January 13, 2025 • 21 mins
Are screens taking over your life? In this episode of The Long-Distance Worklife, hosts Marisa Eikenberry and Wayne Turmel dive into the growing issue of screen fatigue and explore how remote workers can break free from digital overload. Learn about the physical and mental toll of excessive screen time, why our brains crave those dopamine hits, and how to set boundaries for healthier habits. From practical tips like setting screen-free zones to embracing old-school tools (hello, paper planners!), this conversation is packed with actionable strategies to help you reclaim balance in your remote work life.
Key Takeaways
1. Define Screen Fatigue: Recognize that screen fatigue involves both physical strain (eye fatigue, disrupted sleep from blue light) and mental exhaustion from constant input and dopamine-driven habits.
2. Set Clear Screen Break Goals: Decide specific times or durations for breaks, such as “no screens for 15 minutes,” instead of vague promises like “less screen time.”
3. Create Screen-Free Zones: Establish boundaries like no screens at the dinner table, during family time, or in the bedroom to reinforce healthy habits.
4. Limit Notifications: Turn off unnecessary alerts to reduce distractions and the urge to check your devices. Fewer dings mean less stress and temptation.
5. Reduce Blue Light Exposure: Use tools like night mode on devices, dim lighting, or e-ink screens to minimize eye strain, especially in the evening.
6. Incorporate Offline Activities: Replace screen time with activities like reading paper books, going for walks, or engaging in chores to refresh your mind and body.
7. Practice Intentional Device Use: Avoid using screens as your default downtime activity. Try alternatives like music or silent walks to give your brain a genuine rest.
8. No Screens Before Bedtime: Commit to at least 30 minutes of screen-free time before sleeping to help your brain wind down and improve sleep quality.
9. Use Technology Wisely: If you rely on tech (like a Kindle), explore settings to reduce blue light and adjust brightness for less strain during necessary use.
10. Develop New Habits Gradually: Don’t go “cold turkey.” Instead, build sustainable habits over time by integrating small changes consistently into your routine.
Timestamps
0:00 Introduction
0:30 What Is Screen Fatigue?
1:25 The Physical and Mental Impacts of Screen Time
7:00 Digital Detox Strategies
10:30 Setting Boundaries with Screens
13:45 Blue Light and Notification Hacks
15:35 Enjoying Offline Activities
20:10 Conclusion
Related Episodes
Additional Resources
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:07):
Do you everfeel like screens are running your life?
The constant thing.
Back to back meetings and endless hours.
Staring at a screen can leaveyou drained and unfocused.
But what if you could take backcontrol of your day?
Welcome back to Long Distance Worklife,where we help you lead, work and thrive
in remote and hybrid teams.
I'm MarisaEikenberry, fellow remote worker,
and as always, joining me is my co-host,Wayne Turmel.
(00:29):
That would be me. Hi. How are you?
I'm great. How are you?
I'm. Well, it's, It's good. It's.
We're heading into the holiday seasonas we record this.
Right.
And I think it'll be Januarywhen it comes out, so.
So everybody in a fetal position,
after having survived. Horrible for.
(00:52):
My. Okay.
Yeah.
Well, the only way you're going to berefreshed is if you actually get downtime.
Which leads us to right. Yeah.
Today we're actually going to talkabout screen fatigue and digital detoxing
and what it isand how you can break free from the cycle
to feel more balancedin your remote work life,
(01:13):
which is somethingwe would all aspire to have.
So, Wayne, why don't we just start off
with the basic definitionof what is screen fatigue?
How does it manifest to remote worksettings?
Well, screenfatigue is actually a couple of things.
But it basically means we're on screensall the time.
(01:34):
And, you know, I'm you're on your phone,you're checking your phone,
and then you're staringat a computer monitor,
and then you take a breakby going downstairs and watching TV,
which is basically a largercomputer monitor.
And then you say, oh, I'mgoing to go read a book, but it happens
to be on a Kindle or a tablet,which is yet another screen.
(01:58):
Right?
And so there are a couple of challengesthere.
One is physical,
staring into a screen all that time.
It's not only bad for your eyes,but it is physically draining
the blue lightthat emanates from those screens
has actual physical effects
(02:20):
on the human body,which we will talk about.
The other thing is you're constantly
taking in information and input,
and if you don't give your brain a break,
it becomes mentally and physicallyexhausting.
