How digital burnout helped me convince 2 million people to take a break from tech

When I launched a software company, Six Ticks, more than a decade ago, as a young female co-founder, I knew it would be tough. 

What I didn't know was that my biggest threat wouldn't be competition, or cash flow, it would be constant connectivity and the impact it had on my ability to focus and perform.

Building a tech company requires long hours. I knew that, and I was ready to work hard to build my dream career. 

The shock to my new working life didn't come with said hard work, it came with the neverending pings. The endless notifications. The expectation of instant response. The inability to complete a task without being interrupted. 

Always being connected.

Digital Burnout Is The New Norm

Sixteen-hour screen days became normal. Emails in bed. Messages at midnight. Hangouts, Whatsapp, LinkedIn, Service Requests - a constant stream of pop-ups invading my screen and fragmenting my attention.

I wasn't just overworked. I was experiencing digital burnout.

And I wasn't alone. I believe it's the biggest challenge facing workplaces today. And we can't keep ignoring it.

Whether you're a leader, or an employee, digital burnout is a real threat to not only wellbeing, but performance and productivity. 

According to Professor Gloria Mark, the average knowledge worker switches tasks every three minutes, and once interrupted, it can take 23 minutes to regain full focus.

Think about how many times you glance at your phone or check an email notification when you're supposed to be working on a different task. It's stealthily devastating productivity, causing anxiety, stress, and impacting our wellbeing.

But what can we do about it?

As a female founder leading a global remote team, I realised something: I had to start talking about this and find a way to help myself and others get away from the constant pings and 'always on' mentality.

That's how The Digital Wellbeing Company was born.

As a tech boss, I did something a little strange - I launched The Digital Wellbeing Company, a company which encourages people to switch off,  promoting mindful use of technology at work and a better tech-life balance for employees.

The Digital Wellbeing Revolution Starts Here

I created 5 pillars that help companies introduce digital wellbeing into the workplace:

Tech-Know: We educate our employees to use technology confidently and only adopt digital tools that serve a clear, meaningful purpose.

The Strong Connections: We communicate with purpose and discourage our teams from a culture of constant pings.

Distraction: We encourage employees to remove digital distractions so they can focus and thrive.

HI - Human Intelligence: We listen to our employees' needs and aspirations and provide a nurturing environment where they can succeed.

The Off Switch: We allow employees to take regular breaks from their screens and switch off outside of working hours.

So how's the Digital Wellbeing Revolution going?

In today's world, encouraging companies to rethink their relationship with tech is no mean feat.

But it's going well. 

I have a deep, personal understanding of the impact of constant connectivity, and I build digital wellbeing into every aspect of my own workplace for the benefit of my employees. Whether it's reminding them to take a screen break or ensuring no out of hours connectivity, it all helps reduce digital overwhelm.

The Digital Wellbeing Company also helps other organisations understand the effects of digital distraction and burnout, and I work with them to create healthier, more sustainable workplaces.

And that's why, one Tuesday last December, workplaces representing over 2 million employees did something radical.

Employees from every corner of the UK (and beyond) switched off their computers, put down their phones, and stepped away from technology completely.

Whether through meetings, team building, healthy walks, or something entirely different, workplaces disconnected for techtimeout tuesday  - the UK's biggest digital wellbeing day.

What began as my own experience of digital burnout has grown into a movement encouraging organisations to rethink their relationship with technology.

And I'm just getting started.