How to budget your energy and create healthy boundaries with technology
Vol. 083
How to budget your energy and create healthy boundaries with technology.
Don’t wait until you’re cusping burnout to employ these tactics. Your brain is a muscle, you need to exercise it in the same way that you exercise your physical body.
A quick bite:
The internet — particularly social media — can be a blessing and a curse. If used correctly, it can catalyze the success of your business. If used incorrectly, it can be lead to the demise of your mental well being. If you’ve ever struggled with technology overwhelm, this week’s interview with designer and mental health guru Becky Mickletz is for you.
Continue reading below…
Continuing my focus on mental health related articles amidst mental health awareness month, this is an interview-style article of a conversation with good bud Becky Mickletz.
Becky is a no bull shit, branding, marketing and mental health-focused creative who comes to the table with a bold and sassy grace that’ll keep you on your toes in the best of ways.
In recent years, Becky has devoted a substantial amount of time to learning the ins and outs of mental health and how technology, burn out and overwhelm contribute to the degradation of our well-being.
If you’re in the CO area, Becky has a mental health workshop coming up on May 31st which is free. Otherwise, anyone can download this FREE mental health guide that Becky created to help others navigate the tumultuous world of mental health.
For ease of reading, I have paraphrased and consolidated her responses in various spots.
The Interview:
AV: Thanks so much for taking the time to chat about this much needed topic! Sadly, I feel like the creative community is constantly dealing with burning out or being on the verge of doing so.
BM: It’s sad but true! Particularly as creatives marketing ourselves, technology has become a crucial component of our businesses. If we don’t take control of how we use technology, technology will start to control how it uses us... It’s literally like the Pavlovian bell: our vibrating, dinging and ringing phones have become more addicting than slot machines, and many people no longer have boundaries with their technology and devices.
AV: Eugh, yeah, that’s weird to hear because of how accurate it is haha. Social media definitely makes me feel guilty for not doing more — there’s always someone out there doing something better, and it pushes me… but maybe not always in the best of ways? Like, I feel like I’m getting a lot done, sometimes I feel like I’m hardly hanging on, ya know?
BM: Yeah, social media can be a real dumpster fire. People like Gary Vee are always out there shouting at you to do more, when the reality is, sometimes we need to focus more on doing less. Like, yeah, you can probably get everything done, but you’ll probably be struggling to keep your life together. It’s important to acknowledge that “not drowning” is not the same as “swimming.” Take time to be selfish and take what you need daily.
AV: Agreed. I began hugely prioritizing my physical fitness during the pandemic because I noticed that my mental health absolutely collapsed amidst all of the chaos. The daily shuffle from bed, to kitchen to work, to liquor cabinet and back to bed. There was no separation from my computer, or my phone, and no distinction from work or life. It was honestly hell.
At a time when there is so much work from anywhere jobs, and a constant “need” to be plugged in, how do you find balance with the digital space? Like, how do you set a boundary, allow your brain to disconnect, and prevent it from consuming too much of your life?
BM: I get it! It takes practice in teaching our brain to quiet down, especially in a world of A LOT of noise. But you also have to give yourself grace with the process. You’re learning to rewire your freakin’ brain, baby!
We are a society of multitaskers, and we’re used to always being ‘on’ and activated.
Start small. Instead of being on your phone or watching TV right before bed, try decluttering your mental space by journaling or meditating. There is no right or wrong way of doing this.
What works for someone else may not work for you and vice versa. Journaling could be anything from doodling in a notebook to get the day’s thoughts out of your head to writing 50 pages. Just start.
AV: The multi-tasking thing is huge. I find that I feel most overwhelmed when I’m trying to balance too many plates at once.
Though, as we mentioned before, sometimes it’s hard to turn off because it feels like we’re always supposed to be working, ya know? Do you think there’s a concern that one might fall behind if they don’t keep grinding through?