Right?
(02:40):
You might actually get kind of, irritableor I know if I've been looking
at screens a lot and I've been doing a lotof especially like research or something
like I kind of a jerk if I don't,I have a brain.
And, you know,I mean, for some of us for whom
curmudgeon is our default setting,it might be less noticeable.
(03:01):
But when Marissa's in a bad mood,the world notices.
You're saying. Wow.
So so
the fact is that there is this constantbombardment and barrage and intake.
And at some point,the only way it's not like, well, I'm
going to watch YouTube videos on my phoneinstead of staring at spreadsheets.
(03:25):
Your brain doesn't care.
Yeah. What the content is.
It's the actual interaction of your eyesand your scrolling finger
and your brain with a screen period.
Which leads to this notionof a digital detox.
And a lot of people kind of take a detox.
(03:47):
Well it's not like it's an addiction.
It's not alcohol. It's that.
But in fact call it what you want.
It has all the earmarks of an addiction
when it goes away your brain
responds dopamine neuron receptors.
All that good stuffresponds in the same way
(04:10):
as any bad habit.
Right, right.
Well, I wake up in the morning,you grab your phone.
Like what?
What are the screens that you gravitatetowards without even thinking about it?
Yeah. It's funny.
They have done studiesthese and found that Farmville,
you know, sets off the same
(04:31):
dopamine receptors in your brainas cocaine.
Wow. That is a game I heard about a lot.
But that's it's changing so quickly.
Yeah.
But Farmville was one of the firstwhere they gamified
something 200 pointsthat it actually became addictive.
And then, you know,it was Angry Birds and.
(04:54):
And Candy crush that. Yeah.
And somehow I have avoided all of those
and yet I will twittered doomscroll for hours.
Right.
Well, I'm on this tick tock now. Right.
Like you know well.
And they're all I donot blame the poor coders
who are doing this because they are doingwhat they are requested to do.
(05:17):
But the fact of the matter is that allthese sites are designed to be addictive.
They're designed to playwith the pleasure centers of your brain.
And let's assume for a momentthat you are a superior being.
And you, I do not fall prey to this.
I use my screens for workand other noble purposes.
(05:39):
Okay?
The fact of the matter is,when you hit send on an email,
there is a ping in your brainthat goes, yeah, I did something.
What else can I do?
Oh look, there's another one.
And you know this is all not
terribly scientific.
And yet we know it to be true.
(06:02):
So the dopamine and reward systemsand the feedback
loops fromscreens are a big part of the problem.
That's why
every time we sayI'm just going to put my phone away
and I'm not going to look at itand it's in your hand before you know it.
Oh yeah.
Well, it'swhy there's that whole thing of, you know,
(06:24):
if your phone is your alarm,
either a stop or be like,put it in another room,
but loud enough, you could still hear itbecause there's so many people.
And I will say,I am also one of these people.
This is not, you know, I am one of you.
But, but like you wake up in the morningand the first thing you do
is reach for your phone.
And so it's like, if it's not there,
(06:46):
you have to physically get up and goget it.
Well, now you're already up.
Go do something else.
Is a bed rotting while watching TikToks?
Not that I did that this morningor anything.
Well, it's funny, one of the people ways
that people are breakingthis is going back to the future.
Everybody remembers those horrible,ugly brown, radio alarm clocks I've.
(07:09):
Pretty sure my dad still has.
One side.
You're bad.
Right? Yes.
Well, but here's the thing.
That is actually better than your phonefor keeping time.
Because it's red light.
It's not the blue light up your screen
every time you pick up your phoneand look at it,
blue light hits your eyes and your brain,and it messes with your sleep patterns.
(07:35):
Where as the red light so is well,I use this as my alarm clock.
You know, there are alarm clocks, right?
Correct.
Or even, you know, whether you wear appleWatches or whatever, you can
have it there too.
Yeah, but even your Apple Watch
emits a blue spectrum light.
So I have an actual alarm clock,
(07:57):
and then you don't have to have your phoneby the bed.
Very true.
If it's not by the bed,there's less chance
you're goingto automatically reach for it.
So that's the reason for it.
That's the reason we need a digital detox.
But it's not that easybecause it's the ubiquity of the screen.
(08:20):
Like I say, I'mgoing to stop work for the day, right?
