why taking a break from technology is important

1. Taki ng a Tech Br eak:
Why you need t o unpl ug

2. 2
What does “ unpl uggi ng” f r om
t echnol ogy mean?
• “ Unpl uggi ng f r om t echnol ogy” si mpl y
means t o put away or cease any use of
t echnol ogy devi ces f or a per i od of
t i me
• Exampl es i ncl ude:
– Cel l phones
– Lapt ops
– Comput er s
– TV
– Game consol es/ devi ces
– Tabl et s, ki ndl es, et c
– And Mor e!

3. 3
Suf f er f r om eye st r ai n due t o
st ar i ng at a comput er al l day?
• Tr y usi ng t he 20- 20- 20 r ul e!
• Ever y 20 mi nut es, l ook at somet hi ng 20
f eet away f or 20 seconds

4. 4
The Cel l Phone Addi ct i on
• 84% of cel l phone user s cl ai m t hey woul d
not go one day wi t hout i t
• 67% of cel l phone user s check t hei r phone
f or messages, al er t s, and cal l s even when
t hey’ r e phone does not vi br at e or r i ng.
• 88% of U. S. consumer s use mobi l e devi ces
as a second scr een even whi l e wat chi ng TV
• St udi es i ndi cat e t hat some mobi l e devi ce
owner s check t hei r devi ces ever y 6. 5
mi nut es

5. 5
Soci al Medi a
• 1 i n 3 peopl e wi l l f eel wor se
af t er get t i ng on Facebook and
f eel mor e di ssat i sf i ed wi t h
t hei r l i ves
• The f r equency t hat peopl e check
t hei r soci al medi a gadget s i s
j ust t he r i ght amount t o get
t he br ai n’ s addi ct i on cent er s
engaged.

6. Text i ng and Emai l s
• Text i ng and emai l i ng i s al l ar ound us
and an absol ut e necessi t y f or al most
al l Amer i cans
– 97% of Amer i cans t ext at l east once a day
– The aver age adul t spends a t ot al of 23
hour s a week t ext i ng
– 269 bi l l i on emai l s ar e sent each day
– The aver age of f i ce wor ker r ecei ves 121
emai l s a day
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7. Psychol ogi cal and Physi cal
I ssues
• Peopl e who use t echnol ogy heavi l y had
mor e of a r i sk i n devel opi ng a ment al
heal t h pr obl em such as depr essi on,
st r ess, and sl eep di sor der s.
– Ot her i ssues t hat can ar i se i ncl ude:
di st r act i on, nar ci ssi sm, t he expect at i on of
i nst ant gr at i f i cat i on, and even depr essi on.
• Technol ogy can al so have negat i ve
r eper cussi ons on physi cal heal t h
causi ng i ssues such as: vi si on
pr obl ems, hear i ng l oss, and neck
st r ai n.
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8. 8
7 benef i t s f r om unpl uggi ng
• 1. Ener gy bi l l savi ngs
• 2. I ncr eased awar eness of your
sur r oundi ngs
• 3. Reduced body pai n
• 4. I mpr ove memor y r et ent i on and mood
• 5. Bet t er qual i t y of sl eep
• 6. Enhanced pr oduct i vi t y
• 7. Sat i sf act i on i n si mpl y enj oyi ng bei ng
i n t he moment

9. 9
8 Easy Ways t o Unpl ug f r om
Technol ogy
• 1. St ar t t he mor ni ng by f ocusi ng on you, such as
medi t at i ng
• 2. Go back t o an ol d school ear l y 2000’ s f l i p phone
• 3. Make your sel f so busy wi t h ot her act i vi t i es t hat
you have no t i me t o sur f t he web or Facebook
• 4. Car r y a book or not e pad wi t h you i nst ead of
checki ng soci al medi a whi l e you wai t , r ead a book
• 5. Go on a di gi t al di et and count how many t i mes you
check emai l , br owse t he web, or check
• f acebook and l i mi t i t dai l y
• 6. Leave your phone at home f or a coupl e hour s
• 7. When you l eave wor k, act ual l y l eave i t don’ t check
emai l s or wor k at home
• 8. Schedul e Fr ee t i me

10. 10
Mor e Ti ps t o Unpl ug
• Set achi evabl e goal s f or your sel f
– I f your ar e const ant l y on your phone or ot her
t echnol ogy devi ces t r y t o unpl ug f or an hour
and cont i nue t o i ncr ease f r om t her e
• Tur n of f or put your phone, l apt op,
t abl et , et c on si l ent and out of si ght i n
a basket / bi n or desi gnat e an ar ea
• Let peopl e know you’ l l be of f l i ne so
you’ l l l ess l i kel y r el apse t o your phone
or ot her t echnol ogy
• Use a t r adi t i onal al ar m cl ock t o avoi d
get t i ng “ onl i ne” f i r st t hi ng i n t he
mor ni ng

11. 11
Cr eat e a Tech Fr ee Ni ght
• Tr y cr eat i ng a ni ght i n your househol d
one t i me a week t o shut down al l
t echnol ogy f or t he ni ght
– Al t er nat i ves:
• Eat di nner and enj oy conver sat i on wi t h
f r i ends or f ami l y
• Get Act i ve! Go f or a wal k or pl ay a game
or spor t out si de wi t h f r i ends and f ami l y
• Pl ay ot her games such as boar d games
• Do chor es or ot her t asks ar ound t he house
• Go t o l ocal event s i n your t own such as a
f ood mar ket

12. The Takeaway
• Soci al medi a, t ext i ng and emai l s can
be al most a necessi t y t o communi cat e
f or most peopl e and can be al most
i mpossi bl e t o avoi d
• Tr y t o unpl ug t hough f r om t echnol ogy
when i t per mi t s t o your schedul e
t hr oughout t he day
– Cr eat e smal l pocket s of t i me, t ech f r ee
ni ght s or even day( s) wher e you separ at e
your sel f f r om your phone, l apt op, comput er ,
et c
• Decr easi ng scr een t i me f r om t ext i ng,
emai l s, soci al medi a and ot her usage
can l ead t o many benef i t s such as
i mpr oved memor y, pr oduct i vi t y, sl eep 12

13. Ref er ences
Becker, J. (n.d.). 7 Important Reasons to Unplug and FInd Space. Retrieved from becomingminimalist:
http://www.becomingminimalist.com/unplug-please/
Health and Technology. (2016). Retrieved from Digital Responisbilty:
http://www.digitalresponsibility.org/health-and-technology/
Presland, C. (2015, October 21). Digital Detox: 16 ways to unplug from technology, every day. Retrieved
from auther unlimited: http://authorunlimited.com/ways-to-unplug-from-technology/
Smith, C. (2017, February 14). 80 Incredible Email Statistics. Retrieved June 13, 2017, from
http://expandedramblings.com/index.php/email-statistics/
Tumbleson , M. (2017, March 27). 19 Text Messaging Stats That Will Blow Your Mind . Retrieved June 13,
2017, from https://teckst.com/19-text-messaging-stats-that-will-blow-your-mind/
Turner, J. (2016, December 6). Prevent eye strain with the 20-20-20 rule. Retrieved from juststand.org:
http://blog.juststand.org/2016/12/06/prevent-eye-strain-20-20-20-rule/
Reece, T. (2011, October 07). 8 Easy Ways to 'Unplug' From Technology. Retrieved June 08, 2017, from
http://www.everydayhealth.com/healthy-living-pictures/8-easy-ways-to-unplug-from-technology.aspx
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