Anna was interviewed by www.makeadifference.media about Labour’s focus on a ‘Right to Disconnect law’ in their election campaign. She said

“Lots of the problems in the workplace, especially now many of us are geographically dispersed, are about losing that human connection. Those watercooler moments, where there’s body language, eye contact and other cues, aren’t happening. But the more and more we hand our work over to technology, the less human work will become. And work, at the end of the day, is all about relationships so I think we all need to be very, very careful at this point in time, about how much we give away the essential parts of our humanity. We’re treading a fine line.”

Read the full article here

“The thing that I don’t understand is what time I am allowed to go to bed.”

These were the words of a junior lawyer in a discussion around habitual out of hours emails amongst their team. Their manager liked to clear the decks in the evening after their young family were in bed. They had no understanding however of the impact that routinely firing out emails late into the night had on the dynamics of the team. A culture had grown where no one wanted to appear to be the one ‘slacking off’, discussions and decisions were being made late into evenings and as a result no one was really clocking off.

This scenario, though extreme, is sadly not unusual. Flexibility is now central to the working culture of many organisations, and employees have a wealth of digital tools enabling them to collaborate and communicate wherever and whenever. The ‘cost’ of flexibility is for many a blurring of boundaries of work and personal time. Digital presenteeism is rife, with employees feeling the pressure to be digitally available and responsive at all times. Many feel overwhelmed by multiple streams of workplace communication and an increase in back to back video meetings. Meaningful, restorative breaks seem fanciful to those employees who are struggling to work out when they can take a break to go to the toilet.

Little wonder work related stress and burnout is on the increase. The UK Governments HSE 2022 report found that 17 million working days are lost each year to work-related stress, depression and anxiety. This accounts for 55% of all ill health and is significantly above pre-pandemic rates.

A Team Digital Communications Charter

Shine Offline are committed to helping individuals, teams and businesses create healthier digital habits and better boundaries. For our own small team we have devised a Team Digital Communications Charter so that everyone is clear on what is expected when it comes to how and when we use our workplace digital technologies.

Creating a Team Digital Communications Charter will encourage and empower conscious, respectful and purposeful use of tech. Clear guidance and open communication ensures colleagues are clear on the expectations on them and the appropriate use of their digital tools.

We have put together a no-nonsense guide for your team or your business to get you started in setting up guidelines for the healthy collective use of technologies. Each business and team is different but we have shared Shine Offline’s commitments under each point and you can find it in full here.

1. Communications timing guidance

Deciding what are the standard working hours and requirements within the team will help everyone understand what is expected of them. It is especially important that leaders and managers not only model and communicate good digital behaviours in relation to their own out of hours digital communications but also pull up team members who do not adhere to this. If the nature of business necessitates 24/7 availability, an agreement and structure should be made to ensure everyone has the opportunity to switch off and recharge. Open conversations with clients and other external parties, ideally at the outset of relationships, will help establish these boundaries.

• Shine Offline work communications should be conducted between 08.30 and 18.00 BST
• Work communications refers to all internal and external email, phone use, video calls or any social engagement tools (e.g. LinkedIn)
• We value our work life balance and need for downtime and so commit to communication within these hours unless in exceptional circumstances (e.g. working collaboratively on deadline, arrangements made with individuals working in different time zones or genuine emergency)
• There is no expectation to check work communications outside of these times and replies should not been sent outside of these hours
• Any non-urgent communications created outside of these hours is scheduled to be delivered within working hours using tools such as ‘delay delivery’
• Work phones can and should be switched off outside of these hours

What if my team work across time zones?
If a team is globally dispersed, or working across multiple time zones, it is even more important that some guidance is put in place to help individuals understand the expectations on them to avoid burnout. Supporting and empowering individuals to manage their own schedules, but also being respectful of these differences for colleagues, will protect their wellbeing and quality of their work. Encouraging use of email signatures, batching communications and being sensitive to time zones when arranging meetings should all be considered in guidelines.

