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“I was one of the first people who had a mobile phone and iPad for work. I enjoyed the luxury of being able to follow up on emails from home and get updates about ongoing projects instantly; but after a while, the borders between ‘work’ and being ‘off’ began to vanish and I started to have issues with sleep and relationships as I spent too much time online. I have a specific memory of coming home from working on development projects in India and being so happy to see my mum, who I hadn’t seen for a year, and at the same time feeling a pull to check my Facebook notifications. That was one of the many signs that tech was starting to control my behaviour. UnPlug focuses on creating ‘sustainable’ change in the way people use tech and emphasising that tech is not necessarily the issue; instead, we make people aware of the way we use it and help them create a more mindful relationship with it. We have an obsession with being busy; always ON and yet we really flourish when we have a balance between ON and OFF. The culture of always being ON means that often downtime and rest are seen as a weakness when in fact, it’s the opposite. Some of the most successful business leaders including Jeff Weiner and Bill Gates put their success down to having rest time. Having downtime, even as small as 15 min, is like refuelling. Getting good quality rest means your performance will improve. For me personally, another benefit of spending less time online is using that time more effectively. Now I spend two nights a week having tea and chats with older local neighbours. Honestly, they are some of the funniest and most interesting people I know!”
Chris Flack – CEO & Founder at UnPlug.ie