8 Healthy Digital Habits For Small Business Owners

For many business owners, incorporating healthy digital habits into their daily routine is very crucial as it can improve their productivity and help them run their business effectively.

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Practicing daily digital habits for a week can boost productivity, improve time management, reduce stress, enhance sleep quality, promote digital well-being, increase awareness of usage patterns, sharpen focus, and strengthen relationships.

So what do we mean by healthy digital habits? It is anything that you do regularly with technology that doesn’t make you unproductive and is beneficial to your personal and professional growth.

And in case you are wondering what these healthy digital habits for small business owners are, just keep reading!

What are digital habits?

Asking nearly 200 entrepreneurs from different fields, we have compiled a list of the top 8 healthy digital habits examples for small business owners that can contribute to your success.

1. Turn off your notification

Receiving tons of notifications can affect your productivity as they are designed to get your attention. If you are working on something very urgent and important and you get distracted by it, your focus is going to drift and decline. According to themuse, it takes 23 minutes to refocus yourself after you get distracted, which means notifications can destroy your productivity. 

Dexter Grima, Founder, and CEO of VitaBright sticks to this habit to focus more on important things that needs to be done.

“This is to be productive as a business owner. For instance, in a day, in order to focus on what is important and needs to be done, I need to turn off all the notifications on my mobile devices, especially from social media to avoid distractions. I often do this every morning.”

2. Leave your phone alone in the morning and at bedtime

One of the healthiest digital habits for small business owners is to avoid checking the phone after waking up and before going to bed. This can help you relax and get the rest that you need—sticking to this habit can make the brain work better. 

Karl Hughes, Founder of Draft.dev recommends this digital habit to help everyone kickstart their day well.

“A healthy digital practice for small business owners is to stop using digital devices thirty minutes before bed and after waking up.* This gives the mind some time to decompress with the added input of your devices. Try avoiding emails and messages right when you wake up, so that you can start your day off without stress.”

3. Use the right apps and tools

Using the right tool can help you carry out and complete tasks efficiently. With the right apps and tools, you can streamline your productivity, requiring less time and effort. 

For example, organizing your files in appropriate folders can greatly enhance your productivity and make your life easier. It facilitates file retrieval, reduces clutter, enhances searchability, aids collaboration, prevents duplication, and improves backup and recovery. So, don’t let your digital files become a mess. Start organizing them today and enjoy the benefits!

Krista Haws, owner of Dripped Coffee shared the importance of using the right apps and tools for entrepreneurs.

“Use the right apps and tools to optimize your entrepreneurial journey and increase productivity. Business tools for functions like team communication and project management save entrepreneurs time and effort, and even optimize results.”

4. Limit social media use

The use of social media at work is known to hamper workplace productivity. Spending too much time on social media platforms can affect the completion of tasks and can result in missing deadlines. 

The CEO of Improovy, Andre Kazimierski shared how he limits himself in using social media.

“One way I prioritize productivity online is by limiting my social media access throughout the day. I know myself well enough to be aware that if I watch one Tik-Tok during lunch, I won’t look up from my phone until dinner time. Instead, I’ve been practicing self-control by restricting my consumption of social media during work hours. This is easier said than done, and it does require practice, but once you’re able to do it you’ll be surprised at how your productivity improves.“

5. Make time to unplug

It is true that digital business owners make our lives easier in so many ways, but as the old saying goes, “everything in moderation.” Too much screen time can negatively impact our overall health, causing stress, inactivity, and so much more. Unplugging is also one of the healthiest digital habits for business owners, as this allows us to take a break from everything and recharge ourselves.

Lisa Odenweller, founder and CEO of Kroma Wellness pinpoints how unplugging can benefit business owners.

“As a business owner, and really anyone who works in a digital environment, you have to rely on yourself to unplug and find balance. No one else will do it for you. Being self-sufficient is hard, but it’s so worth the effort. When you’re able to manage yourself — and more importantly, your self-care — you’ll find a lot more balance to improve your productivity and your life. It’s really important that you take time to reward yourself with breaks for mindfulness, movement, time outside, and connecting with people offline. Try a regular old phone call while walking, for example. It’s really hard to force yourself away from screens, but these small things are so crucial to our well-being.”

6. Set and follow your schedule

Time management is very important! Setting a schedule when to check emails, social media, and any other forms of digital tasks that require a large amount of time can help you achieve more. 

Patrick Crane, SEO of Love Sew shared how following a schedule helps him to be productive.

“When it comes to emails, I use time blocking to make sure that I only check and respond to my emails during the designated time that I set for this activity on my schedule. I also have a set time each day for going through my social media, and this allows me to focus on important tasks without constantly checking my social media feed because I know I’ll have enough time at the end of the day to engage in social media activities.”

7. Backing up data

Data is the most important asset in every business.  According to Cybercrime Magazine, 60 percent of small businesses close within 6 months after data loss. That is why having a regular backup can help you ensure data security and business continuity. 

The COO of Workpuls and founder of Humanity.com Ryan Fyfe shared some tips about backing up data.

“Secure and back up data and device activity, such as through encrypted cloud backup services, passwords, software management, and app deletion rules—limit what you save on your device when feasible.”

8. Asking for digital help

Seeking digital help can help you save time to focus more on yourself and your business. Instead of spending too much time managing your emails, checking social media, and any other related things, why not hire digital help? By doing so, you’ll also be able to achieve a work-and-play balanced lifestyle.

Filtering your email subscriptions can help declutter your inbox, save time, stay organized, prevent overwhelm, and boost productivity. Scheduling dedicated email time reduces interruptions, optimizes time management, and promotes work-life balance. Give it a try!

Oliver Feakins, the President and CEO of Trusted Search Marketing, shared how seeking digital help can improve a small business owner’s productivity.

“It allows small business owners to focus their time on more important areas for the business, while also still allowing them to provide great content to their audience.”

Takeaways

In this era where technology is part of our lives, maintaining healthy digital habits is a must especially if you are a business owner who is aiming for business growth. Although some of the healthy digital habits for small business owners mentioned above may not seem easy to develop, bear in mind that by sticking to these habits, you will be able to save yourself and your business from being unproductive and inefficient.