3 Digital well-being

Your digital well-being is very much dependent on how in control you feel when you're using technology in a digital environment. It's about feeling safe, comfortable, and confident. And it's about striking the right balance between your online and offline time.

Balancing the time you spend online and offline is all about good time management. We don't always realise how much time we spend online. We no longer have to be sitting in front of a computer to be online. Smartphones are so advanced that they make it possible to be online 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In fact, being connected is becoming a way of life, and this can have an impact on our lives and our relationships.

So, how can we manage this? Well, the first step is to understand how our online and offline times compare. You can do this by keeping a diary of the time you spend online. After a week, compare this with the time you spent doing other offline things, such as being with family or friends. If you want to address the balance, use a calendar or diary to schedule the time you spend online, and remember to take regular breaks.

Make some time for offline activities like going for walks or taking up hobbies and sports. Don't be afraid to turn your phone off. If people are trying to get in touch, they can leave a message or send a text. Most importantly, take time to relax and manage any stress you might be feeling.

These days, we may be using more than one device. And that can make it difficult to keep track of all those apps and tools we've signed up to. It can sometimes feel like a bit of a juggling act. The best way to manage this is to think carefully about what you're signing up for and how useful it's likely to be. Are you signing up to an app or tool because it addresses a specific need? Is it something you'll use? If you're just signing up for something to test it out, make a plan to delete the account if you don't find it useful.

Many apps now have the ability to synchronise over multiple devices, so what you do on one device will be reflected over your other devices. Check the settings on your app.

It's useful to subscribe to online services to keep up to date, find out what's new, or to receive offers. This might result in a flood of emails to your inbox, which can seem like a bit of an information overload. However, the good news is that there are ways to manage this. The most important piece of advice is to think carefully about how often you want to receive notifications. Consider the urgency and purpose of what you're subscribing to. For example, if you're job hunting, you may need daily notifications. But other subscriptions may only warrant them weekly or monthly. If you find that you are deleting notifications without reading them first, you might want to consider unsubscribing.

Digital skills will go a long way to help you manage your time online, improve your confidence, and minimise the stress of information overload. Good communication skills are important and can help you to assess when and how to withdraw from conversations that are turning nasty.