2. Appropriate use of communication tools

A clear understanding of what is the best communication channel for different types of contact, dependent on audience and context, will increase efficiency, cut down on repetition and reduce stress. Consideration should be given to the role of IT in not only providing the appropriate tools but ensuring that workers have the correct training to know both their correct use and full functionality. Shine Offline’s work with businesses has highlighted how few people understand some fairly simple functions within Outlook, Teams and video conferencing tools which can have a big impact on the way people work.

• Shine Offline adhere to the appropriate use of their communication channels – email, voice calls, WhatsApp and Zoom video communications.
• External email is used to communicate agreements, information and documents with clients, suppliers and other parties
• Email is used amongst the team for sharing information. Non time sensitive emails are batched with several items included in one email to avoid inbox overload
• Email is not appropriate for urgent communications – if something sent on email needs to be reviewed urgently this is followed up with a phone call
• Work phones supplied are used for work calls and communications inside working hours.  Personal numbers can be used in an emergency if unable to reach via work phone
• There is no expectation that work apps are installed on personal phones
• WhatsApp is only used in an emergency if we need to communicate something important to a colleague
• Zoom is used for internal meetings where we need to discuss and share documents on screen
• Voice calls are greatly valued and team members should feel free to call colleagues if it is better to talk something through
• 1-2-1 meetings are often held over voice calls and walking meetings are encouraged where practical (together or remotely)
• An effort is made to meet face-to-face fairly regularly to build team relationships

What about my work Instant Messenger?
Instant messenger is frequently cited as being particularly distracting and a driver to anxiety with people feeling they should be available at all times. Understanding the impact that open Slack or Teams chat can have on colleagues and clear guidance on its role, use and expectation to be ‘on’, will mean this tool can be used in a more conscious way.

3. Healthy email management

Raising awareness of the most effective use of email to maximise collaboration and focus will help all staff and result in a healthier email culture at work. The vast majority of people work with their inboxes open all day which can both distract from focused work and increase stress. 

• The Shine Offline team are encouraged to use inbox management tools (e.g. working offline, delaying delivery in Outlook)
• The team are encouraged to regularly go offline for focused, uninterrupted work (this could be 15 minutes or several hours dependent on circumstances). Allocated ‘offline’ focus time can be added to calendar
• The team are encouraged to set schedules to check and process emails during the working day
• For urgent matters a phone call is always the correct form of contact
• We are committed to using cc with consideration and awareness to reduce unnecessary email traffic
• Internal email traffic should be reduced by batching non time sensitive communication – rather than sending numerous emails throughout the day
• Interesting findings and research are saved for weekly team meeting unless time sensitive

What if an individual’s role means they need to be available at all times via email to clients or others? 
We are regularly challenged by people who believe that it is not possible for them to close their inboxes or go offline at any point in the working day. But we all grab some lunch and go into meetings so why is it so hard to go off grid for any time at all? We would suggest to people that even 15 minutes of focused time will open their eyes to the benefits of working in an intentional, undistracted way and still allows timely responsiveness to incoming messages.

4. Making hybrid work

The hybrid workplace, combining time spent in the office and at home, presents a number of challenges. Creating good practices and expectations around how we communicate and collaborate through technology will make the transition easier for all.

• The Shine Offline team structure our workflow to maximise quality focused time when remote working and collaborative work when we are together in person
• We operate ‘remote-first’ meetings where if individuals cannot be physically present it is better that all participants attend remotely to avoid people feeling disengaged or excluded

Priorities and objectives are decided and clearly communicated through weekly team meetings and regular check-ins to avoid misunderstanding, duplication and to allow autonomy of work.

5. Purposeful meetings

Most people tell us that they have more meetings post pandemic. Many feel they attend unnecessary meetings and have back-to-back video calls in the working days. Meeting planners and invitees should consider who is really needed in the meeting and whether the invitee list would be the same if it were an in-room meeting. As well as ‘Zoom Fatigue’, having too many people attending meetings can lead to disengagement as participants multi-task in order to keep up, which is both ineffective and impacts morale and relationships. 