What am I going to do?
I think I'll watch some YouTube videos.
Well, that's the same problem, right?
Well, staring at the same screen,maybe even the same device.
And it's not helping.
Well, and especially with remote workerstoo, it's like,
(08:40):
you know, if you were in the office,
you're in front of your screen,you're doing your thing.
Oh, okay. I'm going to go meetwith the marketing department.
You physically get up and goto a conference room, or you go to a table
and you're no longer on your screenbecause now you're face to face,
that doesn't happen anymore.
So now you're going from, I'mdoing all this email
and I'm doing all the stuff,and now I'm on zoom,
and now I'm having meetings for zoom,and I'm talking to people on slack
(09:03):
that I wouldn't have spoken to like thatif they were in the office.
And there's almostthis extended screen time
that would not have necessarily happenedif we were still in the office.
Right.
And that goes on all day.
And then our leisure activitiestake place on screens.
Right? So
(09:25):
part of it is what needs to be done.
What do we actually need to do.
And we've talked about this 100 timeson this show
about removing the alerts
and having a start and an end to your day
where you are no longer doing work stuff.
(09:48):
Well, even break start to.
Break and taking breaks during the day.
But then those breakscan not include other screens.
100%.
Like if you're going to go have lunch,go have lunch
and like that's it.
But some of this is we havefour strategies around this, right?
We decide, oh,
(10:10):
you know we're going to go cold turkey.
Well no you're not.
Yeah.
You are not going to go cold turkey.
It doesn't work that way.
Your brain is going to torture you
and you will eventuallycrumble and collapse. So
how do we overcome this stuff?
Well, first of all,you need to set clear goals.
(10:32):
Why do I need a break?
What kind of break do I want?
How long a break am I going to take?
That kind of thing, right.
Because if you say, well, I'mjust not going
to look at my phone for a while,your brain is going, how long is a while?
Oh, my God,we might be missing out on something.
Yeah. No.
So it's right there. I could see it.
(10:54):
Whereas I'm not going to look at my screen
for 15 minutes.
You might get a little twitchy,
but at some pointyour brain goes it's only 15 minutes
and then you will get back to the sweetembrace of the blue light broke.
Go off right.
(11:16):
Having no screen
times, areas, you know, the dinner
table, no phones at the table.
I can't tell you
how many parents I see in restaurantstell their kids no phones at the table.
And yet they're constantly doing this.
(11:38):
Oh 100% you know.
So we need to walk it like we talking
and having everybody is miserable as you.
It's not a bad thing.
Well and only because,you know the generation that I'm
in this whole concept that these darn kidsand their darn phones.
I'm not sayingthat we're not on technology all the time.
(11:59):
Not saying that.
I also tell you, I see more boomersattached to their phones sometimes
in certain situations.
No offense to you,because that's not the cause.
We use the phone to expand
so we can actually read the menuand probably using it as a hearing aid.
So there may bethere may be medical reasons.
Okay. Smart. Like
(12:21):
I'm just saying I do see that constantlywhere it's
just like these darn kids and I'm like,my phone's in my purse in another room.
You're playing Candy crushwhile we're talking.
Yeah, but the idea of a
no screen zone or a blue Gatorade,
no screen times is a really good
and frankly, important way to do.
(12:44):
Right, to.
Start to break that habit.
And there are alternatives.
You know, I don't knowif you know, this books used to
come on paper and maybe.
You can use both
because I know, I.
Know because if you're doing both,you're looking at the screen.
What I'm saying is if you're going to use
(13:07):
reading as a break, activate right.
Use a non electronic form. It
okay.
Yes I know but your listen I know.
I have other tech thingsbut I'm not even going to go there
because like I mean okay
actually no no I'm going to do it.
(13:27):
If you have to use a piece of technologyfor something,
Kindle phone, whatever,
they're usually are some sort of settingthat you can set to reduce
the blue light during certain timesthat automatically kicks in.
I'm a Kindle reader.
I do also read physical books.
(13:48):
You know, those of you that are watchingcan see them behind me.
They're constantly they're.
But when I have my Kindle on
at night,it's on a, you know, lower level,
it's on more red light than blue light.
It's dimmer.
People who have the Kindle Paperwhite,it's the e-ink.
So it's actually better for your eyesanyway.