BM: Abso-fuckin-lutely not. Like finances, you need to start budgeting energy. Notice what occupies your physical and mental space, because health is not just what we eat but what we think, say, and do.
“Health is not just what we eat but what we think, say, and do.”
There is a reason they tell you on the airplane to put your mask on first before assisting others; if you aren’t taking care of #1 you aren’t going to be much help to others.
Additionally, we live in a time of extremes. During the pandemic we still very much saw hustle culture get brought to the surface. If you didn’t learn how to make banana bread, eat the banana bread, but also have a 6 pack from working out, did you even pandemic?!
Find what works for you. If that is 5min to yourself in the morning before you start your workday, perfect. If it’s an hour walk outside during your lunch, great. Despite what the internet tells you, you don’t need to drink green juice every day and go on a silent retreat to Bali to take care of yourself.
Social media can play into this imposter syndrome so scroll lightly and unfollow accounts that don’t bring joy or inspiration. Again, health is what we eat, think, say, and do!
AV: Yeah, I had to unfollow a few of those accounts that made me feel like a turd for being inside everyday — I’m like, sorry I don’t ride elephants and eat brunch with giraffes in Taipei for a living… So, how do you think one should set boundaries with phones and other technology?
Look at your daily life and evaluate what you can change. For me, I started batching my business emails; meaning I check it at 7am, 12pm, and 5pm. It was scary at first, I thought my clients would think I was being lazy or not attentive. It was quite the opposite! Instead, it helped both myself and my clients stick to deadlines because they knew when they needed to communicate with me rather than me becoming some sort of branding hotline that was open 24 hours a day like a damn IHOP. It helped me stay on track because I wasn’t constantly checking my inbox and I could focus energy on meetings and work I needed to do. I have put this into practice for 3 years now and it has made a huge difference!
AV: That’s amazing! I used to do that, and kinda fell off the wagon — definitely need to re-implement that process. Do you have any other rules, practices, apps or tips that help you balance your screen time?
BM: Definitely! Here are a few of my favorite tips and tricks:
Notifications:
Turn off all notifications except from people. Notifications appear in RED dots because red is a trigger color that instantly draws our attention. But most notifications are generated by machines, not actual people. They keep our phones vibrating to lure us back into apps we don’t really need to be in. Especially in the morning, try and not check your phone for the first hour you are awake. Think of it this way…you wake up with 5 notifications from Instagram, 20 new emails, and 5 text messages. You would never let 30 people into your bedroom first thing upon waking up in the morning, but you are essentially filling your brain with just that by checking them before your wheels are even turning.
Color
Go Grayscale. Colorful icons give our brains shiny rewards every time we unlock. Set your phone to grayscale to remove those positive reinforcements. It helps many people check their phone less.
Phone separation
Charge your device outside the bedroom. Get a separate alarm clock in your bedroom, and charge your phone in another room (or on the other side of the room). This way, you can wake up without getting sucked into your phone before you even get out of bed.
Text mitigation
Send audio notes, call or utilize texting shortcuts instead of texting It’s common for people to misinterpret text messages, even from romantic partners, while voice is rich with tone and less susceptible to misinterpretation. Recording a quick voice message is often faster and less stressful than typing out each letter. Plus, it doesn’t require your full visual attention.
Texting shortcut: Use quick reactions. It’s faster than crafting a response, and can also add some context, giving a taste of the emotion that’s often silently conveyed in a real, face-to-face conversation.
Use it for good
Use it for track fitness. Again, if you have the damn thing on you at all times, you might as well utilize it to better your physical health.
AV: It’s weird to think that this thing (phone) that enables us to be successful can also be the source of so much anxiety, stress and sadness. Thanks so much for sharing all of this, duder! Do you have any last suggestions of where people could go for more resources/learning on energy?
BM: Duh!
Huge thanks to you, Becky, for taking the time out of your busy schedule to chat and bring so value to the table!
Don’t forget to download Becky’s FREE mental health guide, and if you like what you heard, give her a follow!
Cheers,
Adam
