Nicky Lowe [00:00:07]:

Hi. I’m Nikki Lowe, and welcome to the Wisdom For Working Moms podcast show, where I share insights and interviews that support women To combine their family, work, and life in a more successful and sustainable way. Let me kick things off with a question that’s been on my mind a lot as a working mum. What’s your relationship like with technology? If I’m really honest, it’s probably the worst relationship I have in my life. It’s a love hate relationship. It’s both a blessing and a curse. As a business owner, it allows me the convenience and flexibility of running my business around my family. But, and it’s a big but, Technology often plays the role of the relentless disruptor in my life.

Nicky Lowe [00:00:56]:

It interrupts our precious family moments, distracts us when we’re trying to focus and sometimes leaves us feeling like we’re never really off the clock. From constant email notifications during dinner To the irresistible lure of social media, tech can cast a shadow on our work life balance. And I know, for 1, It’s time to tackle this relationship. And if you feel it’s time for you too, then to help us navigate this I’m joined today by a true expert in the field, Stephanie Henson, the founder of the digital well-being company, Tech Time Out. With a deep understanding of technology and its impact, Stephanie is dedicated to combating digital burnout and promoting digital well-being. She uses her background specializing in web, software, and digital transformation to promote and foster healthy and sustainable approaches to technology use, enhancing collaboration, productivity, and overall health and well-being in organizations across the UK and beyond. Stephanie’s passion lies in creating a positive and balanced relationship Between individuals, organizations, and technology to create thriving work environments, and Stephanie is here to shed light on the impact technology on us as working moms and share valuable insights into how to maintain a healthier relationship with our digital companions. So if you’re ready to tame the digital beasts in your life, come join us for this judgment free conversation.

Nicky Lowe [00:02:33]:

So welcome, Stephanie. Thank you so much for joining me. I can’t wait to dive into this conversation because it feels like a really, really important one.

Stephanie Henson [00:02:40]:

Yeah. Amazing. Thanks for having me.

Nicky Lowe [00:02:42]:

So for those that don’t yet know about you and your work, can you tell us a bit about really your journey and what’s inspired you to create Tech Timeout?

Stephanie Henson [00:02:51]:

Absolutely. So Tech Timeout was born from, me starting to question my relationship It’s Cheah with Technology. So my background is in technology. So, I I cofounded and and still to run a tech Company, we we do, you know, all sorts of digital transformation projects for companies. During the process of building that company, I was breaking all the rules. So all of the things that we’re probably gonna cover today in terms of, you know, really Negative habits that you can fall into very easily, I was doing. So I was checking my emails all hours in the day. I was working 7 day weeks.

Stephanie Henson [00:03:32]:

I was working 15, 16 hour days, sleeping sort of 3 hours a day. I was not taking care of myself very well. I wasn’t eating well. I wasn’t exercising very much. I was constantly stressed. I was constantly distracted, and I was constantly trying to trying to figure out the world of entrepreneurship and and what’s it look like in clients and deadlines and Finances and all of the things that you need to learn when you’re wearing lots of hats in a small organization. And, unfortunately, it led to me burning out. And I I woke up one day, and I couldn’t get out of bed.

Stephanie Henson [00:04:02]:

And I just couldn’t. I just I just couldn’t I couldn’t think. I I was looking at my emails, and I didn’t know how to respond to them. And and I just went through this period of, a challenge where I was just going, okay, how do I and my default was to just keep going, right? Just just kind of sit spend a bit longer on the email, spend a bit longer. And and eventually, I just had to stop because I just couldn’t. And it was during my recovery when I really started to question how I was using technology. So I was using all this text to try and help and support the business in me, but, actually, it was completely ruling my life. And the kind of tipping point is I remember Having, lunch with my sister and my 3 year old niece, grabbed my iPhone, and she she could take selfies.

Stephanie Henson [00:04:47]:

And I was, like, wow. I didn’t have a smartphone, you know, until I was about 18 or 19. Whereas now, a 3 year old knows how to take a selfie. And, that really shocked me, and I thought, wow. Okay. There’s a there’s something here. And then then I thought around the, you know, the need for tech time out. The name was born.