(14:08):
Like, there's all of these differentthings that if you if you feel like
you need to be on a piece of technology,there are some ways to help,
combat some of these
eyestrain and other issues in general.
And there are certain thingsthat just make sense,
(14:29):
not only for the blue light,but for the mental stimulation.
No screens a half hourbefore you go to bed.
And I realize everybodyjust got really twitchy
because most of our routines iswe watch TV until it's time to go to bed.
Some people go to bed to turn on the TVand watch some more before
(14:50):
it's time to go to bed.
At the very least, the ones that are
right in front of your face,radiating directly into your brain.
No phones for a half hour before bedtime,right?
Put down your non Paperwhite, Kindle
and give yourself a break.
(15:12):
You know that's when you brush your teethand do your ablutions
and whatever you needto do before you go to bed,
kill the
screens and then do your bed routine
and your brain will more easilyadjust to that.
Right.
Well, and you were talking about,you know, less notifications
(15:34):
or no notifications earlier to.
With by doing
that we will theoreticallypick up our phone
less anyway because you're not goingto have the dings that you're used to.
Which let's get real,it's a Pavlov's, you know, dog situation.
We hear the ding. And so we pick it up.
And the lack of a day,I mean, there is nothing there.
(15:58):
And my thing is my phone is on vibrate
or silent 90% of the time.
But then I go,I wonder if anybody's called.
Right. So there's
so there's that.
Yeah.
Here's the other thing, though.
Don't take yourphone when you walk the dog.
(16:19):
Get outside
when you're doing chores, put on music,do something else.
Give your brain, your eyes,your entire physical and actual brain.
It's weird to think that doing dishesand emptying the dishwasher and throwing
a load in laundry could be a break,but it actually is in many ways.
(16:42):
Well, and it's funnythat you say some of that too.
So, there it's been a whilesince I've seen it,
but there was a thingfor a while on TikTok where they were,
I think they had another word for it,but there were multiple at the time.
But this idea of, you know,
go on silent walksand it was like a brand new concept for,
(17:04):
you know, Gen Z or younger millennialsbecause that's just not what we do.
And, you know, even as we're talking,it's like, yeah, go,
go on a walk without anything,like just listen to the nature.
It's I can't remember the last timeI went for a walk with earphones.
And now some of this isI don't have music on my phone, so there's
(17:25):
no there's no way to put brain music.
But I find if I'm walking thedog or I'm going for a walk
and I don't have earbuds in.
I hear things, I relax,
I get to spy on the neighborsbecause I overhear conversations.
(17:46):
It's really cool. Right.
But yeah, I, I have quitplugging earphones in when I go for walks.
For exactly that reason.
Yeah. It's just crazy to me.
I think it's like a new new phenomenon.
Listen to your Uncle Wayne.
Leave the earbuds. Oh.
(18:08):
And, and you got to develop these habits
the first time you doit, it's going to be weird.
And you're going to not knowwhat to do with yourself.
And it takes multiple times
of doing something for itto become a habit.
And it's important we are.
(18:28):
It's funny, we are doing lessphysical labor than ever before.
For the most part, human beings work less
and our health is impacted by our work.
Being seated all the time, being sedentary
can't stand exposure to screens.
Yes, it's not tarringroofs in the hot sun and it's not,
(18:52):
you know,
hauling wheelbarrows full of stuff,which is incredibly taxing on the body.
But there is, of course, to the waywe're working, and
especially as we get to the time of yearwhen people
do New Year's resolutions,which I try to avoid.
But if you're doing
(19:13):
New Year's resolutions,this is a really good one.
Yeah, if you're worried about your healthand you're trying to get healthier,
this can actually playa really big part in it.
And that means don'tput your exercise plans
solely on your phone. Yes.
(19:35):
It did. Print it out.
It's okay.
So here's the thing.
Yeah, go old school.
You know.
Paper planner.
Whatever, by any means necessary.
Here's the deal.
As we come to the end of the year,whenever you're listening to this,
(19:55):
get some rest, take a break,
catch up on your sleep,do what you need to do.
Nobody else is going to do it for you.
Your boss may pay great
lip service, and may even mean thatthey want you to take a break.
But when you're on the screen
answering that email at 10:00 at night,they're not stopping you either.
(20:15):
Right?
Right.
And it's not that they're evil, horrible,exploitative people.
And even if they are, youstill can control what you can control.
