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August 10, 2019 By shineadmin Leave a Comment

Why we need to re-learn how to switch off

As work returns to “normal” after the August summer holidays, employers need to revisit whether, in a world of smartphones and “always on” connectivity, workers are actually getting a proper break from work while on holiday, argues Laura Willis.

The traditional August summer holiday period is now, for many of us, rapidly fading into memory and, as work cranks back into “normal” mode, it can at times seem like you never went away.

We all know there is nothing quite like two weeks in the sun to blow away the cobwebs and recalibrate. Lying by the pool, finishing that book, a day exploring some ruins, or just lots and lots of sleep and lazing around.

However, whether you took a break over the summer or are planning to beat the inflated school holiday prices by getting away this autumn, the real challenge from a health and wellbeing perspective is actually just getting away from that little device in your pocket or handbag.

These days we carry “the office” around with us. Digital technology, and in particular our smartphones, have brought so much flexibility to our working lives resulting in there being no need to be tethered to the desk to do our jobs.

The flipside to this, however, is a growing inability to properly disconnect from work outside of office hours – be that evenings, weekends or on our annual leave – and the growing worry among health and wellbeing professionals of the negative impact this may potentially be having on people.

Inability to disconnect

Studies are already showing the impact of our inability to disconnect from work and constantly checking in to the office through digital devices.

For example, the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development/Simplyhealth 2018 Health and Wellbeing report highlighted that 87% of people reported that an inability to switch off had a negative impact on their wellbeing.

More recently, research in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health concluded that working longer hours and weekends contributed to worse mental health.

The World Health Organization, too, has argued that by next year work-related stress and burnout will be amongst the world’s most prevalent diseases; in fact it has even classed burnout as an “occupational phenomenon” within its 11th revision of its International Classification of Diseases for the first time. The lack of boundaries many of us feel around our work technology is undoubtedly a hugely contributing factor to this.

The psychological rest you experience during a period of annual leave simply isn’t the same if you are checking your inbox regularly either because of an expectation from your employer or a self-imposed obligation.

If we are to perform at our best, and maintain some level of work-life balance, which is essential to our wellbeing, then it is imperative we bring some sense of control to how we are using our inboxes and other workplace communications.

Practical solutions

So, what is the answer? At an organisational level businesses need to start to address this issue properly. Rather than what is often a wishy-washy, unspoken issue in most workplaces, employers need to consider putting some standards in place for staff so that they understand the need to have a proper break from work.

The relationship people have with their inboxes is often complex and companies need to support their staff to know they can and should disconnect from work. Putting the topic on the HR agenda and instilling a level of enforcement is key.

In the banking sector, for example, employees are forced to take two weeks’ holiday annually with no online contact so their employer can carry out necessary fraud checks. The unintended consequence is employees must step off the hamster wheel and take a proper break. If banking can survive this, there is little reason why others cannot follow suit.

At individual level employees need to reflect on the impact their constant contact with the office is having when they are trying to enjoy some downtime with family and friends.

One of the simplest choices all employees can make, regardless of their work or personal commitments, is to own two separate phones – one for work and one for personal.

By creating this very clear digital boundary workers can start to feel in control of their time and put appropriate rules in place as to when they are and are not going to be contactable.

Communicating the necessity and intention to take a real break is also important so colleagues’ expectations can be managed. A colleague who makes it clear they won’t be checking their inbox whilst they are away, and so should only be called in the event of a true emergency, is unambiguous about their intention to disconnect.

Businesses with their eye on the future, who are taking the health of their employees seriously, are already starting to put digital wellbeing on the agenda. As the world continues to get faster, and connectivity becomes ever-more the norm, is the time for employers to ensure their people are embracing their annual leave – whenever they take it – so that they return to work feeling rejuvenated, refreshed and ready to continue to give their very best.

References
Health and well-being at work, CIPD and Simplyhealth, 2018, https://www.cipd.co.uk/knowledge/culture/well-being/health-well-being-work

Weston at al (2019). Long work hours, weekend working and depressive symptoms in men and women: findings from a UK population-based study, Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, available online at https://jech.bmj.com/content/jech/early/2019/02/08/jech-2018-211309.full.pdf

Burn-out an “occupational phenomenon”: International Classification of Diseases, May 2019, World Health Organization, https://www.who.int/mental_health/evidence/burn-out/en/

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: burn out, burnout, digital detox, digital wellbeing, employee wellbeing, work life balance, work related stress, workplace wellbeing

June 19, 2019 By shineadmin Leave a Comment

The power of mindfulness in today’s digitally distracted world

corporate-meditation1We’re all distracted. The problem is everywhere. On trains, in restaurants, in homes, in business meetings and at conferences the temptation to check your inbox, tweet your thoughts or research something is too great for most people. It’s normal now for people watching TV in the sanctuary of their homes to be invited to “get involved” with the movie or programme rather than just sit back, relax and be entertained. At work, laptops are the constant companion of most people in meetings and with new emails or slack chats coming through whilst we are physically present our minds are often pulled away from the people we are with. What does this mean? Our attention spans are shorter, many of us feel overwhelmed by the constant stream of information, and our focus and productivity are suffering. And a state of continuous partial attention means interactions with those around us can remain shallow.