Stephanie Henson [00:05:05]:

I bought the domain. And, yeah, fast forward a couple of years and that you know, now we’re, we’re working with organizations all over the world, mainly in the UK, but we are now branching out overseas, and we’re, really trying to balance and support people. Workplaces, families in, you know, universities in the education system to really think and question the relationship with technology and how they can use it in a very intentional way that is positive for their well-being instead of potentially, negative.

Nicky Lowe [00:05:40]:

And I think the world has never needed what you’re offering with Tech Timeout more. So thank you for kind of coming up with the idea. And I’m sorry you had that that led to it as somebody that’s a fellow burnout survivor. I know how painful that experience can be. So but How do you use that then to to really help others and help the world to not get to that place?

Stephanie Henson [00:06:02]:

Yeah. Yeah. It’s it’s I think it’s a journey. I think sometimes you do have to you know, it it takes that experience sometimes to give you the the realization. You know, when things aren’t that bad, you just sort of, just deal with it. But, actually, I think when you start questioning some of these topics and being self reflective, which we’re not very good at because There’s always something to do nowadays. You don’t get much undisrupted time to just sit and think. You know, boredom isn’t really a thing, you know, because we we just grab our phones.

Stephanie Henson [00:06:32]:

So, it is only when you start to do some of these tough asking yourself some of these tough questions, that you really do start to, unpick and uncover kind of what works for you as as an individual. And there’s no right or wrong, you know. I’m very, very conscious that what works for someone definitely does not work for someone else, and that’s fine. You know? Everyone’s everyone’s unique in the in the in the way that they do things and in their relationship with technology. Some people, needs. Some people are really high screen users, but have a better digital well-being than someone who never uses it, but they use use it, and it and it controls the way, and it doesn’t make them feel good. So It’s all very individual.

Nicky Lowe [00:07:12]:

So that’s really useful to kind of understand the journey you’ve been on, and I can now understand why you’re so passionate about this? And I’m just wondering if we set the context of this, what do you think are some of the most common challenges that Happening in today’s digital world, and I suppose particularly for my audience who are working moms.

Stephanie Henson [00:07:31]:

So I think that The the balance between work and life is now very blurred. Mhmm. So where you used to, you know, have the commute, and have the childcare issues, you know, with with the with the balancing of now you’ve got Flex well, hopefully, some working mothers have this more flexible environment where they can do the school run, And they have the flexibility to log on a bit after if they need to, you know, do a couple of things or whatever it might be. But what this can Create without very careful boundary is just you’re always on. Right? You’re never switching off because you’re first thing in the morning, You’ve gotta sort the kids and get them to school. And then and then you’re at work, and you’ve got your work loads that still a lot of women. I know it’s not everyone, but a lot of women still carry that in terms of some of the the other things that happen. You know, all the life Admin stuff, all the house stuff, that that that kind of goes on.

Stephanie Henson [00:08:35]:

And then and then you’re coming home, and then you still you still got work on your mind, and you’ve not got that sort of switch off. So I think the work life and always on, Bassil is even more prominent, I think, with working mothers. And, you know, the the job demands that you might that you may have to progress in your career, you may feel, that guilt of where should you be spending your time and your energy. I think I think one of the big things that that we see a lot and I see a lot is the guilt of taking self care. So the import like, Self care is so important to take that time for ourselves to reset and to recharge ourselves in whatever way that that works, that works for us as individuals. But when you’ve got all of these responsibilities, you can sometimes feel a bit guilty for going and, you know, needing to Go and have a massage or or go for a walk or go and have a coffee with a friend and and actually leave all of that, you know, big to do list, At home. And so I think, generally, people don’t, and they that that’s the first thing to go, I think, when we’re very busy. Oh, well, I’ll I’ll just go for that later, or I’ll just skip it this week, and I just I’ll do it next week instead.