• Shine Offline meetings have an agenda, a running time and are focused on outcomes
• Consideration should always be given on who to invite to meetings and to understand that they have a purpose and role in attending
• Team members can and should question whether attendance at any one meeting is the best use of their time if this is not clear
• Whether in room or virtual we aim to be fully present in meetings.  Measures are taken to avoid digital distractions. Only necessary tech is present; inboxes are offline or closed; phones are on ‘do not disturb’.
• The team are knowledgeable about settings within video conferencing tools to help minimise ‘Zoom fatigue’
• Team members are encouraged to consider the best form of communication for meetings rather than defaulting to video (walking meetings/voice call/ will an email suffice)?

When working across time zones, wherever possible, keeping calls and video meetings to within 1-2 hours of standard business hours in a given time zone.

6. Breaks in the working day

Having sufficient breaks in the day is important for employees to decompress, consolidate thoughts and ensure they are able to work with focus and not burnout.

• The Shine Offline team are educated on the value of regular breaks for both wellbeing and productivity and are encouraged to build this into their working day
• We encourage the use of diarising, timers and alarms as reminders to ensure the team take breaks and understand the value of even 5 minute micro breaks especially busy times
• We avoid back to back meetings where possible and try not to schedule both internal and external meetings between 12.30-14.00 to allow for all parties to break for lunch
• We encourage each other to get outside every day and are mindful of what activities replenish us during breaks rather than always defaulting to news or social media updates

The nature of work means back-to-back calls are sometimes inevitable We have heard too many times about people working from home failing to see daylight or even break for lunch or to go to the toilet. If this is the reality in any team an introduction of 25 or 50 minute meetings can help. We have met managers who have blocked out a lunch hour for the entire team so no meetings can take place. This helps to remind everyone that this is vital for both wellbeing and to work at their best.

7. Annual leave

Clarity about expectations around employee contactability when on annual leave will ensure everyone gets the break they need, will encourage better planning and handovers and avoid a toxic always on culture where no one can step off the hamster wheel. Modelling good behaviours from the top is crucial here. The manager who ‘just checks in’ is not only impacting their own ability to rest and recharge but is setting an expectation for the team. A message, whether consciously or not, is also sent to their team that they are not trusted to man the ship.

• At Shine Offline it is expected that team members take a complete break from work communications when on leave with no access to email or other work tools
• Individuals organise, plan and handover their work in order for them to completely disengage whilst on holiday
• Out of office, with named contacts for absence on email and voicemail, should be set
• As part of a handover team members discuss what, if anything, constitutes an emergency situation when an individual may need to be contacted and how this should be done

8. Sick leave

Employees who are temporarily unwell should be able to take the time needed to rest and recover without feeling they must check in regularly on work. Any non-urgent communication should be avoided particularly in the case of work-related stress.

• At Shine Offline, in the event of a team member being unwell they should set an out of office or ask a colleague to set them an out of office and are not expected to check work communications

‘Shouldn’t I reply?’ – Importance of leaders walking the walk

Charter or no charter, the behaviour of team managers and leaders in being explicit about expectations, modelling good behaviour and gently pulling up where their people fall short is crucial to creating a healthy digital culture. In a session we ran for team leaders in a corporate firm one manager reflected how he had come to realise that by replying to communications that came in from a members of his team late at night he was actually reinforcing, even rewarding, behaviours that were contributing towards stress in his team. 

If your business or your team would like help writing a Team Communications Charter, Shine Offline can help. Please drop us a line at hello@shineoffline.com

The modern workplace has transformed and millions of employees now work within flexible and hybrid models. This increased flexibility about when and where we work is highly desirable to many and yet it has reignited the conversation about protecting work life boundaries. But how do employees in globally dispersed teams, or with clients in different time zones, create a healthy work life balance and digital boundaries in what can feel like a 24/7 working world?   

The digital habits of global teams and the way employees collaborate with co-workers and clients through technology needs to be carefully considered to support motivation, collaboration and communication. Irregular working hours and high workloads can increase stress amongst colleagues who struggle with putting healthy boundaries in place between their working and personal time.

Many of the positive digital habits that we recommend for remote teams at Shine Offline become even more vital when time zones differ. Here are some considerations to ensure your team are working as effectively as possible if they are dispersed throughout the globe.

