Three Ways to Break Bad Technology Habits

There was a time when the word «addiction» was associated exclusively with drugs or alcohol. Today, this definition also includes an excessive addiction to technology, smartphones in particular. Technology companies, releasing their products, repeat over and over again about the intention to make the world a better place. It is likely that they, indeed, have good intentions. But it cannot be denied that many modern technologies have a side effect — they very strongly “hook” users on themselves.

Adam Alter, professor of marketing at New York University, in his book «Irresistibleclaims that the more time a person spends behind a screen, the less happy they are. BUT a recent study by the University of Pittsburgh found that people who actively use multiple social networks are three times more likely to be at risk of depression.

Alter writes that the smartphone has become for the modern user something like a pacifier for adults. A small child drags a pacifier into his mouth to feel comfort and calm down. And in the same way, an adult reaches for a smartphone when he feels restless and insecure. Researchers at Columbia and Pennsylvania Universities, having studied impact of smartphone on stress levelscame to the conclusion that the comparison with a pacifier proposed by Professor Alter can be considered very accurate.

Many users are aware of how unhealthy their gadget addiction is, but do not know how to deal with it. Alter offers three effective methods.

Avoid distractions

Studies show that email is one of the biggest distractions that gets in the way of work. Alter claims that, on average, it takes six seconds to read one short work email. But after that, it takes about 25 minutes for the employee to start working at the same level of concentration.

Very often, checking messages serves as a way for the user to get distracted or get rid of boredom. This is a very bad habit. If you want to be productive, turn off notifications and don’t get distracted by checking junk. If you have nothing to do, again, do not try to escape from boredom in the world of electronic messages. Try to feel bored and just relax. Do this for several days in a row, and you will see how your hands will automatically stop reaching for the gadget in moments of silence.

Set Physical Limits

If you find it difficult to suppress the impulse to grab your smartphone, try setting physical limits.

Alter recommends simply leaving the smartphone away. For example, if you go to get coffee at work, leave your phone at the office. This will make it physically impossible to try to use the adult pacifier.

Ideally, you should strive for a state where the smartphone is next to you, but you do not feel an impulsive desire to look into it.

Use pauses proactively

Watch how people behave in transport or in line at the store. As soon as they find themselves in a potentially awkward or boring situation, they immediately stare at the smartphone screen.

It is much more useful to use such pauses to simply reflect. Alter writes: “I will choose a problem that has been bothering me lately and use the free 15-20 minutes to think about its solution.”

The problem of the modern user is that he does not know when to take a break from the screen. Instead of somehow interacting with strangers or thinking about important issues, people automatically pull out a smartphone from their pocket and stick to it. And they don’t even understand that they are doing it not out of necessity, but simply for the sake of complacency. If you notice this behavior in yourself, try following Professor Alter’s methods. Very soon you will notice how your habits will change.