All right.
Well, Wayne,thank you so much for this episode.
I hope that it's helpfulto the people who are listening.
And before we go, we're excited to sharethat the second edition of The Long
(20:37):
Distance Leader is now available.
So those of you
who are
starting your New Year's resolutionsor thinking about things for this year,
you might want to pick up this bookbecause it is packed with actionable
strategies to help you lead effectivelyin today's remote and hybrid environments.
Don't wait.
Order your copy at longdistance work life.com/ldl
(20:58):
and take your leadershipskills to the next level.
And thank you so much for listeningto Long Distance Worklife
for Shownotestranscripts and other resources.
Make sure to visit Long Distanceworklife.com if you enjoyed this episode,
don't forget to subscribeso you never miss a future one.
And while you're at it, leave us a ratingor review on Apple or Spotify.
It's quickand it helps us reach even more listeners.
(21:19):
Just like you.
We would also love to hear from you.
Reach out to us via email or LinkedInusing the links in our show notes.
Let us know that you listento this episode, or even suggest
a topic for Wayneand I to tackle in a future episode.
We would love to hear from you.
And finally, as mine likes to say,don't let the whistles get you down.
Hey!
Do you everfeel like screens are running your life?
The constant thing.
Back to back meetings and endless hours.
Staring at a screen can leaveyou drained and unfocused.
But what if you could take backcontrol of your day?
Welcome back to Long Distance Worklife,where we help you lead, work and thrive
in remote and hybrid teams.
I'm MarisaEikenberry, fellow remote worker,
and as always, joining me is my co-host,Wayne Turmel.
(00:29):
That would be me. Hi. How are you?
I'm great. How are you?
I'm. Well, it's, It's good. It's.
We're heading into the holiday seasonas we record this.
Right.
And I think it'll be Januarywhen it comes out, so.
So everybody in a fetal position,
after having survived. Horrible for.
(00:52):
My. Okay.
Yeah.
Well, the only way you're going to berefreshed is if you actually get downtime.
Which leads us to right. Yeah.
Today we're actually going to talkabout screen fatigue and digital detoxing
and what it isand how you can break free from the cycle
to feel more balancedin your remote work life,
(01:13):
which is somethingwe would all aspire to have.
So, Wayne, why don't we just start off
with the basic definitionof what is screen fatigue?
How does it manifest to remote worksettings?
Well, screenfatigue is actually a couple of things.
But it basically means we're on screensall the time.
(01:34):
And, you know, I'm you're on your phone,you're checking your phone,
and then you're staringat a computer monitor,
and then you take a breakby going downstairs and watching TV,
which is basically a largercomputer monitor.
And then you say, oh, I'mgoing to go read a book, but it happens
to be on a Kindle or a tablet,which is yet another screen.
(01:58):
Right?
And so there are a couple of challengesthere.
One is physical,
staring into a screen all that time.
It's not only bad for your eyes,but it is physically draining
the blue lightthat emanates from those screens
has actual physical effects
(02:20):
on the human body,which we will talk about.
The other thing is you're constantly
taking in information and input,
and if you don't give your brain a break,
it becomes mentally and physicallyexhausting.
Right?
(02:40):
You might actually get kind of, irritableor I know if I've been looking
at screens a lot and I've been doing a lotof especially like research or something
like I kind of a jerk if I don't,I have a brain.
And, you know,I mean, for some of us for whom
curmudgeon is our default setting,it might be less noticeable.
(03:01):
But when Marissa's in a bad mood,the world notices.
You're saying. Wow.
So so
the fact is that there is this constantbombardment and barrage and intake.
And at some point,the only way it's not like, well, I'm
going to watch YouTube videos on my phoneinstead of staring at spreadsheets.
(03:25):
Your brain doesn't care.
Yeah. What the content is.
It's the actual interaction of your eyesand your scrolling finger
and your brain with a screen period.
Which leads to this notionof a digital detox.
And a lot of people kind of take a detox.
(03:47):
Well it's not like it's an addiction.
It's not alcohol. It's that.
But in fact call it what you want.
It has all the earmarks of an addiction
when it goes away your brain
responds dopamine neuron receptors.
All that good stuffresponds in the same way
(04:10):
as any bad habit.
Right, right.
Well, I wake up in the morning,you grab your phone.
Like what?
