Did you know the average person checks their phone 150 times a day?

Technology overload is taking a toll on many of us, both professionally and personally. According to research from Microsoft, when we leave a task to respond to a message, it takes about 16 minutes to get back to our previous point of productivity. We have become proficient at responding at the expense of performing our best work.

People who regularly juggle multiple streams of content do not pay attention, memorize, or manage their tasks as well as those who focus on one thing at a time. We may think we’re distracted only briefly, or that we’re being more productive when we multitask, but we end up wasting time and energy on relatively unimportant information and interactions. The result is reduced productivity and engagement, both at work and at home. As you have probably heard, multitasking is a myth!

When we constantly check our phones, we keep ourselves in an addictive cycle. Smartphones and apps are designed to release hormones, specifically dopamine and cortisol. Dopamine is a brain chemical that helps form habits and addictions. Cortisol is released in response to emotional stress, and is elevated when your phone is nearby.

“It’s a stress response, and it feels unpleasant, and the body’s natural response is to want to check the phone to make the stress go away,” says David Greenfield, professor of clinical psychiatry at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine and founder of the Center for Internet and Technology Addiction.

The good news is there are ways to break this cycle! We can take control of technology instead of the other way around. Managing digital distractions will not only improve productivity and satisfaction, but will also help us be happier and healthier.

Tips for coordinators:

1. Share this short (152 second) video with your employees on how to turn your phone into a tool vs a companion, from Cal Newport and Daniel Pink.
2. Create a quiet, technology-free room for relaxation. Consider a flexible space (for example a room for employees also used for lactation support).
3. Encourage your employees to take phone-free breaks and use the time to recharge in a quiet room, take a short walk, or connect with colleagues in person.
4. Consider offering a campaign to help your employees take a break from social media, notice the impact it has on them, and make more informed choices about how they spend their time. There are many free campaigns available online, such as this 7-day social media detox challenge or this three-week guided social media detox and reflection challenge.
5. Empower employees to block out "focus time" on their calendars. If possible for your workplace, designate certain hours of the day, or one day a week, where everyone agrees not to check or respond to messages.

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Click here to read this month's E-tips for your employees: "Take charge of technology!"

To share these E-tips with employees, you can:  

• Email the E-tips document to your staff as an attachment. 1) Click the link to download and save the E-tips to your computer. 2) Add your organization's logo in the bottom left corner. 3) Then send it as an email attachment to staff. 
• Print the document once you've added your organization's logo and post it in a common area in your workplace.
• Copy and paste the text into your organization's newsletter.

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