How to reduce your hyperconnectivity at work?

Today, talking about time management without mentioning hyperconnectivity is a bit like trying to make a pizza without dough—it just doesn’t work! The line between work time and personal time is becoming blurred, and this can have serious consequences on our well-being.

What is hyperconnectivity?

Hyperconnectivity is our state of being almost constantly connected to technological tools (emails, collaborative platforms, social media, etc.), both in the professional and personal spheres. While this hyperconnection, by definition, allows us to stay informed and efficient, it can also become intrusive and lead to cognitive overload.

Surveys conducted in 2020 and 2023 have shown that being constantly connected or receiving too much information at once can have significant negative effects, such as increased stress, decreased job satisfaction, and burnout.(1,2)

Essentially, these situations make employees less productive because they feel overwhelmed and find it difficult to disconnect from work.

Why reduce your hyperconnectivity?

Imagine this: you’re in the middle of a videoconference, focused on an important discussion. Suddenly, a notification pops up on your screen, followed by another, and another—urgent emails, Slack messages, alerts on your phone. You try to keep up, but in the end, you lose track of the meeting… and feel completely drained!

Or perhaps, as you’re getting ready for bed, you instinctively open your email app and stumble upon a worrying message that came in after office hours. Even if you resist the temptation to respond right away, you spend the next few hours lying awake, thinking about the situation, instead of drifting off like you had already started doing while watching the latest episode of your favourite show.

Do these scenarios sound familiar? This is one of the direct consequences of hyperconnectivity. Not only does it impact our ability to focus, but it can also cause significant stress. The pressure to respond quickly to every request reduces our decision-making autonomy and contributes to the rise of psychosocial risks.

Reducing hyperconnectivity is about giving yourself the right to disconnect and re-establishing a healthy relationship with technology. This not only helps preserve your mental well-being but also boosts work efficiency. A study by the Association for Psychological Science showed that 96% of people see their performance decline when interrupted, as it becomes harder to refocus on the task at hand, leading to reduced productivity and accuracy. According to a study by the University of California, Irvine, it takes an average of 23 minutes to fully refocus after a distraction.(3,4)

Now imagine that after a whole day of interruptions!

How to reduce your hyperconnectivity?

Reducing hyperconnectivity starts with becoming aware of your own behaviour toward technology. Here are a few concrete steps to help you get started:

1. Take stock of your digital habits

Take a week to observe your interactions with technological tools. How often do you check your emails? Do you bounce from one messaging platform to another? How much time do you spend managing your notifications?

Let’s say you’re a project manager. Between emails, Slack messages, and all sorts of notifications, your days are non-stop. You’re so absorbed in communication platforms that you didn’t even realize you spend more than 6 hours a day on them!

That puts things into perspective, doesn’t it? (And don’t worry, there’s a way out, we promise!)

2. Identify habits to change

Take a moment to reflect on what’s truly important in your professional life. Is checking your phone the moment you wake up or responding to emails at any time really essential? What if you asked yourself what kind of role you really want technology to play in your life?

An interesting option here could be implementing a right-to-disconnect policy for you and your team. By reducing after-hours communication, you can create better conditions for achieving a much healthier work-life balance. After all, research highlighted by the World Economic Forum shows that right-to-disconnect policies help strengthen employee engagement and reduce burnout.(5)

So why not give it a try yourself?

3. Set clear boundaries

Technology shouldn’t control your schedule, even during working hours! Imagine you’re a self-employed worker. You’re used to checking your messages at all hours of the day, without any limits. Over time, it’s bound to take a toll on your mental load.

Instead of constantly feeling overwhelmed, set specific time slots to check your emails or work-related messages. Outside of those periods, allow yourself to focus on other things. Using tools like “do not disturb” mode can help you regain focus and reduce your stress levels. Sounds like it’s worth a shot, right?

4. Practice mindfulness

Reducing hyperconnectivity also means leaning into mindfulness, that is learning to be more present in your activities. Taking a few minutes each day to refocus, breathe, and mentally disconnect can make a big difference to your well-being. Integrating moments of calm helps you manage technological demands more effectively and reduces the psychosocial risks associated with overstimulation.

By adopting these practices, you can not only reduce your hyperconnectivity but also prevent its harmful effects, such as burnout or anxiety. Take control of your relationship with technology and make sure it helps you be more efficient without compromising your well-being.

Improve your digital practices with Boostalab

At Boostalab, we strongly believe that balancing performance and well-being comes through developing human skills. That’s why our corporate soft skills training is designed to help your teams integrate practices like reducing hyperconnectivity to boost both their productivity and well-being.

Our training on time and priority management offers concrete tools to help better organize your days while encouraging structured breaks that allow you to refocus and move forward more effectively. Contact us to find out how our solutions can help transform your work environment.

References

1. Borle, P., Reichel, K., Niebuhr, F., & Voelter-Mahlknecht, S. (2021). How are techno-stressors associated with mental health and work outcomes? A systematic review of occupational exposure to information and communication technologies within the technostress model. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(16), 8673.

2. Becker, D., Kaltenegger, H., & Dragano, N. (2023). Associations of technostressors at work with burnout symptoms and chronic low-grade inflammation: A cross-sectional analysis in hospital employees. International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, 97(1), 57–68.

3. Foroughi, C. K. (2016, May 31). Even small distractions derail productivity. Association for Psychological Science.

4. Mark, G., Gudith, D., & Klocke, U. (2008). The cost of interrupted work: More speed and stress. In CHI 2008 Conference Proceedings. University of California, Irvine.

5. World Economic Forum. (2022, January 17). The right to disconnect: What employers can learn from new laws in Europe. World Economic Forum.