This isn’t going to go away. Technology is continuing to develop at a faster and faster rate and it is up to us to take responsibility for our own attention, wellbeing, our own tolerance for information, and make the appropriate changes to ensure we have a balanced and controlled use of tech rather than feeling it is controlling us.

Mindfulness is central to Shine Offline’s ethos of understanding our relationships with our digital technology and using our devices in an intentional way that supports our goals and values. We understand the impact digital distractions are having on people’s lives but also know that this is the world we live in and that it is up to us as individuals to each manage the role it plays, how we deal with it and how much we can handle.

Reasons why mindfulness is invaluable to thrive in today’s always-on world.

It helps you to exercise your attention

The origins of mindfulness are in Buddhism but for many people these days, including the team at Shine Offline, it is practised in a secular form. Many mindfulness teachers would describe the practise as brain training. A workout for the mind. When we practice mindfulness what we are doing is finding an anchor for our attention, usually the breath as a starting point, and bringing our attention back here every time our mind wanders. Practising this exercise regularly builds our “attention muscle” and ability to focus. It is neuroplasticity in practice – the brain changes depending on how you use it and regular meditators are found to have very different brains to people who never practice mindfulness. In a world designed to distract us, with notifications pinging and live chats streaming, exercising this part of our brains is invaluable in managing our own attention.

It increases our awareness of our thoughts and behaviour

Humans live on autopilot much of the time and one behaviour that has become automated for many people is checking. Checking the phone, inbox, slack, news, social media. The mobility of our digital technology has resulted in it being very easy to check our devices, and the work and personal information coming through on them, constantly. The simple practise of mindfulness can help to increase our awareness of our thoughts and behaviours and in turn help us to change them. Through the regular mindfulness practice of coming back to the breath whenever our minds wander we can start to remove the autopilot and live our lives in a way we choose. We believe it is no coincidence that mindfulness has risen at the same time as smartphone use – our devices constantly pull us out of the present moment.

It gives us a break from the phone

In a world where there is always a post to check, an update to read, an email to make sure you haven’t missed, having a really valid reason to have a break from our digital is invaluable. Getting into the habit of putting the phone on flight mode and in the drawer every day for 10 or 15 minutes to practise some mindfulness creates an offline space in our world that so many of us crave.

At the end of every session we run at Shine Offline we ask workshop participants what their biggest take away has been from some time thinking about their relationship with their digital technology. The value of mindfulness in today’s distracted world is one of the most popular responses. And we know, first hand, why. Everyone could benefit from just 10 minutes a day of focus on the breath.

If you fancy giving it a go we would recommend this short guided meditation by one of the UK’s leading Mindfulness teachers Mark Williams.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: digital wellbeing, distraction, employee wellbeing, guided meditation, mindfulness, overwhelm, rest, shine offline, work related stress, workplace wellbeing

February 21, 2019 By shineadmin Leave a Comment

Maximising breaks in your working day

Why proper breaks during the working day have never been more important

The modern day tea break

Oh, its 10.30. Time for a break. Think I’ll go and stick the kettle on and have a coffee and see if there’s any of that birthday cake left in the kitchen. Be good to catch up with Megan too and see how she is after that run in with Simon in the ops meeting. Phone in hand, ready to go…

Sound familiar? We all need breaks in our days. At work they’re vital if we want to perform at our best and not become overwhelmed. We are all taking so much information in during our working day that stepping away from the desk to allow some time to recalibrate is really important. And although many people still do this something has fundamentally changed – the presence of the smartphone.

These days a lot of us habitually carry our phone around with us everywhere we go. It’s an extension of ourselves. And as a result during our break times we are still processing information – be that scrolling through news or social media, whatsapp chats or even our work inbox! The chance for a proper break away to allow the mind to wander, have some rest and some downtime, just isn’t the same.

The importance of stepping away

In today’s always-on, digitally distracted world many psychologists and psychiatrists are reiterating the importance of breaks. Shine Offline’s associate Consultant psychiatrist Dr Ian Drever from Esher Groves clinic says:

“Being on a screen and multitasking makes us feel good. It gives us the illusion of productivity, but it’s all a bit of an empty sugar rush. All that’s happening is that we’re rewarding the novelty-seeking part of our brain by jumping around from one task to the next.