Leaders of global teams should model good digital habits

How leaders communicate and manage their technology will trickle down to their people. Being candid about their own workload, how they manage things well, and the areas of digital management that they need to work on to keep workplace stress in check, will empower their people to do the same. Empathetic leaders who recognise the additional challenges of working across time zones should encourage autonomy and self-discipline. Creating a culture where people feel trusted to manage their workload and schedule in a way that is going to get the job done is important.

In order to protect work life balance, and avoid a culture where people feel they need to be on all of the time, managers need to explicitly communicate expectations, rather than assume people know when they should be available and responsive outside their region’s normal working hours. Developing a team digital charter that takes into account time zones will help. Whilst fulfilling the demands of the job, charters should build in respecting individuals autonomy to manage their online and offline time, and create work life boundaries. An agreement not to contact people outside their own working hours, unless urgent or in extenuating circumstances, will create a more considerate culture.

Encouraging a working style centred around personal responsibility

According to Shine Offline’s research, 84% of people we work with are experiencing digital overload at work. Establishing a trusting culture where colleagues are encouraged to work in an asynchronous way, where possible, will help all teams but is of particular value to those working across time zones. If other team members are unavailable due to incompatible time zones, individuals get on with the task in hand independently, ensuring they document progress along the way. So if a colleague working on a project in London reaches a point where they feel they can’t proceed, rather than emailing their counterpart in Australia, they get to where they can, hand over and then move to something else. Working in this way means the next steps in the project can be taken by their colleague once the working day starts for them.

Being mindful of the difference between important and urgent is paramount

If the decision maker on the project is not online, and the situation is urgent, then contact may be required. However with foreplaning and agreement about cross time zones communication this should happen rarely. An email should never be used for urgent communications and especially not when that email will arrive at unsociable hours for the recipient. For urgency it is always best to pick up the phone.

Autonomy and self-discipline go hand in hand

Team members should be empowered to own their own workload and schedule and make it work for themselves. Encouraging employees to be open about their work patterns and digital communication preferences will help to build trust across the team and manage people’s expectations of response. For example if a colleague’s satellite office doesn’t start work until midday in their time zone then allowing them to start work at this time if it suits them, and communicating this to their colleagues, ensures working 12 hours days does not become the norm.

Effective global email management

Shine Offline’s recommendations around healthy email use in teams apply tenfold when it comes to virtual teams. Avoid cc’ing people unnecessarily and be mindful of email ‘chatter’ clogging up in boxes – quick-fire informal talk on projects is better suited to instant messenger. Make use of the subject line in emails to let people know the urgency of the communication and when it needs to be actioned. Rather than sending multiple emails to a colleague in a different time zone, workers should be encouraged to batch emails, that is putting numerous points into one email communication so that a colleague on the other side of the world isn’t logging on to 10 separate emails from 1 person.

Good meeting management

Effective meetings are so important when people very rarely get the chance to spend real time together. Doing so will help the team to build their relationships and boost morale. Often the minority in satellite offices are the ones frequently required to attend at unsociable hours in their own time zone. One way around this is for meetings to be held in different time zones on a rota to ensure its not always the same team members having to get up very early or log on very late to attend. Does everyone always have to be in every meeting? Sending updates with a colleague who brings back any actions from the meeting – and then returning the favour to them at a future meet.

Sending an agenda for every meeting along with the invite will ensure that people know if they should attend or if they can politely request any relevant information or actions can be passed on.

Building a strong team bond

Since the pandemic remote working has impacted colleague relationships. Teams who are all based in the same city, but spending some of their time working remotely, can come together and collaborate on office-based days. Sadly this isn’t the case for dispersed teams and so it’s important to think of ways of building strong team bonds. Having regular face time updates will ensure team members in satellite offices feel included, build strong, trusting relationships and stay motivated. Ensuring social gatherings are also co-ordinated through video conferencing software will help to build those relationships too. Encouraging colleagues to not be overly reliant on instant messenger to communicate with co-workers but being mindful of the value of a phone conversation is also helpful. Creating a team culture where people feel they can be honest about how they are doing will help to build strong bonds. Team leaders kicking off these conversations by sharing how they are doing themselves will really help.