Stephanie Henson [00:09:46]:

And and that’s a bit of a slippery slope, I think, when you when you stop That, you know, prioritizing. But it’s difficult because you have got all of this stuff, so you it’s not gonna go away. Often, I know a lot of, a lot of us think, well, no one else is gonna do it. You know? If I don’t do it, well, it’s just gonna sit there and it’s just gonna come back. It’s the same, You know, when you go on holiday and you come back to a barrage of emails, so you just keep an eye on your emails when you’re on holiday and you never switch off. It’s it’s all of these same battles that we’ve got where tech is now everywhere and connectivity is now everywhere. So and where where’s the off button? You know? I think I think those are the key key areas, but what it can lead to is tech overuse where, you know, we’re using tech for our personal life. We’re using it for our work life.

Stephanie Henson [00:10:37]:

And that the impacts of those are not always very easy to identify in terms of, oh, yeah. I’m feeling very tired today or my mood’s a bit low. We don’t always necessarily quickly associate that with the fact that you were scrolling until 1 AM last night or the fact that you’ve you’ve not actually done anything for yourself in the last 3 weeks because You’ve been so busy, you know, wearing all these hats and juggling everything. And so I think that’s that’s one of the the issues, another kind of key issue that people have.

Nicky Lowe [00:11:06]:

And, and I think everything you’ve said is so relatable. I know I’m sitting kind of here nodding away and I’m sure other people listening are too. And I think it’s important to say, and you’re really, really clear on this that you’re not here to judge somebody’s kind of digital use. And I know I wouldn’t be able to be a working mom without the support of technology both for me and my kids. But I am trying to find a better balance with it because that balance between technology work and family. So I’m just wondering if you can share from your experience and from the data, what are some of the impact of family dynamics and our relationships with excessive screen time.

Stephanie Henson [00:11:49]:

Yeah. And like you say, it’s not, we all we all do this. Right? We we there are all times Where we just need some time and we give them an iPad Hello. Yeah. Because they just need that time. Or you’re just like, yeah. Just go and watch TV. I just need to cook dinner, or just do just just do that.

Stephanie Henson [00:12:07]:

Right? So we all do it, and it’s a great tool, right, for you when you need those moments. It’s absolutely there.

Nicky Lowe [00:12:13]:

Well, it’s interesting. I was talking to a psychologist the other week on this podcast and she said, and it was so beautiful for her saying, you know what? She’s a single mum with 3 kids and she works full time. And she says, I use free time as a babysitter. It stops children’s squabbling, and it keeps them occupied while I need to do work. And just hearing her say that, my nervous system went, oh, so even she does it. You know? And it’s just normalizing it’s part of our lives now.

Stephanie Henson [00:12:38]:

Exactly. And it is. And there is there is, you know, the argument, you know, for the fact that they they are gonna need to know how to use tech. You know, tech’s everywhere. It’s not It’s not something you can shy away from or or, you know, not not let them have. You know? That they need to know how to use how to use these these tech these pieces of tech, and there’s lots of great things that can, you know, that Tech For Good, so many amazing applications and educational videos and and and and and learning and and Playful videos on YouTube and all of these amazing things that are on there. So just yeah. Absolutely, definitely, there’s lots of uses for good For tech with with families, especially for working moms who are juggling lots of things, 100%.

Stephanie Henson [00:13:17]:

Some of the challenges, that this this can cause is around that, reduced quality time, you know, that and and replacing screen time with, You know, historical maybe bonding activities. So instead of, you know, having, you know, a family dinner where everyone’s at the dinner table together, and eating and and having that kind of community time at the end of, you know, at at you know, in the evening, you know, that that Being replaced with screen time at the dinner table every day can reduce that time that people may have historically had more bonding and and time together. One of the areas that I think is quite common is we’re we’re all very familiar with the, you know, the stroppy teenager stereotype who’s on their Phone all their all the time, and, you know, they don’t answer because they’re so, like, in their phone. But how many times can we actually Hold their hand up and say, I actually do that too, you know, as an adult, and and that modeling behavior where if if the parent is on the phone all the time, that’s modeling behavior for for children. And if your boundaries with your tech, are maybe blurring a little bit, then that could also be the case, for your family and for your children. And so that that could be an area, of concern, or or it could be something that you feel, it’s balanced with with what you’re looking for. So like I said earlier, there’s no there’s no right or wrong, but there are definitely, impacts too too over, you know, excessive use of tech, in the family, and and a lot of the stats that are coming out is this There’s a it’s still very early, right, in terms of, you know, the the screen time against kind of mental and physical health. But there is a lot of of case studies now coming out and lots of research from various different universities, showcasing very, very scary stats in terms of increased screen time for young people and development of anxiety, depression, and other mental health, issues.

Stephanie Henson [00:15:18]:

So with all of these things in mind, it’s, you know, like I said, it’s no right or wrong, but there might be ways that we could all, you know, be a bit more conscious of our use of tech and be thinking about the impact that that does have on others, and It’s the same in the workplace. So if your boss is always emailing you at 2 AM, so every day, you’re, like, waking up to barrage of emails, What impact does that have? And it’s exactly the same at home. You know, if everyone’s always on their phones, that that kind of you know, you’re trying to have a conversation maybe with your partner or or or, you know, a a child, and they’re they’re just ignoring you because they’re so, you know, they’re so on their phone. They’re not really in the conversation. They’re just sort of they’re they’re just sort of there, but they’re not actually paying that much attention. And then that then can cause, you know, frustration with the person that’s trying to maybe convey something important. And so we get these kind of communication breakdowns, Which we know can be quite disruptive to a to a family dynamic that that could be resolved if everyone just go, right, text him out. Let’s have a quick chat.

Stephanie Henson [00:16:24]:

You can go on your phone in a minute. You know you know that. But Let’s just have a meaningful, you know, dinner time or or a meaningful conversation about our day or or whatever whatever that might be. I don’t know if everyone else has seen, but the The the kind of graphic of of parents in beds, and they’re both, like, lying away from each other looking at their phones. You know, and you kind of think, god, how how common is that now for for for lots of couples where they are in beds and they’re not communicating with each other. They’re not talking. They’re literally just scrolling through, You know, various different social feeds. So I think all of these things play play a part.

Stephanie Henson [00:16:57]:

And just the final the final impact is sleep. So the stats on the importance of sleep, I don’t think we need to go through. You know, I think we all know that sleep is really important. If you’re having a bad day, and you’ve not slept well the night before, it’s 10 times worse than it would have been if you had a decent night’s sleep. So I think I think if we’re logging on after the kids have gone to bed every night and we’re not then having some decent, You know, separation, if we’re going from from from screen to to lots of jobs, you know, cooking dinner to then back on the screen to then maybe watching a bit of TV before bed, before a quick Roald to see if you’ve just missed an email. You know, the these kind of habits, that’s naturally gonna have a a huge impact on your sleep. And it’s it’s one of these things that you you don’t really realize until you might maybe start to change some of these behaviors and then notice that you’re not feeling as tired Or you’re you’re you’re thinking a bit more clearly, the next day. So, yeah, overall well-being is, Yeah.

Stephanie Henson [00:17:58]:

Sleep is always a good place to start.

Nicky Lowe [00:18:00]:

And I think what you’ve said again is so relatable. And I’ve heard you kind of say a couple of times that there’s almost like this creep that You you don’t necessarily notice it until you change these behaviors. So what might be some of those warning signs? You’ve alluded to some of them already, But what might be some of the warning signs that we’re struggling with technology related stress or addiction?

