The PC has become the main way to work remotely, socialise and spend free time in 2020, but excessive screen time can have many negative effects
With the world turned upside down in 2020, many of us have become reliant on technology more than ever. PCs and laptops were already a crucial tool in everyday life, but in the last few months their value has been emphasised even further. You may be one of the millions who’s been working from home, while for most people it’s been the main way to stay in touch with friends and family. That’s not forgetting online retail, which has seen significant growth as many non-essential shops were forced to close. Technology was already one of the main ways people spent their downtime, and more than 25% of participants in a recent Microsoft Windows study saying they found it more difficult to destress and unwind. With all that in mind, here are some tips to help you get your PC or laptop usage under control and avoid it having a negative effect on your wellbeing. This article will focus primarily on Windows devices, but many of the tips can also be applied to macOS. There’s evidence that working for shorter periods and taking breaks can boost productivity. An experiment reported by Fast Company suggested 52 minutes of work and then a 17-minute break was optimal for productivity, although the Pomodoro Technique is a more popular alternative. This breaks the working day up into 25 minute chunks, after which you can take a short break (usually five minutes). After four ‘Pomodoros’, you then take a longer break. There are plenty of great apps for this on the Microsoft Store, although PomoDoneApp’s integration with many other productivity services makes it our top pick. It’s also important to reduce distractions, so for that we’d recommend using Focus Assist, available via Windows 10’s quick settings menu.