What are the screens that you gravitatetowards without even thinking about it?
Yeah. It's funny.
They have done studiesthese and found that Farmville,
you know, sets off the same
(04:31):
dopamine receptors in your brainas cocaine.
Wow. That is a game I heard about a lot.
But that's it's changing so quickly.
Yeah.
But Farmville was one of the firstwhere they gamified
something 200 pointsthat it actually became addictive.
And then, you know,it was Angry Birds and.
(04:54):
And Candy crush that. Yeah.
And somehow I have avoided all of those
and yet I will twittered doomscroll for hours.
Right.
Well, I'm on this tick tock now. Right.
Like you know well.
And they're all I donot blame the poor coders
who are doing this because they are doingwhat they are requested to do.
(05:17):
But the fact of the matter is that allthese sites are designed to be addictive.
They're designed to playwith the pleasure centers of your brain.
And let's assume for a momentthat you are a superior being.
And you, I do not fall prey to this.
I use my screens for workand other noble purposes.
(05:39):
Okay?
The fact of the matter is,when you hit send on an email,
there is a ping in your brainthat goes, yeah, I did something.
What else can I do?
Oh look, there's another one.
And you know this is all not
terribly scientific.
And yet we know it to be true.
(06:02):
So the dopamine and reward systemsand the feedback
loops fromscreens are a big part of the problem.
That's why
every time we sayI'm just going to put my phone away
and I'm not going to look at itand it's in your hand before you know it.
Oh yeah.
Well, it'swhy there's that whole thing of, you know,
(06:24):
if your phone is your alarm,
either a stop or be like,put it in another room,
but loud enough, you could still hear itbecause there's so many people.
And I will say,I am also one of these people.
This is not, you know, I am one of you.
But, but like you wake up in the morningand the first thing you do
is reach for your phone.
And so it's like, if it's not there,
(06:46):
you have to physically get up and goget it.
Well, now you're already up.
Go do something else.
Is a bed rotting while watching TikToks?
Not that I did that this morningor anything.
Well, it's funny, one of the people ways
that people are breakingthis is going back to the future.
Everybody remembers those horrible,ugly brown, radio alarm clocks I've.
(07:09):
Pretty sure my dad still has.
One side.
You're bad.
Right? Yes.
Well, but here's the thing.
That is actually better than your phonefor keeping time.
Because it's red light.
It's not the blue light up your screen
every time you pick up your phoneand look at it,
blue light hits your eyes and your brain,and it messes with your sleep patterns.
(07:35):
Where as the red light so is well,I use this as my alarm clock.
You know, there are alarm clocks, right?
Correct.
Or even, you know, whether you wear appleWatches or whatever, you can
have it there too.
Yeah, but even your Apple Watch
emits a blue spectrum light.
So I have an actual alarm clock,
(07:57):
and then you don't have to have your phoneby the bed.
Very true.
If it's not by the bed,there's less chance
you're goingto automatically reach for it.
So that's the reason for it.
That's the reason we need a digital detox.
But it's not that easybecause it's the ubiquity of the screen.
(08:20):
Like I say, I'mgoing to stop work for the day, right?
What am I going to do?
I think I'll watch some YouTube videos.
Well, that's the same problem, right?
Well, staring at the same screen,maybe even the same device.
And it's not helping.
Well, and especially with remote workerstoo, it's like,
(08:40):
you know, if you were in the office,
you're in front of your screen,you're doing your thing.
Oh, okay. I'm going to go meetwith the marketing department.
You physically get up and goto a conference room, or you go to a table
and you're no longer on your screenbecause now you're face to face,
that doesn't happen anymore.
So now you're going from, I'mdoing all this email
and I'm doing all the stuff,and now I'm on zoom,
and now I'm having meetings for zoom,and I'm talking to people on slack
(09:03):
that I wouldn't have spoken to like thatif they were in the office.
And there's almostthis extended screen time
that would not have necessarily happenedif we were still in the office.
Right.
And that goes on all day.
And then our leisure activitiestake place on screens.
Right? So
(09:25):
part of it is what needs to be done.
What do we actually need to do.
And we've talked about this 100 timeson this show
about removing the alerts
and having a start and an end to your day
where you are no longer doing work stuff.
(09:48):
Well, even break start to.
Break and taking breaks during the day.
But then those breakscan not include other screens.