The real results come from sustained, focused, big-picture effort. This kind of work is hugely aided by switching off and having time away from screens, devices and distractions.”

What we do on our break times

If we are habitually checking news and social media during our break times this could be having a fundamentally negative impact on our mood. There are various scientific studies that demonstrate that social media use can have a negative impact on how we feel. And although called “social media” the vast majority of time spent on sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram is extremely passive. Research has shown the amount of active, non-passive social media use that occurs on is staggeringly low. 0.09% on Facebook, 1.6% on Instagram, and 0.048% on Twitter.

And in turn passive use of social media has been found to have a negative impact on our mood.

Research has found that batching notifications so that they are received at schedules throughout the day can have a positive affect on mood but at Shine Offline we would advise people to be sure not to spend all of their break times on their devices.

By all means stay up to date with the news or what your friends are up to on social media but be sure to have some screen free breaks throughout the day. As Dr Ian says, we work at our best when we have these breaks throughout the day.

The value of getting back to nature

Stepping away from the computer, leaving the phone behind and going outside for a change of scene and a chance to clear your head is priceless during a morning, lunchtime or afternoon break. The value of “forest bathing”, the Japanese term for immersing yourself in green space, has gained a lot of interest in the past few years with research showing the benefits to wellbeing of spending time in nature. If your office isn’t in the middle of the woods however just stepping outside and spending some time in a green space can have similar benefits. And of course, leaving the potentially distracting influence of your phone at your workstation and catching up with a colleague can also be incredibly valuable when it comes to developing good relationships at work.

Reconnect with colleagues

Tech writer and consultant Linda Stone coined the term Continuous Partial Attention back in 1998 as the behaviour of continuously dividing one’s attention. And psychologists report that if we have our smartphone in our hand or pocket at all times many of us are suffering from this condition as a result. Chatting to a colleague on a break, phone in pocket, a little part of our brain is always on the device, wondering when it is going to go off or what is waiting in there for us. And as a result we simply can’t give ourselves over 100% to the person we are with, the thing we are doing. Or immerse ourselves fully in some alone time during a break.

As humans we need breaks. Time to refresh and reload. So after you finish reading how about sticking your phone in the drawer and heading to the kitchen for a cuppa and slice of cake? Your head will thank you for it!

References:
Passive use of email
https://www.rivaliq.com/blog/2019-social-media-benchmark-report/
https://cognitiontoday.com/2019/08/effect-of-social-media-on-mental-health-well-being/

Batch but still have a break
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563219302596

Forest bathing
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jun/08/forest-bathing-japanese-practice-in-west-wellbeing

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: break time, breaks, burn out, burnout, digital detox, digital wellbeing, employee wellbeing, overwhelm, rest, shine offline, work related stress, workplace wellbeing

January 10, 2019 By shineadmin Leave a Comment

Rediscover the lost art of concentration

If you want to be in control of your digital wellbeing by lowering workplace overwhelm and improving your performance then getting yourself used to doing Deep Work is imperative. We talk about this in our learning programmes at Shine Offline and use this discipline daily as a team. Our inspiration comes from academic and author Cal Newport, whose brilliant book Deep Work defines the practise as “…the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task”.

It has been proven that multitasking is a myth. The human brain is not capable of focusing on two things at once. Instead what we do is ‘task flitting’, a practise that makes us less productive as we lose time regaining concentration after each interruption. And is it any wonder that we are all flitting between tasks and find it difficult to focus when we live in a world of distraction?

For example, some recent research found that 70% of work email was opened within 6 seconds. It is normal these days to work in response mode, ready to jump at every incoming email, each ping of the smartphone or switch to another tab on the computer when we hit a challenging task.  These constant distractions and connectivity is not only unhelpful it is damaging. Staying in a perpetual “shallow” state of work trains your brain in distraction making it increasingly difficult to concentrate.  This means many of us rarely get in a state of flow, the state where we produce our best work, are happiest and find purpose.  If you can master the skill of finding your flow and learn to focus in a distracted world this can help increase your digital wellbeing and help you to really shine in your work.  

Start to follow these three simple steps and you’ll find yourself working a more focused way.

  1. Create and write down a schedule for your day – what do you need to accomplish and what times are you going to do them?  Your inbox is one of the biggest forms of distraction so decide the times when you will check and process your emails.  Importantly set aside time for demanding, difficult or important tasks for focused ‘deep work’ when you can work without distraction.
  2. Remove digital distractions – when focusing on a task close your inbox, put phones out of sight, place them on flight or DND mode or use apps like OFFTIME or FOREST to help eliminate or minimize interruptions.  It’s about doing whatever it takes to let yourself focus on the main thing you’re trying to accomplish.
  3. Set a time limit – if you have become used to working in a distracted way it can take time to build your capacity to focus for periods of time.  Start by setting yourself a timer for 25 minutes but stay on the allocated task – you’ll be amazed at what you can achieve!  With practice, you can build the capacity for deep and focused work to longer periods.

