Welcome to 2023! A new year doesn’t have to mean a whole new you and resolutions you may or may not keep (no judgments here). But it can mean making small changes that will make you slightly healthier, happier and more productive.
For example, there are some easy-to-implement tech habits that can make a lot of difference in your life.
First up, try not to multitask! Some days it feels impossible, we know. But bouncing from your email inbox to 10 open tabs to your text messages isn’t helping you get any of those tasks done any faster. In fact, the American Psychology Association notes that it slows you down – asking your brain to change tasks results in “switch costs,” and you can lose up to 40% of your productivity time when switching between tasks. Even more interesting, a study found that media multitasking – or when you engage with multiple types of media at once, oh say, putting on Netflix and then scrolling through your social feeds – hurts your productivity when completing a single task, negatively impacting attention span and memory.
Second, take a break from your screen. After you focus and finish your task, take a short break, whether it’s a quick stretch, walking around the block or even grabbing a drink from the kitchen. Headaches and neck and shoulder pain are common symptoms of “tech neck” caused by stressing your muscles while using a computer or smartphone. Getting up and moving changes your posture and gives your neck and shoulders a break.
Finally, reduce your exposure to blue light. Blue disrupts your sleep by suppressing melatonin and changing your body’s circadian rhythm, so decreasing the amount you’re exposed to throughout the day will help you sleep better at night, contributing to your overall health. EyeJust blue light screen protectors or glasses block up to 50% of the blue light from your screen and are lab tested, with 71% of study participants reporting better sleep. They’re easy to add to your device or slip on, making them a low-effort way to protect yourself from blue light.