How leaders can avoid digital fatigue in their teams

Realizing the impact of digital fatigue, the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture Ithra hosted SYNC, a digital wellbeing summit, which brought together 60 speakers from across Saudi Arabia and the world. The summit took place in March 2022 and was the first of its kind globally, hosting major discussions around technology and its repercussions with the aim to find the best possible solutions that would bring work-life balance to digital users.

According to Ithra, around 50% of post-millennials suffer from fatigue due to excessive use of technology, and found 44% of parents leave their children unsupervised while they use technology, and about 42% of people say that technology has led to less time being spent interacting with those around them.

Ithra’s digital program seeks to bring about tangible changes in how we interact with, organize, and design digital platforms, particularly that we have reached a point where we use smart apps to tend to a multitude of our daily needs, including shopping, remote working, reading the news, watching films, and playing games.

Given it is extremely hard, if not impossible, to do without the use of mobile devices,  it’s important to use them selectively when we need them, to guard against onset of potential psychological and even physical problems.

If you’re a team leader who has noticed signs of digital fatigue amongst  your team members, you must help them find ways to balance their use of their digital devices and their life away from these.

Tips to help your team combat digital fatigue

As a team leader, you need to realize that despite the occasional negative sentiments about the digital world, there are simple ways we can maintain flexibility and have a positive experience when spending long hours working on devices. Here are some words of advice you can share with your team:

1. You are not alone. It can be comforting to know that these feelings are perfectly normal and are universal, even if we are made to feel like outsiders or exceptions, when it comes to digital fatigue we are not alone.
   
   
2. Break up tasks into smaller ones, especially when it comes to remote working. When you are locked in front of your screen for hours, you will feel too exhausted to plan even the smallest of things like having a stroll, or a cup of tea or coffee. You would be able to have things under control when you accomplish smaller tasks, one by one.
   
   
3. Be curious. Let go of preconceived notions, and practice a form of mindfulness by thinking about how you can make this digital way of working work best for you.
   
   
4. Try different modes of work. For example, while working remotely, do you find yourself tired of your small office in the bedroom? Pick up your laptop and work from the park, or head to the nearest quiet coffee shop. Breaking routine is important.
   
   
5. Take care of yourself. Listen to your body and empathize with yourself, and learn to build mental strength while accepting the situation you are in. Sometimes making a call to a friend or watching a TV series pays off.
   
   
6. Increase your social activities. Make plans with friends and devote time away from the digital world by taking part in a physical activity that interests you. 
   
   
7. If you have indoor houseplants or in the garden, take care of them  as these can help your mental and physical well being.
   
   

Last but not least, as a leader, it’s important to act swiftly and appropriately when you see that a member of the team is suffering from digital fatigue. It’s no easy task, but it would be in the best interest of your team  and your organization to take these measures to improve the performance and the well being of your team.