Clean Up Your Digital Act
Women's Health Australia|June 2020
The realistic way to make over your relationship with tech
Tara Ali
Clean Up Your Digital Act

As I write this, the COVID-19 pandemic is unfolding, and if I wasn’t already attached to my phone, I am now. Everything feels uncertain, but one thing is clear: broadband and mobile networks are facing an unprecedented demand as we gobble up the news and turn to our real-life networks for Zoom, FaceTime and Houseparty consolation. Yet there’s also talk of having digital breaks for our mental wellbeing. We know too much time spent on tech (2018 report A decade of Digital Dependency found we clock up an entire day a week online) stops us from reading books, pursuing hobbies and being able to stay focused on a conversation. So, how do we reel back some balance? Three tech-sperts share their secrets.

Flip Your Mindset

1. THINK DIGITAL ‘WELLNESS’

“Five years ago the idea of doing a digital detox was bandied around, but now that idea isn’t sustainable,” says Dr Joanne Orlando, a family digital literacy specialist. “What we need instead is more thoughtful reflection about our use of technology: what is really productive and adding value, and what is damaging or a time waste? If your marriage isn’t working, you spend time thinking about that, [and] you need to do the same with your tech relationship.”

2. BECOME CEO OF YOUR TIME

This story is from the June 2020 edition of Women's Health Australia.

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This story is from the June 2020 edition of Women's Health Australia.

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