Why We Are Living in the Age of Digital Overwhelm
In early 2016 an incredible opportunity landed in my inbox.
I had been asked to submit a proposal to Ogilvy,?the world’s most creative advertising agency.?The project involved designing and delivering educational experiences for a Ghana-based innovation hub.?A dream project with a dream client.
But there was a catch: my pitch had to be submitted by the end of the day. Another design engineer had dropped out and they needed someone to step in at short notice.
I started working on the proposal straight away, but even as I opened my laptop I was distracted by a buzz in my pocket.
As I tried to get into the flow, I found myself constantly drawn away by notifications on my phone or pop-ups on my desktop. I battled on, submitting the proposal on time and exhausting myself in the process.
This experience wasn’t new. I was used to navigating my work amidst a chorus of digital distraction.?What I didn’t realise at the time, is that managing your relationship with your tech is a skill.
Years later I would discover that?this skill can be learned?and it doesn’t require rejecting the gifts of the digital world. As the digital landscape evolves (hello ChatGPT)?the value in mastering this skill is increasing exponentially.
The COVID pandemic has changed the way we use technology.?More than ever before, we rely on our devices to connect and engage with the world.
In 2019, Asurion published a?study?showing that US residents checked their smartphones an average of 96 times per day, or about once every ten minutes (when accounting for eight hours of sleep).
The company did a?follow-up study?last year and found this number has increased nearly four-fold to an eye-watering 352 times a day.?This means the average American now checks their phone about once every three minutes.
How does the relentless distraction impact our ability to focus?
In a?study from the University of California Irvine, researchers found that it takes, on average, 23 minutes to refocus after an interruption. We compensate for lost time by working faster, but this has its cost; we experience:?a higher workload, more stress, higher frustration, more time pressure, and effort.?Interrupted work may be done faster but at a price.
I started exploring my digital habits around five years go. In that time, I’ve seen the many ways our relationship with tech can negatively impact our lives. I’ve also seen that impact intensify as new devices and apps are launched that distract our attention and hook our most basic instincts.
We are living in the age of digital overwhelm and the psychological and emotional toll of all this can be seen everywhere.
It distracts us.
It disconnects us.
It wastes our time.
It feeds our anxiety.
It disrupts our sleep.
It derails our purpose.
In my next article, I’ll share the moment that changed my relationship with my tech forever.
Want to build a better relationship with your devices?
I'm hosting a handful of free workshops to get you started.
领英推荐
Habits for Digital Wellness (live session)
Join me on Friday May 5th at 4pm GMT to celebrate Digital Wellness Day, and make some time to develop habits for your own wellbeing.
In this one-hour interactive session, you'll choose an experiment from our Digital Habit Lab, and learn how to apply it to your life straight away.
Digital Habit Foundations (live session)
Join me on Wednesday May 10th at 4pm GMT for a live one-hour session introduction into the science and neuroscience of tech and digital wellness, and how to reduce distraction by taking control of notifications on your own terms.
Getting M.O.R.E. from your tech (live session)
Join me on Thursday May 18th at 4pm GMT where I share a one-hour distillation of the methodology we teach at the Mind over Tech.
I hope you’ll join me, I look forward to seeing you there.
Jonathan Garner Founder of Mind over Tech
A seasoned web developer and user experience designer, Jonathan has spent the last 10 years designing and delivering programmes that demystify disruptive technologies, like Machine Learning and AI, to C-suite leaders around the world. ?
In 2015, while on a meditation retreat, Jonathan suddenly found himself doomscrolling in a locked toilet cubicle. He founded Mind over Tech with the mission to help himself, and others, find a better relationship with their tech while embracing the gifts of the digital world.
He firmly believes that exploring our digital habits can turn the mundane reality of emailing and zooming into fuel for personal transformation.