We are increasingly acting and communicating digitally. Christmas presents are easily taken care of online. We can order our weekly groceries from the comfort of the couch. In between, we send a quick message to a friend, scroll through Instagram for inspiration, and answer a question in the work group chat. Then we check and respond to the last few emails, load the dishwasher, and finally “relax” on the couch, often with our phone still in hand.

Burnout

At Dynamisch Bureau, more and more coachees are reporting burnout symptoms—often young people between the ages of 25 and 40. It’s not surprising when you read the report by research institute TNO: in 2018, nearly 1.3 million Dutch employees experienced burnout symptoms. And the cost of work-related stress and absenteeism has risen to 2.8 billion euros per year!

There appears to be a clear link between work-related stress and the use of technology. Nearly half (47%) of employees are often or always reachable outside working hours, and 60% (almost) always use a computer or smartphone for communication. Of these, 45% report that their work-related absences were caused by work stress.
So, time for a digital detox, but how? After all, there’s also a kind of social pressure that many people experience. Before you know it, you’re added to a group chat. Convenient, sure—but do you always need to know what everyone thinks, writes, or says? Do you have to respond to everything that comes your way? And if your manager sends a message or email at 9:10 p.m., does that mean you’re expected to be “on” and respond too? What if you see that your colleagues are still working late into the evening?
According to TNO’s research, 28% of employees experience information overload: they receive so much information that they can no longer process it. As humans, we want to belong to a group, but is that still desirable when it starts to cost us our health? It takes a fair amount of courage to choose your own path in this and to opt out.

Practical tips for the digital detox

Our grandmothers already knew: rest, cleanliness, and routine are the key ingredients for a healthy life. But along the way, we seem to have lost touch with that, especially in the digital world. That’s why we’re sharing some tips for creating more peace and structure in your life, because prevention is better than cure.

• Do the things you do with full attention. No one can truly multitask effectively, even if some people claim otherwise.
• Ask yourself: do you genuinely want to be constantly online and available, or do you feel like you have to be?
• Communicate clearly about when you want to be reachable. For example, let people know: I don’t read or respond to messages after 6:00 p.m.—and include this in your email signature.
• Our concentration curve peaks at about 1.5 hours. So alternate your tasks, go for a short walk, have a coffee, chat with a colleague, or take a moment for a brief mindfulness exercise in between activities.
• Limit yourself to checking your mobile phone no more than three times a day, and handle your WhatsApp messages, emails, etc. within those time blocks—for example, from 9:00–10:00 a.m., 1:30–2:00 p.m., and 5:00–5:30 p.m.
• Need to discuss something with a colleague? Pick up the phone—or better yet, go outside together. A walk is a great opportunity to talk things through.
• Enable the “device-free time” function on your phone, so you won’t be distracted or interrupted during your downtime, or when you need to focus, by the sounds of incoming messages or emails.
• Are you really listening to your body? Can you feel when you’re tired or tense—and do you act on it?
• Suffering from stress? Talk to your manager or someone close to you.
• Healthy screen use can be part of the guidance offered at Dynamisch Bureau. Feel free to ask us about it!