In this solo episode of the No Days Off podcast, host Brian Gubernick argues that the modern surge in digital device usage—averaging seven hours of daily screen time for Americans, 96 phone checks per day, and over two and a half hours on social media—has tangible negative effects on mental health, sleep, and workplace productivity. He cites research from the American Psychological Association, the National Sleep Foundation, and a University of California, Irvine study on multitasking costs, and highlights alarming screen‑time figures for tweens (5 hrs) and teens (7 hrs). Gubernick then outlines practical digital‑detox tactics: setting clear boundaries (e.g., tech‑free evenings or days), committing to intensive offline periods, and filling the resulting gap with reading, nature, exercise, or hobbies. He shares personal anecdotes about negotiating screen‑time rules with his pre‑teen children and recounts a recent Alaska trip where limited satellite‑phone connectivity dramatically improved his sleep, energy, and overall well‑being. The episode concludes with a call to listeners to implement at least one detox step in their personal, family, or professional routines.
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Thank you for joining me today. It's Brian Gubernick, and welcome to the No Days Off podcast, where we believe that every single day brings a new opportunity to get better. Is it time for you to go to detox? Trying to be funny, but, uh, not really. It may be time for a digital detox. And I'll tell you why that is. And it might sound strange being that I run a podcast and I'm talking about your need for a digital detox. But here's the stats. Okay, here's the stats of what's going on in this digital age. There's all sorts of data that shows that we use technology far more than ever before, especially digital devices. Daily screen time. Daily screen time in 2023. There was a report done in 2023 that found that the average American spend 7 hours a day on digital media, which includes smartphones, computers, tablets. So basically 7 hours a day of screen time. Now, this is a substantial increase from a decade ago, just a decade ago. So 2013, so from 2023 back to 2013, we averaged about 4 to 5 hours of screen time per day, which was predominantly probably television. But so we've gone from 4 or 5 hours to 7 hours in a decade. Smartphone usage. The average American checks their phone 96 times per day. That means roughly every 10 minutes, an American throughout the day checks their phone. You're checking your phone every, every 10 minutes. And as you're listening to this podcast right now, you may be checking your phone at this very moment, multitasking. This is a massive rise from previous years. It goes without saying. Smartphones have just become integrated into our daily life. Social media. As of 2024, there's just under 5 billion active social media users in the world. That number has actually grown by over 13% annually since 2015. So every year since 2015, active social media use has grown in terms of count, in terms of users— grown by at least 13% or more. This is a large portion of the global population that is actually spending a pretty considerable amount of time on Instagram, on TikTok, on Facebook. The average person right now is spending 2 hours and 31 minutes per day on social media alone. Just a few years ago, this number was actually 90 minutes per day. So, we've gone from 90 minutes, so an hour and a half, to 2 hours and 31 minutes per day in about a 3 to 4 year span. Now, there's significant mental health concerns and impact on our well-being. The American Psychological Association says that heavy technology use, especially social media, is linked to increased levels of stress, anxiety, depression, There was a 2021 study from the American Psychological Association that found that 48% of people felt a need to disconnect from digital devices due to tech-related stress. So half of all people say they have to disconnect from digital devices due to tech-related stress. Part of that stress may have to do with sleep, sleep deprivation. There's study upon study that say that blue light from screens can actually impact your melatonin production, which makes it much harder to fall asleep, and this disrupts sleep patterns. As a matter of fact, the National Sleep Foundation stated that 90% of Americans use a digital device within an hour of going to bed. So 9 out of 10 Americans are using a digital device within an hour of going to bed. It's pretty obvious why there may be some sleep deprivation there. Significantly less sleep today than a decade or 2 or 3 ago. Workplace productivity. I mean, digital distraction's a real, real thing. The average worker is spending nearly 4 hours a day on tasks unrelated to their primary job. And that's oftentimes email, that's personal or social media, or just other online distractions. So, there's all sorts of digital distractions with respect to tech. And then there's this multitasking myth that many of you are probably familiar with. The University of California, Irvine did a, did a study that said it takes an average of 23 minutes to refocus after there's some degree of digital interruption. So you go and check Facebook, let's say, or Instagram during your workday, it will take you 23 minutes to recenter and refocus. So, this belief in multitasking, switching between tasks and digital devices is not accurate. As a matter of fact, it lowers productivity. And then lastly, our younger generations. And this one I'm super sensitive around. A 2023 report found that tweens, you know, those kids between ages 8 and 12, are spending 5 hours a day on their screens. And teens, 13 