By Samantha Gray
These days, it’s hard to ignore the harsh fact that so much of our lives is spent online and in front of some sort of screen. We use an alarm app on our smartphones to wake us; we log in to our email the instant we get to work, and sometimes don’t logoff until minutes before going to sleep—only to get up and do it all again the next day. But what does all of this excess screen time and connectedness mean for you and your business as a whole?
While it may initially start as a way to get ahead, reach a wider audience and provide better customer service, prolonged over-exposure to the digital world can backfire and sabotage all of your efforts, without you even realizing it. Below are just some reasons why you and your employees should all take time to unplug and detach from the digital world.
Give New Life to Content
Although you might not notice it, this repetitive routine is mentally exhausting and demanding. When you’re online, your brain is constantly taking in new information and data and adjusting to various layouts and designs. For your body and mind that can burn up a lot of energy, leaving little creative juices remaining for the actual content of your work.
By taking time to regularly detach from the virtual world, you give your mind a sort of real world “reality check” and are able to revisit content with fresh eyes. This is especially helpful if you find yourself particularly stumped on a specific topic or problem. Giving yourself some time away and then coming back to it allows you to bring fresh perspective and insight to the table. So don’t underestimate the benefits of a calculated break.
Prevent Burnout
In addition to causing stale, stagnant, repetitive content, over-exposure to virtual outlets can cause an all-around digital burnout, which could possibly lead to
stress, anxiety and even depression. So, to proactively ward off these ailments and illnesses give yourself a well-deserved break. You won’t be much good to your company if you can’t even function day-to-day, so prevent that by giving yourself the opportunity to RELAX and detox from the information and devices around you.
This goes along with the old “quality over quantity” adage. People should limit their exposure to useless digital garbage and rather dedicating their time to more
meaningful outlets.
Better Detect Flaws
Just as giving yourself a digital break allows you to come back with fresh, new content, it also allows you to better see flaws in the current system. Getting out of your usual routine, frees your mind to brainstorm and get creative, and even explore things in a different light. This, in turn, is great for any company’s web marketing efforts as it is an ever-evolving field that is always changing.
What was relevant and efficient yesterday, might be obsolete tomorrow, so companies must always be looking forward and adapting.
Overall, the main idea here is to give yourself a break from your usual online, internet routine, to allow yourself more time and energy to for the important things like content development and growth. If you let yourself get bogged down in the minutia of social media, email marketing and more, you will forever stunt the potential you have to grow and change.
Unfortunately, these days, digital abuse and overload is starting at a younger and younger age. College students stay up until the wee hours of the morning studying, socializing and more—all on their laptops and phones—only to go to class and repeat the same thing. Our bodies were simply not made to do this. So, take a stand against this digital epidemic—your company, colleagues and even customers will thank you.
About the Author
Samantha Gray freelances by day and tutors high school and college students in her spare time. Samantha enjoys giving readers advice about the ins and outs of getting your bachelor’s degree online. She welcomes questions and feedback at .