Stephanie Henson [00:18:22]:

So I think if you, a a good kind of place to start is the okay. Think about the things that you’ve kind of not got to yet. You know, those things on your list that you never seem to be able to get to. And then think about how much time they might take too, and then just go and have a little look at your screen time. I think it’s always a good starting point. So on and both Apple and Android have got, like, screen time checks. If you haven’t enabled the functionality, that’s a really good thing to do. And then if you go and check that and you actually see that you’re spending, I don’t know, 44 or 2 hours or 3 hours or whatever it might be, a day, in addition to the time that you’re spending on a screen if you’re, you know, working on a laptop, And then you it’s it’s not yourself will know if you’re comfortable with that.

Stephanie Henson [00:19:11]:

So you might look at it and go, oh, yeah. It’s not right. I I needed to do all that stuff. There’s there’s nothing There’s nothing I could change there. But if you can see that, actually, there’s, 2 hours a day on some social channel, and you’re feeling overwhelmed, and you’re feeling like You’re not quite getting through with to do lists and you’re feeling a bit you know, you’re not feeling great, then that could be a good place to just Experiment with trying to proactively reduce that time. There’s nothing to cut it out completely. We all love a good doomscroll. You know, we all need we all we all like to go and have a look at what’s going on and, and be updated with friends and family and what’s happening.

Stephanie Henson [00:19:47]:

But One of my key tips to managing that is to time block it. So you go, right, I’m gonna spend the next 20 minutes, and we’re gonna just sit here with a cup of tea. I just wanted I just wanna just not think about anything. I just wanna sit and scroll for 20 minutes. That’s fine. There’s no there’s an action. Go for it. We all do it.

Stephanie Henson [00:20:06]:

We all need to you know, we all we all do that. But maybe just controlling it so it’s a bit more mindful that you’re gonna spend 20 minutes doing it. Because we how easy is it to go, Oh, I’ll just check this. And then you end up on your phone. You’re like, I don’t even know how how I ended up on this app. The way you do that,

Nicky Lowe [00:20:21]:

because I think that’s so important because you once you start scrolling, I mean, these devices are designed to keep you in them, aren’t they? So you lose track of time. Do you set a timer? Like, do you have like Habits or strategies that you implement that that help control that?

Stephanie Henson [00:20:38]:

Yeah. So I have, in In the device sort of built in, you can set timers on, how much time you wanna spend on different apps on a daily basis. So so I have an hour a day on social, for example, but, obviously, LinkedIn gets included in social, Which, again, it’s social, but it’s also work. So then you get into this balance where, well, it’s kind of work. Well, whoo, is it? You actually you know? So, but yeah. So I have an app. For me, personally, I have our day. And then once I get close to that, it gives me a warning.

Stephanie Henson [00:21:10]:

And once I’m over it, it kind of says, you’ve you’ve reached your limit. And you can override it, but it’s a good reminder to say, alright. You know, I’ve spent quite a lot of time on this today. And then it will kind of continue to pop up. So that’s a really good Tip is to just think about what you’re comfortable with. Like, review where you’re currently at. If you’re comfortable with that, then great. If you’re not and you’re thinking, actually, Maybe maybe I could actively try and spend a bit less time on on Facebook or on Instagram or whatever your, preferred social, choices.

Stephanie Henson [00:21:40]:

So it might even not be a social channel. Lots of people, WhatsApp. Let’s just talk about WhatsApp for a minute. WhatsApp is Brilliant. And everyone uses it, and it’s great. But if you end up in a few group chats, it could be, you know, lots of, lots of moms have group chats, don’t they, with, you know, different, schools or clubs or or bits and pieces. How many notifications do these chats produce? And one of my key tips is mute everything. Just put them on mute and take control back of when you check your messages Because now we’re we’re in a time where communication is so easy, but there’s also so many different means of communication.

Stephanie Henson [00:22:22]:

So, you know, you can text. You can email. You can WhatsApp. You can send messages on all of the various different social media channels. You can actually phone. You know, there’s all these different you can video video chat, all the all of these different ways. But what it What it means is that every time that someone wants to get hold of you, they’ve got instant access to you because they’re gonna ping you, your phone’s gonna ping, You’re gonna look at it. It’s gonna distract you from what you’re trying to do.