Technology has been the most extraordinary tool enabling us to meet and collaborate across the globe. Great working relationships and trust can be built when teams are encouraged to nurture healthy digital habits, to work well individually and together, and crucially build consideration and respect for their colleagues in other regions. Developing open communications about how we manage these time zones will build good working relationships and avoid excessive hours, stress and burnout.

Bianca Shead, Senior Director of Global Marketing and Communications at The Nature Conservancy tells us what she and her team have learned by working to improve their digital wellbeing…

Before the Shine Offline programme, my team had spent a lot of time thinking about our digital behaviour. What we thought about was how we operate, and less about how it affects us. We are a very geographically dispersed team, and so we were online all the time and really good at thinking about things like meeting norms and time zones. What we were less good at thinking about was us as individuals and how all of this online working was impacting on our productivity and wellbeing.    

I was always very ON. Consciously on, but always on. My colleagues are all over the world, and therefore I believed that being on as much as I could be was the right thing to do.

One of the most important takeaways for me from digital wellbeing training was that more does not equal better. It sounds like common sense, but I am not always going to be doing my best work just because I’m present and online. Working with Shine Offline reminded me of the importance of taking time away, to think, to plan and also to model the right kind of behaviour for other people.

A change that I have made is having offline time to work and to think. I had forgotten how much I enjoy working, actually spending time on a task with no distractions. It has improved the quality of my work but also my enjoyment of it. 

Amongst the team we have encouraged a lot of specific behaviour changes. 

The first thing that we all came away with was the idea that as individuals and team member we are empowered to make the decisions that are right for you. Then what we’ve been able to do is really encourage offline working time, to encourage delayed delivery of emails and encourage people to use their out of office a lot more.  

We use the Out of Office as a communications device – it’s not a blocker its actually an enabler of better working practises. 

People were hungry for change. I was surprised at just how open people were to change, not just me and my team but our peers and our leadership. Everybody was excited about the potential to work better, to work more efficiently to be more happy in our work.   

We have a few challenges because we are a geographically dispersed team and we’ve always worked remotely. Two things have been implemented that help us manage the multiple time zones and make sure that people are not working ridiculous hours. The first is the email signature that says we work across time zones but there is no expectation of reply. That is part one, But that is just the beginning, part two is modelling that through other behaviours like email scheduling, letting people know that you don’t want a response and also letting people when you are simply not working! The role of the leader is to model the behaviour first. 

In order for teams to feel empowered to make changes they need to feel that you trust them, and in order to build that trust you have to be a bit vulnerable.

A leader needs to say ‘I’m switching off my computer this weekend don’t expect to hear from me’. By modelling the right behaviour and being a bit vulnerable you can show your team you trust them to make the right decisions.

In order to build that trust and openness and culture of transparency I choose to make my calendar accessible to everyone in our organisation. I want people to know that if I go for walk at lunchtime I choose to make that available and I would encourage others to do the same. I know that people around me trust me to get my work done and I really want to spread that throughout the team.

Trust comes from showing people you are also human and not a machine.

In the future I really hope that organisations get a handle on their platforms. We are currently working across four maybe five different digital platforms and I know that if we were able to consolidate those that would also improve things.

I’m really encouraged by the younger generation. I see amongst the younger members of our team and the younger people I work with they are already much better at carving out time for themselves and setting boundaries between work and home. Those of us of a certain age who have a different journey to this digital workplace can learn from the younger people who have never known a different world, in carving out work time and my time and feeling empowered to make that distinction.

Technology’s ability to help and harm in all aspects of our lives depends entirely how we choose to use it – and to sometimes step away from it altogether. 

The move to hybrid working as a default for most businesses has increased our reliance on digital technology to meet, collaborate and work. Hybrid and flexible working is here to stay. And no wonder when it saves commuting time, creates opportunities for focused work without distractions of the office and allows us to fit our working time around our personal lives. In theory we should all be feeling improvement in our work life balance. Unfortunately however this is not the reality for most. 

