We love to be connected ! But what happens if technology is starting to control you instead of the other way around ? No problem, no stress. BrandNewHealth gives concrete advice to stay in control and be as productive as ever.

1. Tech? No stress!
by BrandNewHealth

2. BrandNewHealth who are we ?
Our Mission:
Reach the maximum amount of people to Change health behaviour
Our strategy:
Offer most effective digital health coaching platform
to improve the ROI of our customers

3. Technology comes as a handy tool and the world is increasingly
within easy reach. Mobile technology is the state-of-the-art of the
everywhere-anytime-everyone principle.
Smartphones are ubiquitous:
● More than half of Belgium’s population uses them
- in Holland this amounts to 80%
● Up to 50% of e-mails is opened on a mobile device
Mobile technology: the world within arm’s reach

4. Smartphones have obvious advantages
● They facilitate communication for people in different places or time
zones
● They make communication more succint and to the point
● They result in faster decision making through availability of
information
● They enable coordinating multiple activities (meetings/diary,
communication, information, … all on one device)
→ enhanced productivity

5. ● Flexibility
○ Work can be ‘detached from time and place’
○ 6 out of 10 people check work mail from home
→ Organizing your work in a way that suits you
Determining (to a large extent) how you divide between work and private life
= More balance between work and private life within reach
Smartphones have obvious advantages

6. ...but may have disadvantages as well
● New norm: fast information processing (tendency to continuously check-and-
respond)
● Possibility of “accessibility anywhere, anytime” becomes obligation to be
available anytime, anywhere
● Can easily lead to home-work interference!
⇒May lead to ‘Technostress’: technology becoming stressor instead of aid
Even more alarmingly: at least 13% turn out to be effectively addicted to their
smartphone.

7. ● No detachment from work at night
= insufficient recovery => stress complaints
= disrupted sleep cycle:
– Screen illumination (‘blue’ light) suppresses melatonine production
– Inability to let go and even brooding thoughts elicited by e-mails
● Addictive behaviour: checking new messages too often may become compulsive
checking (social media) - and even elicit tension when you don’t have access (=
“withdrawal symptoms”)
● Separation anxiety: being unable to leave your device behind, resulting in raised
blood pressure & heart rate and lack of clear reasoning
How to recognise technostress?

8. ● Stimulus control
– Leave your smartphone at home when going out for a (short) while
– Turn off your notifications at night and put away your smartphone
– Block no-phone no-email time in your diary
→ you can even mention this in your electronic signature
– (OFFTIME) app can help you achieve this
● Make clear agreements!
– Ask what is expected of you outside working hours
– Dare to go offline, and make it clear when you do so
– Negotiate when you need or want to be available
Enjoy advantages whilst avoiding disadvantages?

9. ● ...if you really can’t avoid it:
○ Sometimes you just need to finish stuff. Provide time in your diary for later recovery.
○ Make clear agreements about this too.
○ Set the example: don’t send emails at night or during the weekend, schedule them later.
(most email programs feature that option)

10. Your smartphone and sleep
To prevent your smartphone from disrupting your sleep:
● Put your smartphone aside at least one hour before bed time
(If you really can’t live without it, reduce the ‘blue light’ thanks to some Android apps.
Red-tinted Sunglasses may help as well: they efficiently filter out the blue light)
● Avoid taking your smartphone to the bedroom
● If you use your smartphone as your alarm clock, then switch on airplane mode

11. Claudia Put
+32 16 228893
claudia@brandnewhealth.com
www.brandnewhealth.com
More information ?