Remember it is in your power to transform your mind and habits, to reclaim your focus and escape from constantly being in reactive and response mode.

Filed Under: Articles

March 8, 2018 By shineadmin Leave a Comment

7 reasons not to let your phone spoil your workout

Constantly checking and fiddling with your phone can wreck your workout. Have a look at our top tips on why you should consider taking a break from your emails and Instagram feed when exercising.

1. GET INTO THE ZONE
You can’t get the most from your work out and get into the ‘zone’ if you allow your phone to distract and interrupt you. Just as you can’t concentrate on completing a piece of work or reading a book if your phone is constantly pinging, vibrating and flashing from notifications. If you find the idea of being parted from your phone really tough why don’t you ‘reward’ yourself with a smartphone fix at the end of a tough workout – you can lose yourself in your Instagram feed (or email, or snapchat, or game) guilt free knowing that you have earned the indulgence.

2. TUNE INTO YOUR BODY
Exercises like Yoga and Thai Chi which are centred on mental focus as well as physical control and strength are great for cognitive development, managing stress and mental health. You can apply this focus to any exercise that you do, be that lifting weights in the gym or running in the park. Remove all digital distractions, concentrate on your breath and tune into your movements and you can give your mind a healthy work out at the same time as your body.

3. LOOK UP
If you leave your phone on, interact with it or let it distract you whilst exercising you are more likely injure yourself. Actually using your phone to change songs, text, browse or call will effect your balance and stability meaning the likelihood of an embarrassing fall from the treadmill, never mind distracted joggers running into traffic.

4. GO NAKED!
Beware fitness apps, whilst they can be useful to motivate and track your training they can also be addictive and disassociate you from what your body is telling you. I became so fixated on the data from running apps, concerned about my mileage, speed, performance that I failed to listen to my body and ran into injury. I now run naked! Not NAKED, naked but without a watch, a phone or a running app. I feel much more in tune with my body, my performance has improved and I am coming back from runs refreshed and rejuvenated. You can read more here about my marathon training without technology here.

5. OUT OF SIGHT OUT OF MIND
If you really can’t be parted with your phone, or feel it offers security when you are running outside for example, at least have it zipped away. Turn it off, switch it to flight mode or try using apps that will disable the use of the functions on your phone (some that we love are here). OFFTIME for example is an app that lets you choose what functions you need to use within a defined period of time and disable the rest. So you could still listen to Spotify for example during your workout. Just remember to prepare your playlist in advance and keep your phone zipped in a pocket so you aren’t tempted to let it distract you.

6. DITCH THE GYM SELFIES
No one looks at their best red faced and sweaty. Remember that fitness is not just about looking good – feel the strength in your own body and focus on what it can do, rather than how you look and you’ll get a lot more out of your work out.

7. FIND A NEW DOPAMINE HIT
If you find it agonising to be parted with your phone for even a short workout it may mean that you have developed a behavioural addiction. So what does this mean? Dopamine floods the brain when you engage in social media, gaming, online shopping or whatever your particular smartphone vice is. Professor Greenfield who is the founder of a technology addiction clinic has said we are all carrying around ‘portable dopamine pumps’. If you are addicted, abstinence is hard so you need to think of healthier ways to get your dopamine fix. What better way of naturally boosting your dopamine levels than through exercise? Be brave and go for a tough work out without the tech, keep the phone off whilst you shower and get dressed, let your mind run free. You may just find a more fulfilling natural high than the one you are seeking when you obsessively swipe and tap a screen.

At Shine Offline we value the role of digital technology in our lives and are working to assist people in using it more mindfully as opposed to not using it at all. By questioning our relationship with technology, changing our habits and setting a Shining example to those around us, we can start to really reconnect with ourselves and others and live a better, more balanced life.

Filed Under: Articles

November 14, 2017 By shineadmin Leave a Comment

People Management editorial – Tech and work life balance

It’s up to managers to make sure employees disconnect from work – only with the support of line managers will workers be able to manage digital distractions and balance their work and home lives, writes Anna Kotwinski

Let’s think back to a time when our working likes were very different to how they are today. We don’t have to rewind too far…

It’s 1999. When an employee leaves the office at the end of a busy day, shuts down their computer for the weekend, or smugly composes an out of office message before a holiday, they also leave work behind. And now? The majority of us are carrying our work around in our pockets – to the pub, to the family meal table, and often to the beach or ski slope.

