How To Stay Sane Online And Reduce Digital Clutter
"Popcorn brain" from digital overstimulation can be eased with self-care, distraction limits, and tools like Shift browser to boost focus and reduce stress.
You’re not alone if you find yourself easily distracted. From ads and social media to endless scrolling and constant notifications on your phone and computer, it can be hard to stay focused in today’s chaotic world, especially during busy times like the holiday season. A mental state called “popcorn brain” describes when your thoughts are scattered and your mind switches back and forth from one topic to the next due to overstimulation from digital devices. An increase in people suffering from “popcorn brain” has grown over the years, resulting in more distraction-free tools being developed to help you get through the day and stay sane online.
Switching between online browser tabs can cost you roughly four hours a week, resulting in more than just wasted time. The more you switch between windows, the more your brain suffers from cognitive stress. The good news is there are ways to help reduce digital clutter and the amount of stress on your mental health. Below are some tips to help you focus, increase productivity, and improve your quality of life.
Starting Your Day Off Right
Whether you are working from home or heading into the office, starting your day off right with some morning self-care can go a long way, particularly when self-care is key to better managing life’s stresses.
If you are working from home, using the morning time you would have usually spent getting ready to leave the house to now practice a self-care routine can help increase productivity. Self-care activities can include exercising, journaling, meditation, listening to music, and more. For those heading back to the office, even setting aside 10 to 15 minutes of your morning to do some sort of self-care routine can be helpful.
Eliminate Distractions
Two of the biggest contributors to the “popcorn brain,” especially for younger generations, are social media and smartphones. While it is not possible for everyone to go completely digital-free, you can consciously set aside time throughout your day to “switch off” from your digital life to focus more on the tasks at hand. Productivity expert Sabrina Banadyga of Shift, a power browser that helps you eliminate digital distractions, suggests turning your phone on Airplane Mode, turning off WiFi, disabling data for certain apps that you’re trying to cut out, or hitting Do Not Disturb as easy ways to disconnect, eliminate distractions, and immerse yourself in the present.
Banadyga notes that Shift’s browser has a notifications feature that allows you to set focus hours for different workspaces so you can continue to prioritize specific tasks and get things done.
Additionally, the Shift power browser is a time-saving, productivity tool that helps you do everything you need while on the internet, making your digital life simpler and reducing your cognitive load by eliminating the need to search, toggle, and log in.
Simplify Responding to Emails and Messages With Shift Browser
There is a difference between being responsive and being instantaneously responsive. Whether you are working from home or in the office, communication is key – but managing the amount of time you check your emails can help improve focus and productivity.
One way to manage responding to emails and messages is using the “batching” method, where you set aside specific times for reading and responding, such as morning, lunch, and right before leaving work. Shift, for example, allows you to streamline your email accounts into one window and create different workspaces for work, personal, family, and business to help reduce distractions from everything else in your life. By setting up focus hours on each workspace, you can automate the “batching” method and allow the technology to work its magic.
While the workplace (both at home and at the office) is filled with distractions, these do not have to take away from your productivity or sanity. Taking simple actions like planning your day, building a self-care routine, trying short digital detoxes, staying off social media, and implementing time management techniques can help you manage stress and lighten your mental load in the new year.
BDG Media newsroom and editorial staff were not involved in the creation of this content.