Stephanie Henson [00:22:49]:

On average, it takes 23 minutes to get back on track once you’ve been distracted. So You’re you’re you’re right in the middle of something. Someone pings you about, oh, should we meet at 9 o’clock on Saturday? Completely, you know, That does not need an immediate answer, does it? You know, it can wait. So that can that can wait until a bit later when you’ve blocked out some time to go and check your messages. So That’s another thing that I do is I I turn off my notifications for WhatsApp, so I don’t actually see the notifications come through, And then I just go and check it. So periodically throughout the day, I’ll just go and have a look, see if there’s anything there that I need to check. Usually, I use that dead time. You know, in between meetings when you’re you’re, like, 5 minutes before the meeting.

Stephanie Henson [00:23:29]:

Can’t really do anything because you you can’t really get into anything. If you start something, I’m gonna get lost and miss. I’m gonna be late to the meeting. But, yeah, that that sort of time where you can’t really do anything else, that’s a great time to check messages.

Nicky Lowe [00:23:42]:

I’m the same actually with WhatsApp, and it’s it surprises me how People still have their notifications on because literally, you know, the amount of notifications that you could ping in you in a day, is really important. But it’s interesting, As you were talking, I used to have screen time limit sets, and I don’t know why. I don’t know if I’ve got a new phone and I don’t know, But it’s just reminded me I no longer have that. I used to like use social media. So if people haven’t found this, it’s basically in your settings function, isn’t it? And I use an Apple. So if you go into settings, there’s a screen time function and you can, as you say, set it for different, whether it be socials, entertainment, whatever the different functionalities, you can set your boundaries, which as working moms, we know the importance of boundaries. We talk about it all the time. But bringing that into The tech piece, I think, is so important.

Nicky Lowe [00:24:33]:

So what you’re doing, I just absolutely love. So What other tips or strategies would you recommend alongside that? Are there any other apps or habits or things that either you or you recommend your your clients and organizations use?

Stephanie Henson [00:24:51]:

Yeah. So key key ones is around introducing a tech free zone or or tech free zone tech free time. So thinking about, you know, you can get a box. You know? It doesn’t need to be anything fancy. We we do we do have text boxes on the website, but you can use anything. You know, you could use a cardboard box. You could use a a LEGO box. You know, it doesn’t really matter what it and and something where you have that, like, the mindful, okay, let’s just connect and let’s go and do something without our phones.

Stephanie Henson [00:25:20]:

Let’s Let’s just not touch them for a bit and and go and do something else. It doesn’t need to be for long. It could just be for 20 minutes, you know, just to have that regular disconnect that That actually you you forget how if you go and do something like you’re out hiking or out walking or for me, it’s all very like, know, when I’m hiking, I’m really I feel very zen. You know? I’m like, suddenly, my mind’s clear. I can think through the challenges of things that I’ve got. I’m resolving, like, things. I’m I’m feeling you know, all all of that kind of mental reorganization. For me, that that that works.

Stephanie Henson [00:25:56]:

If I’m in the middle of the day, I’ve got my phone going. I’ve got meetings. I’ve got screens going. I’ve got lots of stuff that I’m doing. There’s no way that that’s gonna be the best time for me to achieve Any, like, really think really good thinking or really good collaboration with other people. So I think having that defined tech zone I think this is

Nicky Lowe [00:26:16]:

so important because one as you were talking again, Stephanie, what I was thinking is, we’ve recently got dogs again. We used to have dogs. They got older. We unfortunately lost them. And I’ve been waiting until my youngest was old enough for us to introduce puppies back into the family. And so I love going out for walk. We live on a farm, but what I found is I get my phone out to take a picture or a video they’re so cute. And then I start scrolling as I’m walking and I’m like, oh my God, what are you doing? Like it’s creeping into this like almost sacred time.

Nicky Lowe [00:26:46]:

And unless I’m really, really conscious and mindful of it, it’s it’s almost seeping into to that.