The smartphone has completely transformed the way we do business. It has provided incredible opportunities for flexible working, but that flexibility has come at a high cost. A culture has developed where employees increasingly feel the need to be available around the clock, where responsiveness is too often equated to commitment, and boundaries between professional and personal life are blurred like never before. Employees choosing to work long hours to get ahead is nothing new, but in a new digital age where individuals can be contactable and engage 24/7, arousal levels are continually peaked and the mind has no time for recovery. Dr Almuth McDowall, a psychologist at the University of London, has warned that these behaviours are not sustainable and that the effects on wellbeing and danger of burnout are the same whether the expectation to be available is explicit, implicit or self-imposed.

Time and time again, people tell us about the trouble they have disconnecting from work; the impact this has on their personal relationships and families; how it increases stress; and suffering the compulsion to ‘just check’ their messages on holidays and weekends.

Read the full article here

 

Filed Under: Articles

June 29, 2016 By shineadmin Leave a Comment

Ask Anna…

ask-anna‘Before I know it I’ve had a 30 minute break from work . . . ‘
Richard, a previous participant of our workshops, seeks advice to stop him getting sucked into lengthy internet browsing sessions.

Richard wrote:
‘My personal digital distractions tend to be articles from BBC News, football comment, fan blogs and business update websites. I can often find myself going through 8–10 different articles at a time, and before I know it I’ve had a 30 minute break from work.
Do you have any advice on how to catch myself doing this and to then stop?
Are there any internet browser monitoring apps you recommend where I could measure how much I’m doing of this?’

Dear Richard,

You are not alone
I fully understand the way you can get sucked into an internet black hole. We like to believe that we are all behaving with individual choice and freedom but in actuality whenever we go onto the internet our choices are manipulated by menus we did not choose in the first place. The internet is designed to distract and capture your attention, stimulate your brain to feel that it must react and keep clicking from one link to another.

One of the key things that we seek to do in our sessions is to help people question their own behaviours and acknowledge what issues they may have with digital distraction in their lives. The very fact that you recognise what your sticking points are is in itself is the first step to gaining control of your digital behaviours and regaining control.

Make some rules
Taking a 5 minute break from your work online is not in itself a bad thing. It could provide a much needed interruption to refresh your mind and it seems you are seeking out subjects that are of genuinely of interest to you. See if you can try and set yourself a time for your digital breaks, making simple rules and sticking to them can really break habits and make you aware of your behaviours. Frances Booth in her book The Distraction Trap suggests setting a timer for 5 minutes (or however long you are seeking ‘distraction’) and stop at that time to break the browsing habit. Or how about if it is just a break you are seeking you get up and put the kettle on instead, or grab a few minutes fresh air.

Read it later
If you want to read something but know it is not the best time or are able to catch yourself there are plenty of ‘read it later’ and read it offline apps that work both on smartphones and the major internet browsers. These apps will turn any web page into a clean view for reading now or later on your computer, smartphone, or tablet so get rid of all clutter, links and ads that can keep us distracted. Try Readability, Pocket or Instapaper.

Cold hard shock
If you’d like to shock yourself into reducing your digital distraction maybe some cold, hard stats would help. Time Stats tracks website stats and helps you to collect stats of the sites you visit. It’s quick to access and easy to use. Be Limitless is another app that easily identifies where your time is spent and gives productivity suggestions. Apps, such as QualityTime for Android and Moment for iOS monitor your phone usage and inform you just how many hours a day you’re spending on your phone. These apps also allow you to set alerts to remind you if you are using your phone too much.

Different techniques will work for different people but by simply understanding what you want from the internet when you go online, and more profoundly what the internet wants from you in trying to keep you there, will help you better manage your distractions and procrastination and seize back control of your time both in and out of work.

Good luck!

Anna

Are you addicted to your iPhone? Does your boss email you on a Saturday night? Can your girlfriend not stay off Facebook? Whatever issues you have managing technology email Anna and we’ll do what we can to help.

Filed Under: Articles

May 25, 2016 By shineadmin Leave a Comment

Offline for a week

detoxWe recently met Melissa Coton at a learning session we ran for an international entertainment brand as part of their Learning at Work Expo. Melissa has been experimenting with her relationship with her smartphone and went offline for a week to see what would happen. The findings are very interesting! Read all about her experience here…

I decided to ‘go offline’ for the last week of my 40 Day Program (blog post coming soon). I had given up different foods during the previous weeks, but had committed only to reducing my internet consumption , failing miserably to stay offline for more than a day. This was a clear sign to me that I had a minor addiction, and should try giving it up altogether. I want to clarify my self-imposed rules as technically I wasn’t completely offline; most of my work is done by email; and I did say to my friends and family that they could reach me by email if they needed me.

