Beth Kanter (www.bethkanter.org)

1. Combating Distraction and Enhancing Productivity:
Technology Wellness in the Nonprofit Workplace
Beth Kanter, Master Trainer, Speaker, Author
www.bethkanter.org

2. @kanter
www.bethkanter.org
Master Trainer, Speaker, Author and Nonprofit Thought Leader

3. • Nonprofit Professionals: Nonprofits
• Understanding Connection between Tech and
Burnout
• Personal Technology Wellness Tips
• Nonprofit Workplace: Organizations
• Bringing Technology Wellness into the Nonprofit
Workplace: Culture Change and Tips
Resources
http://bethkanter.wikispaces.com/salesforce.org

4. Technology Use Can Be A Big
Cause Stress and Burnout

5. The Negative Impact on Mental Health, Social
Relationships, Children, and Civil Society

6. We have no downtime
52% of smartphone owners check their phones
a few times an hour or more.
Behavior Addiction

9. What is the
average human
attention span
online?

10. Attention Spans Online …
Source: National Center for Biotechnology Information, US National Library of Medicine
Flickr photo: Josullivan59
Attention Span Statistics Data
The average human attention span in 2000. 12 seconds
The average human attention span in 2013. 8 seconds
9 seconds

15. Heart disease
Diabetes
Bad Back
Brain Fog
Strained Neck

16. Technology Wellness for
Nonprofit Professionals

17. Not Saying To Stop Using Technology
Be Intentional

18. Information Overload
Personal Technology Wellness Assessment
1. Is the only time you take a break from your tech when you’re sleeping?
2. Do you check your phone before you go to bed or right when you wake up?
3. Do you have problems recalling information and resort to searching on Google?
4. Do you feel that you often have a hard time paying attention or focusing on a
single task?
5. Do you experience frustration at the amount of online information you need to
process every day?
6. Do you frequently or constantly check your email, Twitter, Facebook or other
online services?
7. Do you sometimes check your mobile phone for messages while in the
bathroom?
8. Do you find yourself reaching for your phone even when you’re with others?
9. Do you sit at your computer at work or home for longer than 30 minutes at a
time without getting up to take a break?
10.Do you ever check your mobile phone while walking outside?
Add up all the questions you answered “YES” to for your score

19. Insert User Poll
What did you score?
1) 0-3
2) 4-6
3) 7 or higher

20. 0…1…2…3…4…5…6…7…8…9…10
Source: Lulumonathletica
Healthy……………………………………………………Unhealthy
What’s Your Technology Wellness Score?

21. Protect Your Sleep

22. Use An Alarm Clock and Turn On Night Shift

23. Beverly Trayner-Wenger
List of Standing Desk Resources
http://bethkanter.wikispaces.com/walk
Stand Up At Work

24. Walk More

25. Take Control of Your Mobile Phone
• Turn off all notifications except from people
• Type to launch apps
• Go grayscale
• Tools on home screen
• Scramble Apps
• Remove or move work apps into folders on 3rd or 4th screens after
hours or vacation
• Gboard
http://humanetech.com/take-control/

26. News Diet
• Consume news for specified time and sources per day
• News meditation – be in the present moment when consuming
• Remove news notifications
• Take a break from Facebook or use News Feed Eradicator for
Facebook (Chrome Extension)

27. Unplug regularly & often

28. Schedule Quiet Time

29. • What is one personal
technology wellness
habit you can start
doing now?
Mindful Moment

30. Workplace Tech Wellness: Avoiding Collaborative Overload

31. Is this familiar?
• Long work week
• Come home to realize
you didn’t get stuff
done
• You start doing solo
work in evenings and
weekends
• You don’t do it because
you are too exhausted

32. • 15% of organization time is spent in meetings
• Four hours a week for status update meetings
• More than $37 billion year in unproductive meetings
Meetings As Murder

33. Avoiding Collaborative Overload
Planning People
Priorities Present
http://bit.ly/OVERLOAD-QUIZ

34. Planning: Structure and Norms To Keep Organized
● Look Ahead and Stop Days Rituals

35. Planning: Structure and Norms To Keep Organized
● Clearly Defined Workflow Norms for Online
Collaboration Platforms

36. Example: A Process For Establishing Work Flow Norms
Information: What do you need for the
projects you work on?
Communication: What do you use to
get your work done?
Collaboration: How do you know what
everyone is doing?

37. People: How Well Staff Communicate and Collaborate
● Create norms around effective use of email
BLUF: Bottom Line Up Front

38. People: Create Remote Working Charter or Remote Meeting Norms

39. • Do not multi-task (do other work) during
the meeting
• Find a quiet space to participate
• Use the mute button at your site to
prevent the transmission of background
noise.
• Speak up to get attention if you have
something to say.
• Turn on your video whenever possible
and be camera readyHow To Use
• Share with your agenda
• Reflect at the end
• Less is more, aim for 6 and
transition after it becomes standard
behavior
People: Example – Remote Meeting Norms

40. PRIORITY: How Everyone Spends Their Time
● Routinize Reflection – Analyze Fire Drills
● Rethink Status Updates Meetings

41. PRIORITY: How Everyone Spends Their Time
● Don’t schedule hour meetings by default

42. ● Device free zones in your office and during meetings
PRESENT: How You Focus Together
Replace with
Saleforce Device
Free Space

43. ● Norms around minimizing distractions: Cues
PRESENT: How You Focus Together

44. Culture Change!

53. • What is one idea that
you can bring back to
your organization to
improve technology
wellness?
Mindful Moment

54. Summary
Our personal and organizational use of
technology can create stress leading to
burnout. But if we are intentional
about how we use our devices, we can
be more productive, healthier, and
happier.

55. Thank you!
www.bethkanter.org
The Happy Healthy Nonprofit
http://bit.ly/happyhealthynpbook