Step away from the phone: Switch off from technology to be more effective

I recently had a week's holiday in sunny Devon. Well, mostly-sunny Devon.

I came back feeling the most refreshed I've felt for a long time. In fact, I told one friend that I felt "almost zen".

What do I think made this particular break so much more effective than previous breaks?

I took a digital detox - deleting all my social media apps, including my Gmail app for my business email. I knew full well that there was little to no reception where we were staying, so even if I felt the urge to reload the apps I just wouldn't be able to.

This freed up my time to think and come up with ideas. To properly talk to my husband. To read. To notice the sights and sounds on Dartmoor. To sleep better. To just 'be'.

This has made me reflect much more deeply on how, when and where people in organisations use their various devices. (Just to say that I have 'airplane mode' switched on my smartphone as I write this article on my laptop.)

The impact on leadership - being present versus being elsewhere

When I work with leaders and managers so many of them are constantly at the beck and call of the littlest alert from their smartphones, tablets and laptops. They're frazzled and not working at their optimum.

Typically, I get asked to coach leaders who are looking to:

• Improve relationships with staff, peers or board members in their organisation;
• Reduce stress and feeling overwhelmed;
• Improve their personal performance;
• Improve team working; or
• Get ready to make their next career move.

And I can't help but wonder if being at the mercy of every little email 'ding', tweet update, WhatsApp message etc. is a key thing getting in the way of these leaders' effectiveness and that of their teams.

The impact on health - always 'being on'

There is a more dangerous impact of always 'being on' and that is on our health.

Think of the psychological research around conditioning - Pavlov's dogs or the Skinner box. This taught us that stimulus can condition certain behaviour. In the 21st century, the stimulus is our smartphone/tablet/laptop and our response is a mini adrenalin rush every time we hear the whoosh or ding on our machines, telling us it's time for action. This has a cumulative effect that builds up over the minutes, hours, days and weeks.

In effect, always being 'switched on' means we're constantly in a state of high alert (think fight or flight) and stress. This has a punishing effect on our bodies and our minds.

The impact on relationships - the ability to connect and empathise

Daniel Goleman, in his book 'Focus: The hidden driver of excellence' says, "Digital engagement comes at a cost in face time with real people - the medium where we learn to 'read' nonverbals. The new crop of natives in this digital world may be adroit at the keyboard, but they can be all thumbs when it comes to reading behaviour face-to-face, in real time - particularly in sensing dismay of others when they stop to read a text in the middle of talking with them."

There is absolutely a place for digital technology and social media. It can help us broaden our network, encourage creativity and innovation, enable us to learn new things, work wherever we want and get more done faster than ever before. However, the trick is to manage the technology and make it jump to our tune, not the other way round.

However, by always having our heads down, by always being on high alert, our technology can end up getting in the way of our relationships. We can be among people and yet, feel lonely and isolated.

In a Harvard Business Review article on loneliness and isolation at work, Vivek H Arthur says, "Our understanding of biology, psychology, and the workplace calls for companies to make fostering social connections a strategic priority. A more connected workforce is more likely to enjoy greater fulfillment, productivity, and engagement while being more protected against illness, disability, and burnout."

In other words, being more careful in the when, where and how of technology use can be good for business and good for health.

Some suggestions to help you manage your digital tech

If the thought of having a week away from your Instagram account, Facebook feed, work email etc. is too overwhelming, here are some more manageable things you can do:

1. Upload an app that helps you to...erm... control your app usage. In this helpful article, Jeremy Goldman suggests six of the best.
2. Take a digital day off. The Evening Standard published a piece on how digital leaders around the world manage to do this. So my question is, why couldn't you?
3. Have device free meetings. One leader I was coaching came up with a breakthrough idea in one session. She decided that brainstorming meetings would be completely device free. No laptops. No smartphones. Nothing. Not only did the quality and quantity of ideas improve but relationships across the team did too. Whilst there may not be a causal link, it's nonetheless something worth trying - particularly in one-to-ones where the discussion may be difficult or sensitive.
4. Don't take your smartphone into your bedroom at night. Just knowing it's there means your body will still be in 'ready' mode. Leave your phone in a different room and ideally, switch it off.
5. Leave your phone in the office whilst you go for a 10 minute walk in a local park or green space. Whilst this Stanford University study suggested a 90 minute walk in nature, positive effects on your mental and physical health can still be found after just 10 minutes.

What things do you do to manage your digital tech use and remain effective at work and home? Share your tips in the comments box so others might benefit.... and then switch off your device. *winks*

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Hayley Lewis is a chartered psychologist, consultant and university lecturer specialising in organisational behaviour and performance. She shares new insights on work and psychology every month in her consultancy's newsletter: HALO Psychology