• 86% of people tell us they have been working longer hours since working remotely
• 62% tell us that their work life balance has been negatively impacted by flexible working

In a constantly connected world we need to carefully manage our use of technology and make conscious choices to switch off, otherwise the ability to work anytime, anywhere can start to feel like we are working always, everywhere. 

“Working from home people don’t feel the separation between their professional and personal environments and as a result mental health and wellbeing are becoming eroded. Its hugely important that we actively encourage our teams to separate work from their home and personal life and this can only be achieved by being in control of your digital communications.”  Michael Hopkins, Partner in law firm Pinsent Masons commented.

Why is it so hard to switch off?

1. Flexible and hybrid working – With no hard and fast rules anymore regarding working hours cultures can develop where it is perfectly normal to email at weekends and evenings.   According to the Harvard Business Review, in a study of 2000 workers, senders of out of hours emails underestimated how compelled recipients feel to respond straight away
2. Expectations of availability – When not physically present many people feel the pressure to be contactable and responsive at all times.  Whether these expectations are real or perceived it is driving cultures of digital presenteeism in the workplace where people feel unable to switch off
3. Ambition – In workplaces where responsiveness is equated with loyalty and dedication evening and weekend work becomes normalised and creates pressure for people to be available around the clock as a sign of their commitment
4. Compulsive behaviour – Checking in on our work communications has become habitual for many rather than being a conscious choice. This is exacerbated if we have our inboxes on our smartphones, allowing work to follow us to the sofa in the evening, to the pub with friends and even on holiday.  Are you one of the 58% of people checking your work email in bed?
5. Time zones – Employees working across global time zones face extra challenges to their work life balance in our 24/7 connected world.

Protecting your work life balance and respecting that of others

Businesses need to try and move away from an always on culture and move towards a culture of working smarter, not longer hours. For businesses and their people to thrive they need to encourage conscious, balanced use of technology.

9 digital behaviours for improved work life balance

1. Take personal responsibility – Put some hard edges in your day and decide when your work stops and personal life starts
2. Keep your bedroom a tech free zone to remove the temptation of looking at your phone before you go to sleep, in the middle of the night and first thing in the morning
3. Take work email off your phone and if possible have two phones to separate your professional from personal
4. Shut down work tech at the end of the working day and try and resist logging back on. If you are working in an office why not leave work tech there?
5. Manage expectations of others around out of hours
6. Draft and schedule non-urgent communications if working out of hours – it shows respect to the recipient’s off time and creates a healthier culture
7. Be sympathetic to the time zones of others when sending communications or arranging meetings.
8. Everyone needs a holiday no one should be indispensable. A proper handover means that people can have a true rest and only expect to be contacted in real emergencies. This is extra important if you are the boss!
9. Managers need to lead my example by modelling good behaviours themselves and questioning the out of hours behaviours of their team.

Business Leaders share their thoughts

On holidays…

“I used to pride myself being online 24/7 when I was on holidays. All that does is reinforce in the team an expectation that when they are off they should do the same.”
Michael Hopkins, Partner, Pinsent Masons

On switching off at the end of the day…

“There are a number of people in my team now who shut down at the end of the day – even put on an out of office on a daily basis so that they are communicating it to others.”
Bola Gibson, Head of Inclusion and Corporate Responsibility at Osborne Clarke

On the role of leader…

“If a leader or manager is routinely sending emails in the evening or on weekends this signals to everyone else that this is the norm and the way they should be behaving – I expect you to be “always working”. If leaders log in when on annual leave not only does this give the message that this is the expected behaviour but speaks to a lack of trust in colleagues to ‘hold the fort’.”
Richard Martin, Executive Officer, Mindful Business Charter

We don’t live in digital bubbles

Your digital behaviour not only impacts your own wellbeing and work life balance but also that of other people. Talk to your colleagues about why this topic is so important and what you are doing to improve your digital habits and try to make collective changes so that everyone feels able to step away and enjoy proper rest and downtime.

Good luck! 