Stephanie Henson [00:26:52]:

Yeah. Yeah. We have, We have text and app pouches that you put your phone in. Mhmm. Now and, again, you don’t need to be, you know, we they’re on the website. You don’t need to buy them. You can just use a sock. Right? So Just just just use something that that creates a bit of a barrier to your phone because when you go to pick it up, You have to think about why you’re picking up, what for, what do you need to check, what do you Have something that you need to see now.

Stephanie Henson [00:27:20]:

I use my phone as, you know, I’ve got notes. I’ve got a widget on my phone. That’s my notes widget. So I go, again, I need to write that note. I write that note. Like, oh, I’ll just check my messages, and, oh, I’ll just check my email. Like, I find my you know, I’m I’m literally at my laptop, but I’m using my phone to check emails. What are we doing? And it’s it’s just a habit of, like, how, like, how used we are to to using these devices for these different, activities.

Stephanie Henson [00:27:46]:

So I think, having some sort of physical barrier in between. So mind over tech have a have a challenge where they just say to, put a post it note on your screen. So it just stops, you know, it stops all the attractions, all of the different applications and notifications that might be on there. And, yeah, and then the other, sort of key tips are so charging your phone on the other side of the room or So having it away from you. So, you know, you can still use it as an alarm clock or go and buy an alarm clock, which is one of those things, that I always sort of say, like, we can just buy a physical alarm clock or use an Alexa or something, that doesn’t need to be your phone, so it’s not next to you. And I think we can try and get some Some tech free time, before you go to sleep and before you wake up. I know it’s not always easy. And you’re not always gonna do it.

Stephanie Henson [00:28:41]:

Right? But don’t beat yourself up if you don’t. But just As a as a, you know, something that we strive to do, I think I think that’s a really good a good habit to try and build in. I think the other I think the other thing is recognizing that that sort of balance between using technology, actually having some time with other people. So, you know, as working moms, there there can be some of these feelings of isolation if you’re by yourself even though you’re you’ve got tech, and and tech is supposed to have made us closer to everyone. It can it can actually have the opposite effects. It makes us all feel quite isolated. So really looking at that at your schedule and and making sure that you’re finding time for connect real connectivity with other people so that you can, you know, discuss your issues. You can Just have a chat.

Stephanie Henson [00:29:29]:

You can go and have a laugh. You know, how much is a laugh? Just make us feel better when we’re having a giggle about something. So so just really, really making time and and and trying to find that time for yourself. And it’s not always easy, but it’s gonna be better to take it away from the time that you’re spending, you know, deep scrolling than it is To take it away, that, you know, that might be an easier way to to take an easier place to take it from, because, obviously, lots of hats that we’re that we’re that we’re juggling. And the and the final the final piece I’d say is around, maintaining that boundary, but first, deciding what that boundary looks like for you. So are you currently happy with the way in which you’re using technology? And the and a way to think about this is if If I were to ask you what your relationship is with technology in one word, what would your answer be?

Nicky Lowe [00:30:24]:

Mine would be bad at the moment. Hence, why I wanted to have this conversation. Yeah. Yeah. It’s like it’s a love hate relationship. It’s like, I love That you give me freedom and flexibility, but I hate how you’ve crept into every part of my life.

Stephanie Henson [00:30:38]:

Yeah. Yeah. And that and and I think once you’ve answered that, You can start thinking about, okay, so what changes can I make? Like, can I, like you say, set set the app limits back up on my phone, Move it away? You know, set up a tech free zone and and set up some time in the diary where you’re you’re doing activities that don’t involve Technology. You know, do you need for me, you know, when when I’m at work, I don’t get my best ideas when I’m in front of a screen. I need a notepad and a garden. You know? Yeah. I need to go outside and just brain you know, get get get my ideas down and then come back to the screen and and get them written up. And So that that again, but that that’s just me.