100%.
Like if you're going to go have lunch,go have lunch
and like that's it.
But some of this is we havefour strategies around this, right?
We decide, oh,
(10:10):
you know we're going to go cold turkey.
Well no you're not.
Yeah.
You are not going to go cold turkey.
It doesn't work that way.
Your brain is going to torture you
and you will eventuallycrumble and collapse. So
how do we overcome this stuff?
Well, first of all,you need to set clear goals.
(10:32):
Why do I need a break?
What kind of break do I want?
How long a break am I going to take?
That kind of thing, right.
Because if you say, well, I'mjust not going
to look at my phone for a while,your brain is going, how long is a while?
Oh, my God,we might be missing out on something.
Yeah. No.
So it's right there. I could see it.
(10:54):
Whereas I'm not going to look at my screen
for 15 minutes.
You might get a little twitchy,
but at some pointyour brain goes it's only 15 minutes
and then you will get back to the sweetembrace of the blue light broke.
Go off right.
(11:16):
Having no screen
times, areas, you know, the dinner
table, no phones at the table.
I can't tell you
how many parents I see in restaurantstell their kids no phones at the table.
And yet they're constantly doing this.
(11:38):
Oh 100% you know.
So we need to walk it like we talking
and having everybody is miserable as you.
It's not a bad thing.
Well and only because,you know the generation that I'm
in this whole concept that these darn kidsand their darn phones.
I'm not sayingthat we're not on technology all the time.
(11:59):
Not saying that.
I also tell you, I see more boomersattached to their phones sometimes
in certain situations.
No offense to you,because that's not the cause.
We use the phone to expand
so we can actually read the menuand probably using it as a hearing aid.
So there may bethere may be medical reasons.
Okay. Smart. Like
(12:21):
I'm just saying I do see that constantlywhere it's
just like these darn kids and I'm like,my phone's in my purse in another room.
You're playing Candy crushwhile we're talking.
Yeah, but the idea of a
no screen zone or a blue Gatorade,
no screen times is a really good
and frankly, important way to do.
(12:44):
Right, to.
Start to break that habit.
And there are alternatives.
You know, I don't knowif you know, this books used to
come on paper and maybe.
You can use both
because I know, I.
Know because if you're doing both,you're looking at the screen.
What I'm saying is if you're going to use
(13:07):
reading as a break, activate right.
Use a non electronic form. It
okay.
Yes I know but your listen I know.
I have other tech thingsbut I'm not even going to go there
because like I mean okay
actually no no I'm going to do it.
(13:27):
If you have to use a piece of technologyfor something,
Kindle phone, whatever,
they're usually are some sort of settingthat you can set to reduce
the blue light during certain timesthat automatically kicks in.
I'm a Kindle reader.
I do also read physical books.
(13:48):
You know, those of you that are watchingcan see them behind me.
They're constantly they're.
But when I have my Kindle on
at night,it's on a, you know, lower level,
it's on more red light than blue light.
It's dimmer.
People who have the Kindle Paperwhite,it's the e-ink.
So it's actually better for your eyesanyway.
(14:08):
Like, there's all of these differentthings that if you if you feel like
you need to be on a piece of technology,there are some ways to help,
combat some of these
eyestrain and other issues in general.
And there are certain thingsthat just make sense,
(14:29):
not only for the blue light,but for the mental stimulation.
No screens a half hourbefore you go to bed.
And I realize everybodyjust got really twitchy
because most of our routines iswe watch TV until it's time to go to bed.
Some people go to bed to turn on the TVand watch some more before
(14:50):
it's time to go to bed.
At the very least, the ones that are
right in front of your face,radiating directly into your brain.
No phones for a half hour before bedtime,right?
Put down your non Paperwhite, Kindle
and give yourself a break.
(15:12):
You know that's when you brush your teethand do your ablutions
and whatever you needto do before you go to bed,
kill the
screens and then do your bed routine
and your brain will more easilyadjust to that.
Right.
Well, and you were talking about,you know, less notifications
(15:34):
or no notifications earlier to.
With by doing
that we will theoreticallypick up our phone
less anyway because you're not goingto have the dings that you're used to.
Which let's get real,it's a Pavlov's, you know, dog situation.
We hear the ding. And so we pick it up.
And the lack of a day,I mean, there is nothing there.