Any question or comments? Drop us a line at hello@shineoffline.com

Shine Offline and the Mindful Business Charter

Shine Offline are proud to be the digital wellbeing partners of the Mindful Business Charter (MBC). Initially launched in 2018 by Barclays, and law firms Addleshaw Goddard and Pinsent Masons and now with over 120 signatory businesses, the MBC is a set of best practice, behavioural principles to tackle unnecessary workplace stress that impact employee mental health and wellbeing. For more information and if you are interested in joining the MBC community visit www.mindfulbusinesscharter.com

A study of 11,000 RescueTime users found we spend on average 3 hours and 15 minutes a day on phones. If you work in front of a computer and enjoy the evening bingeing the latest Netflix drama it is easy to see how we can spend most of our waking hours in front of a screen.

Technology is incredible but it is so easy to get sucked in which can negatively impact our productivity, leave us with less time to do the things we love and keep us from really connecting with those around us. Of course, you could just put the tech away – but it is not always all that easy. Ingrained habits and behaviours, alongside persuasive design and features designed to keep us clicking, scrolling and consuming, mean that sometimes willpower is not enough.

Here are some simple but effective ways of managing your relationship with your smartphone and other devices. And ironic though it sounds, you might find the best solution is an app. It’s time to hack back your attention and live life the way you choose

1. Pomodoro Technique
In the 1980’s, long before the smartphone, Italian student Francesco Cirillo used his tomato-shaped kitchen timer to set himself 25 minutes of focus free study time before taking a 5 minute break. This kept internal and external distractions at bay and helped him stay refreshed. We use this technique in the office using a simple sand timer but there are dozens of Pomodoro apps on your phone or laptop. We like the Timer 25: The Minimalist Timer Google Chrome extension. 

2. Digital Wellbeing features on your smartphone
Android’s Digital Wellbeing and Apple’s Screen Time are the native digital wellbeing services that can be accessed from the settings of modern smartphones. These tools provide stats on screentime, app usage and frequency of use. By making you more aware of the time spent on your device you can see where you might want to regain some control. Both offer additional features such as daily app timers, bedtime mode, grayscale and focus mode, and can be a useful tool for managing kids’ smartphone use as well as your own. 

3. Forest
This is one of our favourite apps! Forest works by encouraging you to resist temptation and take periods of abstinence from your phone. You plant a tree in the app that starts as a little sapling. It will keep growing on your screen as long as you ignore your phone for the allotted time. If you cave in the tree withers and dies. The more trees you grow, the more credit you build that you can use to unlock different species of tree. It’s a great app if you like a bit of gamification. Forest also lets you pay with credits earned to plant real trees. Amazing. The reason this app is so clever is it makes you care. ‘This will kill your cute, little tree. Are you sure you want to give up?’ it asks if you go to quit the application. Awwwwww, who needs cat videos anyway? 

4. ActionDash and Digitox
ActionDash and Digitox are examples of user friendly apps that help you better understand your habits and what you need to cut back on by showing you stats based on usage and which apps are sucking your time.

ActionDash has some useful features such as setting timers on app usage, set up app locks and also identifies which apps are bombing you with notifications so you can consider switching them off. 

Digitox makes a distinction between the productivity apps on your phone such as work tools and junk apps. 

5. Freedom and Stayfocusd
This desktop and smartphone productivity duo work together to block websites and apps on your Mac, Windows, Android, iOS and Chrome devices. You can set timers and limits on what you know to be the most time consuming and distracting apps, so that you can focus on what matters and reduce screen time.

6. Offtime
Offtime promises to let you ‘focus and find digital balance in a hyperconnected world’. Very simple but clever and effective, this app enables users to block everything that distracts them from whatever it is they are trying to focus on. For a chosen period Offtime filters and disables calls, notifications and apps on the smartphone but lets you select apps you may want in that time – Spotify or a running tracker for example. Crucially you can customise this to suit you to remain contactable to people who may need to reach you in an emergency.  

Like all apps that block access to your phone you can of course override this but you’ll be have to wait for a one minute count down before access is restored in case you should change your mind.

Have fun experimenting with some of these apps and good luck moving towards a more balanced and controlled relationship with your technology! x