Digital habits that rob attention and energy — and how to combat them

NPR journalist Manoush Zomorodi and her latest book, Body Electric: The Hidden Health Costs of the Digital Age and New Science to Reclaim Your Well-Being. Flatiron Books/Tory Williams/NPR hide caption

The internet at my apartment went out last Saturday. For three full days!

I'm used to having several spigots of information turned on — and drinking from them all at once. The TV, the laptop, the phone and even my tablet, if I was feeling extra thirsty.

So you know what I did? I pulled one of my Shakespeare books off the shelf and started re-reading Othello . Because I wasn't trying to use all my devices at once, I was able to relax and focus.

I'm used to "media multitasking," a term I learned from TED Radio Hour host Manoush Zomorodi , that describes double- or triple-screening devices. But when you're consuming too much information, it can be hard to take anything in. And you end up feeling tired and overwhelmed.

Zomorodi talks about how digital habits like this one can drain our attention and energy in Body Electric: The Hidden Health Costs of the Digital Age and New Science to Reclaim Your Well-Being , published in May. Co-authored with behavioral medicine scientist Keith Diaz , the book looks at the physiological effects of our digital lives and offers evidence-backed strategies to combat them.

Zomorodi, who also hosted the NPR podcast Body Electric , talks to Life Kit about the science of information overload. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What happens in our bodies when we multitask?

Every time you switch a task, you use glucose. And every time you use glucose in your brain, you're burning through a finite amount of it, as well as the oxygen it takes to burn it.

Your brain has the ability to clear out the CO2 that's the remnants from burning all that glucose and oxygen. But at a certain point, it starts to build up if you overload yourself. So that is when you start to feel tired and foggy, mentally fatigued, maybe even feel it in your body.

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If you're multitasking, do the opposite — single-task. One thing at a time, all the way through. Then take a break. Then tackle the next task.

Take a break, move. Not take a break on your phone, because that's burning glucose again. Literally get up and walk around the room. That stimulates your muscles. Your muscles can then pump in more blood, which has oxygen and glucose, back up to your brain.

That moment in the afternoon where you're like, "Oh, I just need chocolate so bad," well, of course you do. Literally you are light on glucose in your brain. That makes total sense. But if you take a walk, you will refresh your cognitive capacity and protect your physical health as well.

There's a chapter of the book where you talk about information overload. That feels important to me in my personal life, because I feel like I'm almost getting sick on information. How would you define it?

It is infomania, a compulsion to take in more information. Sure, I could read all these things, but then do I remember what I've read? Am I processing [the information] in a way that's getting stored in my memory?

No, because I'm not a computer. My brain is not infinite with RAM. We need to be smarter about how we take in [information], how we synthesize it and what our expectations are in terms of using all of it.

What are the symptoms of information overload?

There was a podcast I did where we asked people what their symptoms were, and some of the things they mentioned were the eye twitch and the inability to sleep because you've been looking at screens for so long that you can't settle down. Also, feeling like you can't concentrate.

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I've spoken to researchers, like Gloria Mark at University of California, Irvine, who have studied how we switch our attention. One of the things she has seen is that if you've spent an hour switching from screen to screen, checking X, then Instagram and going over to email, even if in the next hour everything calms down and you want to sit down with a single article, you will start switching tasks yourself.

So even if nobody else is interrupting you, you will start interrupting yourself . You will start trying to get information in different ways. It takes time to get into the rhythm that is required for reading something carefully and cautiously.

How do we try to not interrupt ourselves?

If you catch yourself self-interrupting, have a plan ready. Decide ahead of time how you'll respond, so your brain reaches for that instead of the phone. I try to have my calendar filled with things that need to be done, not because I like to be busy, but because, that way, I don't have to think throughout the day.

How do you prevent information overload?

Think of [yourself] as an information athlete with information goals.

Switching context is an emotional roller coaster and it's exhausting. It's burning through your cognitive resources fast.

So think about it this way: What is it that you want to get out of the time with your phone? If you are looking for something for dinner, great. That's your goal. Then once you've achieved [that goal], stop.

Life Kit

Quiz: Are you too online?

Your turn: Did you try any tips from this interview?

Zomorodi would like to hear from you. Did you try setting an information goal to cope with information overload? Make a plan to help reduce self-interruption? Regain focus by taking a break? Email us at lifekit@npr.org with the subject line "To Manoush." We'll send her your responses.

The story was edited by Meghan Keane. The visual editor is CJ Riculan. We'd love to hear from you. Leave us a voicemail at 202-216-9823, or email us at LifeKit@npr.org .

Listen to Life Kit on Apple Podcasts and Spotify , and sign up for our newsletter . Follow us on Instagram: @nprlifekit .