Stephanie Henson [00:31:17]:

Other people will have different ways and different constraints of what they what they can and can’t do. But, you know, there is definitely a reason why people have the best ideas in the shower. Right? Yeah. The time being used to be. Yeah. You’re not being consistently distracted and interrupted. And, yeah, Having that, like, creating this space and holding this space for yourself that doesn’t involve all of the things that other people want you to do so you can actually do the stuff that you wanna do, would generally just make us feel a bit more in control.

Nicky Lowe [00:31:47]:

So so agree with that. Like, Yeah. Couldn’t agree with it more. And that leads me really nicely onto, actually, this campaign that you’ve got coming up. Could you tell us about tech time out Tuesday, please? And, Yeah.

Stephanie Henson [00:32:00]:

How are you doing, Balan? So we have TechnoTuesday is the Tuesday after Black Friday and Cyber Monday. So it’s at the end of November, on the 28th November. And the aim of the campaign is to really raise awareness, of digital well-being and the importance of of being conscious of the way in which we’re using our technology. So We’re in partnership this year with Mental Health First Aid England. We’re all very, very conscious, of the impact that tech is having on our mental Health. And so we’re very, very pleased to be in partner with them this year. We’re launching sorry. We’ve already launched, so you can sign up On the website, it’s completely free to sign up.

Stephanie Henson [00:32:43]:

And the idea of the day is to take some time away from your technology. It doesn’t need to be all day. It could be, 30 minutes, it could be an hour. It could be half a day depending on on what you want to do. There’s various different activities that you can do. We’ve got a few ideas, In the resource pack that you can download from the website, or you can, you know, do do whatever you want to do yourself like meeting up with friends or Or going and doing an activity with colleagues or whatever it might be, going and doing something as a family, that doesn’t involve technology. So that yeah. The aim of the day is to really just raise awareness to this issue and and to get us all thinking a little bit around what is our relationship with technology, and are we happy with it? And and that’s a good start in terms of just just having that disconnect and seeing how you feel.

Stephanie Henson [00:33:28]:

A lot of people when they disconnect, it can actually create a bit of anxiety, around the missing out and not being able to see. So that’s a bit of a journey in itself. So this is something that we We really want to get out there and and help as many people as possible to improve their relationship with technology, to, you know, improve their mental well-being, their physical well-being, social and emotional and just all around just making people feel more in control. And again, a really, really important and challenging topic for working moms who have just got all of the things. They’re in all of the hats. So I’d really, you know, I’d really encourage people to take part because it can be a really nice way to start this

Nicky Lowe [00:34:11]:

Well, me and my team have signed up to it and we’ve all committed that on that day, we are going to be taking time outs and we’re going to be joining you for that campaign. And I think, yeah, it’s a really, really important particular when you’re doing it, as you say, after Black Friday and all of that when people are Hi. Probably gonna be even more on technology. I think really Yeah. Marketing and timing. We’ve covered so much, and I know people are gonna wanna find out more about you, your Hi, organization on your work. Could you share with us where’s best to kind of find and follow you? And I’ll put all the notes in the in the links in the show notes.

Stephanie Henson [00:34:46]:

Absolutely. Yeah. So, you can head to our website, which is tech time out dot co dot u k. You can also find us on the social media channels. So on Instagram, it’s techtime_out, and we’re on LinkedIn as well, depending on the platform that you like. We’re definitely not on TikTok. We don’t use that that channel very much. It just it just doesn’t work.

Stephanie Henson [00:35:07]:

It I just disagree with it fully. It’s so addictive. And I had to uninstall it myself because I just found it just so addictive. So, yeah, that one’s that one’s gone. But, yeah, you can definitely find us on on the website. And there’s all sorts of resources, on there, for you to check us out.

Nicky Lowe [00:35:24]:

Yeah. There are amazing free resources. So thank you for everything you’re doing, Stephanie, and for the work You’re putting that into the world because, you know, it’s a great reminder for us all, but also it’s kind of Helping undo the behaviors and the culture which is so needed. So thank you.

Stephanie Henson [00:35:42]:

Thanks so much for the invite. It’s been lovely speaking to you today.

Nicky Lowe [00:35:47]:

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