(15:58):
And my thing is my phone is on vibrate
or silent 90% of the time.
But then I go,I wonder if anybody's called.
Right. So there's
so there's that.
Yeah.
Here's the other thing, though.
Don't take yourphone when you walk the dog.
(16:19):
Get outside
when you're doing chores, put on music,do something else.
Give your brain, your eyes,your entire physical and actual brain.
It's weird to think that doing dishesand emptying the dishwasher and throwing
a load in laundry could be a break,but it actually is in many ways.
(16:42):
Well, and it's funnythat you say some of that too.
So, there it's been a whilesince I've seen it,
but there was a thingfor a while on TikTok where they were,
I think they had another word for it,but there were multiple at the time.
But this idea of, you know,
go on silent walksand it was like a brand new concept for,
(17:04):
you know, Gen Z or younger millennialsbecause that's just not what we do.
And, you know, even as we're talking,it's like, yeah, go,
go on a walk without anything,like just listen to the nature.
It's I can't remember the last timeI went for a walk with earphones.
And now some of this isI don't have music on my phone, so there's
(17:25):
no there's no way to put brain music.
But I find if I'm walking thedog or I'm going for a walk
and I don't have earbuds in.
I hear things, I relax,
I get to spy on the neighborsbecause I overhear conversations.
(17:46):
It's really cool. Right.
But yeah, I, I have quitplugging earphones in when I go for walks.
For exactly that reason.
Yeah. It's just crazy to me.
I think it's like a new new phenomenon.
Listen to your Uncle Wayne.
Leave the earbuds. Oh.
(18:08):
And, and you got to develop these habits
the first time you doit, it's going to be weird.
And you're going to not knowwhat to do with yourself.
And it takes multiple times
of doing something for itto become a habit.
And it's important we are.
(18:28):
It's funny, we are doing lessphysical labor than ever before.
For the most part, human beings work less
and our health is impacted by our work.
Being seated all the time, being sedentary
can't stand exposure to screens.
Yes, it's not tarringroofs in the hot sun and it's not,
(18:52):
you know,
hauling wheelbarrows full of stuff,which is incredibly taxing on the body.
But there is, of course, to the waywe're working, and
especially as we get to the time of yearwhen people
do New Year's resolutions,which I try to avoid.
But if you're doing
(19:13):
New Year's resolutions,this is a really good one.
Yeah, if you're worried about your healthand you're trying to get healthier,
this can actually playa really big part in it.
And that means don'tput your exercise plans
solely on your phone. Yes.
(19:35):
It did. Print it out.
It's okay.
So here's the thing.
Yeah, go old school.
You know.
Paper planner.
Whatever, by any means necessary.
Here's the deal.
As we come to the end of the year,whenever you're listening to this,
(19:55):
get some rest, take a break,
catch up on your sleep,do what you need to do.
Nobody else is going to do it for you.
Your boss may pay great
lip service, and may even mean thatthey want you to take a break.
But when you're on the screen
answering that email at 10:00 at night,they're not stopping you either.
(20:15):
Right?
Right.
And it's not that they're evil, horrible,exploitative people.
And even if they are, youstill can control what you can control.
All right.
Well, Wayne,thank you so much for this episode.
I hope that it's helpfulto the people who are listening.
And before we go, we're excited to sharethat the second edition of The Long
(20:37):
Distance Leader is now available.
So those of you
who are
starting your New Year's resolutionsor thinking about things for this year,
you might want to pick up this bookbecause it is packed with actionable
strategies to help you lead effectivelyin today's remote and hybrid environments.
Don't wait.
Order your copy at longdistance work life.com/ldl
(20:58):
and take your leadershipskills to the next level.
And thank you so much for listeningto Long Distance Worklife
for Shownotestranscripts and other resources.
Make sure to visit Long Distanceworklife.com if you enjoyed this episode,
don't forget to subscribeso you never miss a future one.
And while you're at it, leave us a ratingor review on Apple or Spotify.
It's quickand it helps us reach even more listeners.
(21:19):
Just like you.
We would also love to hear from you.
Reach out to us via email or LinkedInusing the links in our show notes.
Let us know that you listento this episode, or even suggest
a topic for Wayneand I to tackle in a future episode.
We would love to hear from you.
And finally, as mine likes to say,don't let the whistles get you down.
Hey!
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