Switch off

This might sound contrarian. As an IT Leader how often do you switch-off digitally? 📴 As a 30+ year veteran business/IT writer, I'm a huge tech fan. As, I expect, are you. 😍

I've also seen the encroachment of digital into every aspect of our lives. 👤 PDAs in the Nineties. Mobile in the noughties. Cloud apps after that. Then pervasive social media. Relentless algorithms. Smart watches. ⌚

Now, the vast majority of people go to sleep with their phone by their side. 🛌 Increasing numbers fall asleep with it in their hand. Yup. 😦

And if you’re wearing a smart device, you’re always connected. Transhumanists love the idea. 🤖 But is it mentally or emotionally healthy to be this connected? Available round the clock? Seven days a week?  Living under immense pressure to respond to everything? 🔄

I suggest it’s time to discover, or rediscover, the art of solitude, silence and stillness. 🌸 The kind of digital switch off that switches us on again. We’re human beings, not human doings - right?!

Burnout is a big and growing problem in tech – particularly among cybersec professionals. 😵

So, what if we give ourselves and our teams the encouragement, permission and opportunity to go tech free every so often? 🥳 Imagine the wellbeing benefits that will follow. 🎁

Takeaways for Tech Leaders

🌳 Switch off suggestion 1
Go out into nature at the weekend. Leave your phone behind.

🛌 Switch off suggestion 2
Charge your phone in the kitchen at night. Leave it there until breakfast – or after.

⏰ Switch off suggestion 3
Schedule when you do your WhatsApp or email replies. Be responsive instead of reactive. to edit.