Digital exhaustion: Tips and tools for avoiding it

Digital exhaustion, a cognitive and emotional weariness caused by overwhelming technology use, is a growing problem. Constant notifications, messages, and screen switches drain our cognitive energy like a phone battery losing its charge capacity. The increasing number of digital tools we use leads to fragmentation and decision fatigue, exacerbating the problem. Interpreting ambiguous digital communication, lacking nonverbal cues, requires significant mental effort and contributes to exhaustion. Setting boundaries, like turning off notifications during focused activities, can protect our attention and regenerate energy. Furthermore, always being responsive doesn't necessarily translate to better performance or perception by others. The key is to protect the space to regenerate energy. Finally, future AI applications could either further exhaust us or provide some relief by automating and filtering information. It's crucial to understand and manage our digital consumption to reclaim our lives from digital exhaustion.