I’m no phone junkie; I’m even known for telling people off for using their phones when they are with people. Unless a call or message is urgent, I strongly believe in prioritising the person you have in front of you. However, when I am ‘alone’, I tend to stare at my screen and my phone becomes my link to all the people I love. So as Sunday night approached, I messaged my friends on watsapp to announce my week off and was amused to receive a few messages including ‘I wish I could do that’, ‘enjoy’, ‘let me know how it goes’ and a genuine ‘why?!’. As my self imposed cut off approached, I wondered how I would cope 7 days without ‘internet’, and I couldn’t wait to find out.

Day 1: I feel a bit silly writing about this, I realise how much of a first world problem this is.

My commute to and from work seems different, I still hold my phone in my hand at the beginning, out of habit, but I put it away as soon as I realise there isn’t much use to it without the magic connection.

As the day goes by, I feel less surrounded and also less distracted, which enables me to get through more work than usual.

I think I’ve made eye contact with more people today and I am hyper aware of the mobile zombies only looking up briefly to make sure they aren’t walking into another commuter.

A few times during the day I think I must contact someone to tell them something but as I realise that I can’t, I think I’ll tell them next week, if I remember, meaning it probably wasn’t that important. This makes me question the importance of all the conversations I have on watsapp on a daily basis.

After work I embark on a homemade soup as I feel like I have the whole evening ahead of me. I don’t spend much time on my phone and I never watch TV, but do I tend to check social platforms when I’m waiting for something; the water to boil or the oven to heat, or if I’m dining alone I might Instagram my dinner and check out what my friends have been up to. Tonight though, I enjoy my own company and it’s uplifting.

As I go to bed I realise that the only texts I received today are from Sam (my boyfriend), but I haven’t texted anyone either.

Day 2: I’m getting used to not checking my phone every 2 seconds. On my way to work I do some of the reading for my YTT course, which I have been postponing, my excuse being that my commute isn’t long enough. I realise that although my bus ride is quick, I have managed to read a couple of pages – I work out that if I do this every day both ways, I will have finished my reading by the end of the week!

I feel the urge to text a couple of people, to confirm plans and just to say hi. I do, and I receive quick replies. I’ve had my communication fix for the day and forget my phone in my coat the whole day.

My day feels very productive and I don’t even miss IG or FB, but I am missing watsapp a bit, or rather the people I talk to on it.

Day 3: I saw some of my yogi friends at the studio last night, we chatted and shared a few giggles and I think I valued our exchange more than I usually do, maybe because I didn’t have that many interactions with friends throughout the day. Or perhaps it was because I felt like I wouldn’t be able to communicate with them until I bumped into them again.

One of my dear friends and I did a little accroyoga, took a picture, and my immediate thought was that I’d like to share it on IG.

This reminds me of my philosophy teacher asking the class ‘if a tree falls in the forest and no one sees it, did it fall?’ it seemed like such a silly question at the time, but now I see that I validate a lot of what I do through the eyes of others, as if my own eyes were not enough.

Day 4: I’m so busy at work all day that I don’t even think about social media. On my way to the final meeting of my 40 day program I contemplate messaging my fellow yogis to tell them about the delicious quiche I’ve made for them (recipe on my blog) but I realise it’s unnecessary as I am going to see them within 2 hours.

Day 5: Following last night’s overwhelming final meeting, I feel the urge to contact everyone to tell them how grateful I am to have shared this journey with them. I tell myself however that I have already made that declaration to the whole group last night. I must learn to trust that communicating a message once is enough. Today during my lunch I check if the next MGV tickets are out. It turns out they are, and as I scroll down, I see that MGV has quoted my blog , I can see that the post has a few reposts, likes and comments. I am curious, happy and proud and would love to contact MGV to thank them for this, but it will have to wait until Monday and I’m ok with it. I guess this is the most important lesson from this week – life online won’t stop without me, but it’s ok if I miss some of it, even most of it, because if I don’t, I’m probably missing out on real life.

Day 6: I spend the day with my boyfriend’s family in Wales and I leave my phone in the room all day; it’s easy to be offline when spending time with people you love.

This does make me miss my own family, and I actually cheat a bit by asking Sam to watsapp my mum and tell her that I love her and miss her and will be back online on Monday.

Day 7: Phone, what phone? Just kidding, I’m actually quite looking forward to turning my internet back on. Part of me wants to stay offline but most of me wants to see what’s happened over the past few days in my family group, on our YTT group and with all my friends in general. I almost try to argue to myself that since I went offline last Sunday evening, I could technically come back online tonight, but I know that it can wait until tomorrow.

