We are living in a reality where technology is dominating every aspect of our lives. It is undeniably bringing people so many advantages but at the same time creating a lot of hurdles that are becoming difficult to overcome day by day. Just like exhaustion and the feeling of burning out one gets from their workplaces is now becoming common in terms of tech burnouts.
What is Considered Tech Burnout?
Tech burnout refers to the mental, emotional, and physical exhaustion someone experiences from their prolonged connectivity and engagement with technology. Tech burnout can be visible through various symptoms. When it is affecting humans physically, it is common to get headaches, eye strains, and agitated sleep patterns. Other than this, people start to have a heightened level of stress and anxiety, reduced attention span, and difficulty in solving common and easy problems.
Why Does Tech Burnout Happen So Regularly?
Tech burnout has now become a common thing, especially among professionals, and factors like the modern-day work environment are the leading cause of it.
i) Digital Overload: One of the reasons why tech burnouts have become so common is because people have to experience digital overload nowadays. The constant interactions with messages, notifications, emails, and other information lead to cognitive overload that increases stress and reduces efficiency.
ii) Multitasking and its Pressure: One thing that technology has blessed society with is the ability to perform multiple tasks at the same time. But this ability to multitask has successfully created pressure on professionals as well which is decreasing productivity, reducing focus, and increasing stress levels.
iii) Shortage of Breaks: As mentioned before, technology allows people to multitask. Along with it, technology also allows people to constantly work, making it sometimes impossible for professionals to take regular breaks. Lack of needful breaks is the leading cause of mental fatigue which leads to job dissatisfaction and tech burnout.
iv) Challenges with Remote Working: Remote working allows professionals to have flexibility with their work. But at the same time, it creates difficulty to set a clear boundary between professional and personal life. This lack of physical space between personal living space and workplace can lead to burnout.
How to Combat Tech Burnout?
Preventing tech burnout will take a much more proactive approach.
- The first step is to set boundaries by establishing specific hours for professional work and personal work. You can also use features like 'Do Not Disturb' on your time to reduce your screen time.
- You also need to be intentional with your tech use so that you can avoid “mindless scrolling”.
- Focus on one task at a time so that you can reduce cognitive overload and improve concentration.
- You can avoid distractions by turning off unnecessary notifications. Managing your notifications can help you combat this tech burnout. You can also set a specific schedule to check emails and notifications.
- In this journey of battling with tech burnout, it is important to prioritize self-care. So make time for physical exercises, enough sleep hours, and proper nutrition for your body. You can also engage in activities you enjoy or take up a new hobby.
- Establishing the balance between your work and personal life is another important step you need to take if you want to minimize this feeling of burnout. You can try doing this by avoiding checking work-related emails or notifications in your leisure time.
- The last step is to regularly assess your tech habits which will help you identify the signs of burnout.
It is important to understand when the signs show up, it is time to take a well-deserved break.
