These 5 bad technology habits can hurt your body, mind, and soul

Bad online habits are one thing. But bad technology habits… well, that’s a whole different story. Bad online habits can leave you swimming in malware, hackers, and leaked data – none of which is fun or pleasant. But on the other hand, bad technology habits can leave you in bodily pain, unproductive, and desperate for more time – none of which is easy to come back from. Here are a few bad tech habits to be on the lookout for.

Do you check social media every 60 seconds?

I get it. You’re bored. You’re trying to pass the time. You simply want to see how many likes you’ve gotten on that one selfie you took in the bathroom this morning. But what is this doing for your productivity? Your focus? Your time? Nothing good, I can guarantee that. So stop. Try your best to cut back and limit the number of times you check social media during the workday. If you find this task unusually difficult, there are more than a few apps that can help you minimize all those distractions.

Do you refresh your inbox every few minutes?

Some of us get a lot of emails. Like a lot. Like too much for one person to handle. But whether you check these emails now, five minutes from now, or an hour from now will typically not make a difference in the grand scheme of things. So do yourself a favor and hold off. Set aside 15-20 minutes every hour or so. If you can pull it off, shoot for 15 minutes every two hours. This should help you maintain focus for longer.

Do your eyeballs touch the computer screen?

Do you ever find yourself sitting way too close to the computer screen? And usually you realize this when someone walks up behind you and asks if you need glasses. But then you turn around and you’re already wearing glasses. Don’t do this. Your face should be anywhere from two to three feet away from the computer screen. Sit any closer and it could damage your eyesight and land you in a world of headaches and strained eyes.

Do you stare at your screen for hours at a time?

Sure, your eyes should be at least two feet away from your computer screen… but that’s not the only thing you should keep in mind. You also need to remember to rest your eyes every so often. The rule of thumb here is 20-20-20 – every 20 minutes look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. This can help relieve some of that strain your eyes can feel staring at a computer screen all day.

Do you keep the screen at full brightness late at night?

It’s 10:30 at night and you’re fading. But for some reason, that phone is still in your hand and you’re still swiping through Instagram, tweeting up a storm, or lost somewhere inside YouTube… which is no good. You see, those bright lights have been known to make it harder for people to fall asleep at night because the light messes with your melatonin levels and disrupts your sleep cycle. Therefore, if it is late at night and if you are still on your phone, then keep your screen dimly lit and if possible, switched to a warmer spectrum of color. If you have an iPhone this is simple. Just visit your Settings or swipe up from the home screen and tap on Night Shift. You can manually turn the feature on or off, or you can schedule night shift to turn on and off at a specific time every day.