This blog was originally posted here

Filed Under: Articles, Guest Article

April 13, 2016 By shineadmin Leave a Comment

Six simple ways to improve your relationship with your smartphone

symbols1. Leave your phone at the bedroom door
A 2014 study found that the average smartphone user reaches for their phone by 7.31am to check emails and social media. At Shine Offline we’ve invested in alarm clocks to remove the smartphone from the bedroom and found that leaving our phones off while we get up, dressed and eat breakfast makes for a better start to the day.

2. Out of sight, out of mind
If your smartphone is always within arm’s reach, the temptation is to check it every few minutes. Make sure there are times you turn it off, put it in a drawer, your work bag or even a sock! Make some rules about your phone free time – a proper break for lunch, to focus on an important deadline, kid’s bedtime.

3. Turn off notifications and use ‘flight mode’
If the apps on your phone are set to alert you to emails, social media and every time there is a bid on your old sofa on eBay then you will be distracted by it all day. Turn the default notifications off or even remove certain apps from your phone altogether. Make use of ‘flight mode’ and stop texts and calls coming through.

4. Good old fashioned pen and paper
Any questions on any topic can now be answered through the power of Google. Amazing. But the distraction of constantly going online can get in the way of a productive day. The solution is simple. Carry a small notepad and pen and every time something pops up that requires you to go online resist the temptation of doing it there and then. Start a list and a few times a day go online to action it.

5. Have designated online time
Rather than leaving your inbox and half a dozen browsers open on your computer all day, create certain time frames to be online. That includes deciding a certain number of times a day to check your email as well as designated admin time. Write yourself a task list for the next day, and at the start of the working day tackle your most important tasks before you open your inbox. It takes discipline but you’ll be surprised how productively your day can start and how clearer your mind can be. Be brave and experiment – you’ll soon find what works best for you.

6. Be mindful and reclaim the pause in your day
When we are constantly distracted by technology we are never fully present in the moment. At Shine Offline meditation offers a solution giving a break from constant bombardment of information and some space back to focus on and what is important. Resist the temptation to automatically reach for your phone every time you are sat on a bus, in your lunch break or waiting for an appointment. Try and be mindful and break that habit. Instead of looking at your phone on your commute, read a book, look out of the window or just close your eyes and breathe.

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January 12, 2016 By shineadmin Leave a Comment

Running naked… how limiting tech made me a better, happier runner

anna-running

Embracing the experience! High fiving a Womble at the Wimbledon Common Half Marathon

Like thousands of others I have signed up to a Spring marathon and launched into 2016 with a training plan to get me to the start mentally and physically prepared for the 26.2 miles ahead. Part of that plan is to run naked more often.

Yup, you read right. NAKED.

No, no, not actually no-clothes-naked. That would be streaking and no one needs to see that. Besides it’s a bit chilly this time of year and I’d have nowhere to keep my house key.

Running naked is a term meaning ditching the technology, just lacing up your shoes and heading out the door into the elements like it is 1995. Radical eh? Well to many and certainly to me – yes!

Technology continues to permeate every aspect of our lives, and wearable running tech is big business. There are GPS watches, heart rate monitors, trainer inserts, head cams not to mention a dizzying array of phone apps to tell us how fast, how far, calories burnt, to improve cadence, pre-programme training, plan routes, navigate . . . . And if you need an incentive to up your pace, there is even an app placing runners in a zombie apocalypse world pursued by the undead.

The undead aside (there are other blogs for that), how much does all this technology really enhance your run, your performance and crucially does it have an impact on the sense of escapism many runners seek when they reach for their trainers?

Since joining the Shine Offline team I have been thinking more and more about my own reliance and interaction with the technology in my life.

There is always ‘an app for that’ and technology to make life simpler and less stressful. But does it? When in my life is technology beneficial and when might it be an idea to take a break and go back to basics: walking across the office to talk to a colleague rather than emailing? Having an alarm clock by the bed not a mobile? . . . What about running without a GPS watch?

On a recent social evening run with my Bearcat running club friends we had a 6-mile loop mapped out that started and ended at a pub (a frequent occurrence – I do love my running club!) As we approached the end of our route and the promise of a refreshing pint we realised we had in fact only run 5.9 miles. So what did we do? We ran a 100 metres or so up the road and back so we could all stop our watches at exactly 6 miles. A few months ago this would not have struck me as bizarre in the slightest. Many an odd look have I had from neighbours as I have zigzagged outside my house so I can clock up a precise number of miles.