to 18, are spending 7 hours. This is a major, major contrast to previous generations, generations, and it raises concerns about all sorts of things around long-term development, attention span, social skills, mental health. We could go on and on and on. A lot of research there. What can we do about it? Well, it goes without saying that there's probably a number of significant benefits to detaching from technology. Reduce stress and anxiety, greater focus, greater productivity, better sleep quality, more meaningful relationships and conversations, increased creativity. The crazy thing is, is I don't have to tell you all the benefits because you already know. There are just lots of benefits to detaching. How do you go about doing this though? And this is what I want to focus on today. How do you Dive into a digital detox, which to me means, uh, creating a period of time that's intentional around disconnection from digital devices— smartphones, computers, tablets, social media. I would even throw TV in the mix. The goal here again is to reduce stress and improve your mental well-being and just regain focus on the life that exists outside of all this technology and digital world. How do we go about doing this? Number 1, I think we could reduce screen time. We reduce our screen time, limit our exposure to this constant influx of notifications and emails and social media and all of that. We reclaim our focus, we improve our sleep. We gotta start though by setting boundaries, right? So here's what my digital detox may entail. I would be— I would start setting specific periods during which I'm going to avoid using digital devices. If you want to go to the, the, the, the detox, maybe it's a very intensive moment in time, or maybe you're incorporating this into your world. You've got to set some boundaries. So maybe it's, I'm going to stop looking at the screen after 8 PM every night, or every Saturday I am 100% tech-free, or Sunday, or whatever it may be. Or I do not look at any technology until 9:00 AM every day. Start setting some firmer boundaries around how you're gonna manage your tech. Now, a more intensive detox would be going completely offline for a period of time, which may be just a few hours or it may be several days. In order to be successful though with this practice, right, I'm talking about unplugging literally and figuratively, unplugging. In order to be successful, I believe you've got to fill the gap. So during the detox, you've got to figure out, how am I going to fill the time, or what am I going to be doing during the time that was once about me checking social media or checking my email or whatever it may be? So what activities can you be doing? I think it's reading. I think it's spending time in nature. I think it's exercising. I think it's engaging in hobbies. That simply don't involve screens. Some, uh, that I know that have done digital detoxes, they use this newfound time for self-reflection or meditation or just being more present with family and friends. So all sorts of data around why we need to disconnect from technology. We all know the benefits of this. Why am I so heavy on this right now? Couple reasons. Number one, I've got a 12-year-old and an almost 14-year-old. And if there's one point of stress in my house right now, it is the use of technology, specifically the phone. And on the phone, it's the use of social media. And why is there stress around it? Because I am aware of all of these toxic things that come along with overuse of technology. But the kids may disagree with me. So, this comes about in conversation for us. So, we're trying to find a compromise right now. My compromise is some form of digital detox. We haven't defined it yet, but we're working on it as a family. The next reason I'm big on this is because I just had two big trips, one where I was in the middle of Alaska with nothing but a satellite phone. So, I was forced to disconnect. And I had this long endurance event. Where I was also very disconnected for about 3 days. Having been in nature, having been exercising, doing certain things physically, and then having to fill in the blanks with, you know, fill in the downtime with reading or just other activities, including just socializing in person. I got to tell you, my energy level, my mental well-being, everything substantially increased. When I was away in Alaska, for a while on a satellite phone. Just— that was my only connection. It was rarely used. My average night of sleep went from about 6.5 to 7 hours of sleep to almost 9. And I was sleeping in a not the most comfortable environment, you know, sleeping bag, all that. But my sleep in just a week, average sleep time went from about 6.5 to 7 hours to 9. Why? Well, sure, it was elimination of blue light, but it was elimination of all of this nonsense and stimulation that wasn't really moving my world forward. It was just things that I was doing with my phone or TV or whatever it may be. So, in conclusion, I think we could all agree there's an opportunity for us to limit our technology from time to time when we know there's benefits to it. My question for you then is, What steps can you take today, or what can you implement in your routine, your schedule for your business, for you personally, for your family, that creates a bit more distance between technology and your normal outside of technology life, thereby creating all sorts of benefits that may lead to not just better mental condition, better sleep, but deeper relationships. That's all I have for you today in the No Days Off Podcast. Thank you so much for listening. And remember, every single day brings a new opportunity to get better. So let's get after it.
