said.
If you’re looking to cut back on your own screen time but aren’t sure how to go about it, try an “integration over separation” tactic. You could pair digital engagement with physical activity, such as going for a walk while listening to an audiobook.
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Read Lindsey Leake’s full article here .
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