The last time I ran a marathon was in 2007. I had an ipod so that Dolly Parton could keep me company on long runs (don’t judge me) and a simple stop watch. My training runs I ran for time on my feet, perceived effort and estimated distance. I didn’t have a clue how far or fast I was actually running. In recent years I have tried to get back to marathon running (and failed, more of that later) and have marvelled at the tech available to me from my basic Garmin watch and an inexpensive app on my phone. The operations, organisation and social aspect of my wonderful running club are run through Facebook and I am also part of an online community of female runners. This has kept me motivated, provided structure, built friendships and let me better understand my running.

But can you have too much of a good thing? For me, the answer is yes and I think this has had both performance and psychological consequences.

anna-cartoonLet’s start with performance
It certainly would not be true to blame my scuppered 2015 marathon plans entirely on technology, but one thing for certain is I got carried away in January, I over trained and I became injured. And technology played a part in that. I set a pace on my watch so it would beep if I dropped below a certain speed. I became obsessed with building up online data through my Garmin as evidence to myself that I was on track. I was over concerned about the training progress of running friends on social media, how long and fast their runs were and I was swept into a Facebook 100-mile challenge. I was training my body, but my head was full of noise, data, the nagging beeping of my watch and the ping of social media. I was out of tune with my body so rather than recognising the warning signs I ran myself into injury.

And then in September last year a funny thing happened. By then injury free I was at the start line of Richmond Running Festival Half marathon. It was a beautiful morning, in Kew Gardens and there I am fussing and waving my left arm frantically in the air and cursing my Garmin as it fails to pick up a signal. It was an anxious start to the race as I was forced to run ‘naked’. How could I tell if I was running fast enough to reach my goal? What if I had set out too fast and would burn myself out? How could I possibly pace myself? But after the first mile I settled into a natural rhythm, got my game face on and ran my ass off. The result? I was shocked to find out I took seven minutes off my previous best time.

Psychological
But running for me is not just about performance. Yes, I set myself goals, but primarily when I run whether alone or in company I do so to get out in nature, to feel the air in my lungs, the strength in my limbs, to leave all the stresses and challenges of daily life behind and escape for a short time. I want to run to that point when the endorphins kick in and all that positive brain stuff happens.

However, in recent times, even when just taking a short ‘runch break’ in a busy working day, I would step out of the door and fuss about the GPS on my watch, check Spotify had downloaded, worry about phone battery, were my Bluetooth headphones connecting and on occasion start my Runtastic app as GPS back up. After all, how could I be sure I had actually run at all without the data to back it up? Calls and emails might interrupt a run, and when I stopped for recovery I would have checked my inbox before getting back in the door as well as reviewing my running stats, uploading the data and deciding whether to share on social media.

I disconnected from nothing. There was no escapism, no sanctuary. I took everything I sought to escape and zipped it in my pocket.

Running naked
The realisation that my tech use whilst running might have an impact on both my happiness and my performance was a big one.

It is an interesting term ‘running naked’. It suggests something daring and radical but also suggests vulnerability. Taking both my phone and watch was a habit, something I was doing automatically without even thinking. And yet the conscious decision to leave them at home even for a short run was surprisingly hard to do. But I am so glad I did!

It really is liberating to get out there and not have to think about your watch or phone! My running feels more focused, I am more aware of my breathing, my form, the world around me and I have space to think again.

I had a joyful moment pausing in Richmond Park early one morning and enjoying the tranquility, the outline of the stags on the sky and a heron by the pond. I reached for my phone and had a pang of regret that I did not have it with me. But this memory has stayed with me, as an experience for its own sake and not as a photo opportunity to tweak and enhance and share on www.

More and more often these days I am deciding to leave for a run with nothing but my oyster card and a house key. Maybe a fiver for emergency haribos.

Finding the right balance – who is running this show anyway?
Don’t get me wrong, I certainly have not ditched the technology completely and there is no question it offers enormous resources when training for my marathon. In my experience though you can have too much of a good thing, so I am seeking to find the right balance: listening to my body more, simplifying things and trying to use technology in a more mindful way.

For routes and distances I already know I run tech free and run for effort. New routes I map out in advance on WalkJogRun (www.walkjogrun.net) and on the occasions I do wish to make use of GPS I use a phone app, make sure that it is on flight mode and tucked away with the sound turned off. This way I can access the run data when needed but I can with as few distractions as possible JUST RUN!

I have every intention of being at on the start line of the Brighton marathon this year. I may even leave my watch on the bedside table!

Anna
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At Shine Offline we value the role of digital technology in our lives and are working to assist people in using it more mindfully as opposed to not using it at all. By questioning our relationship with technology, changing our habits and setting a Shining example to those around us, we can start to really reconnect with ourselves and others and live a better, more balanced life.
www.shineoffline.com

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