6 min
We’re Awake 16 Hours a Day. We Spend 10 of Them Staring at Our Screens – and Most of Us Feel Powerless to Stop
Do the math: We’re awake roughly 16 hours a day. We spend 10 of those hours staring at screens – phones, tablets, computers, TV, gaming devices. That’s 63% of our waking life. The first platform dedicated entirely to digital balance launching today reveals something even more startling: It's not that we lack willpower to change our behavior. It's that we lack confidence. New proprietary research from Offline.now shows that 8 in 10 people are ready to change their relationship with technology, but more than half are so overwhelmed with their digital habits, they don’t know where to start. “If you don’t learn how to manage the screens in your life, they will manage you,” says Eli Singer, Founder of Offline.now and author of Offline.now: A Practical Guide to Healthy Digital Balance. “When people tell us they feel overwhelmed, it’s not laziness. It’s a crisis of confidence. And confidence is something that can be built.” Digital Wellness Experts Address the Struggles No One Else Will These insights come from digital wellness experts in the Offline.now Digital Wellness Directory – a growing community of licensed professionals across North America specializing in ADHD, relationships, family dynamics, high-achievers, and sustainable behavior change. They’re not offering generic advice. They’re addressing specific digital struggles that define contemporary life. Psychotherapist Harshi Sritharan, who specializes in modern anxiety and ADHD, explains: “The biggest mistake people make is reaching for their phone or turning on their computer first thing in the morning. It injects your dopamine full of uncertainty. You’ve essentially told your brain the most important thing you have to do today is put out fires. I tell clients to delay that first scroll as long as possible and never hit ‘snooze’. You’re fragmenting your REM sleep and making yourself more exhausted. These aren’t willpower issues; they’re about understanding how blue light disrupts your circadian rhythm, especially for those with ADHD who already struggle with sleep regulation.” According to Sritharan, the breakthrough happens when people understand the dopamine cycles driving their dependence and “reframe how they connect with all their screens, whether it’s their phone, gaming console, or streaming TV.” High Achievers Can’t Unplug. The ‘Always-On’ Trap is Killing Productivity, Not Boosting It “A lot of high performers think they need better time management,” says Executive Function Coach, Craig Selinger. “But what they actually need are boundaries. They’ve built empires by being available 24/7, and their phones have become permission slips to say yes to everything.” The difference between old and new technology matters,” he explains. “Back in the day with TV, there was a clear demarcation of beginning and end, right? The episode ends and you move on. Now it’s like Minecraft or TikTok – there’s no ending. And mobility makes it sticky, because you’re physically carrying the drug with you, versus a TV that stayed in one room.” The breakthrough happens when they realize being unavailable on purpose isn’t a weakness. “Things like turning off notifications during deep work, or setting ‘do not disturb’ windows? Those aren’t luxuries. They’re the competitive advantages they’ve been missing.” Digital Dependency as a Third Party in a Relationship Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Gaea Woods says digital devices are killing interpersonal relationships, not because tech is evil, but because “we use it unconsciously at the moments when connection matters most. When you’re scrolling at dinner, you’re telling your partner ‘my phone is more interesting and important than you’.” The breakthrough happens when couples set explicit agreements: response times, when devices go off-limits – and even what’s it’s OK with AI companions. “We’ve exited the era of meaningful communication without realizing it, and now we must deliberately rebuild it. Nature isn’t ‘Nice to Have’. It’s the Antidote to Screen Fatigue No One is Talking About After running a tech-free camp for 25 years, Personal Development Coach Mark Diamond says he’s seen what happens when kids get genuine face-to-face time interaction outdoors. “Their brains reset. The beauty and physical activity provide perspective that screens can never replicate. Digital dependency has eroded our ability to develop real human connections across all ages, not just teenagers. Screens should not replace the moments that define our wellbeing.” Why This Matters Now The stakes extend beyond personal frustration. Unchecked screen dependency is linked to rising rates of anxiety, deteriorating sleep quality, relationship breakdown, and what mental health experts call “continuous partial attention”, a state where we’re always connected, but never fully present. The Data Reveals When Change is Possible Beyond the confidence divide, Offline.now’s research uncovers the precise moments when users are most open to shifting their digital habits: Evenings from 6 pm-11:59 pm emerge as the “Go Time” window. 40% of self-assessment responders peak readiness to act. Sunday is “Reset Day, when 43% want to set boundaries for the week ahead. Saturdays offer natural opportunities for self-compassion and rest. Afternoons become the “Overwhelm Window”, with 57% feeling consumed by their screens. Critically, Fridays – despite having the highest overwhelm factor – are the worst time for interventions. Users are depleted and change rarely sticks. The Framework That Powers the Platform At the platform’s core is the Offline.now Matrix, a behavioral framework that maps the confidence and motivation levels of users to reveal their starting point: Overwhelmed, Ready, Stuck, or Unconcerned. Based on Singer’s book, Offline.now: A Practical Guide to Healthy Digital Balance, the approach replaces willpower-based advice with microlearning strategies – each taking 20 minutes or less – that track emotional triggers rather than just screen time totals. It offers 100 real-world alternatives to scrolling, from reorganizing a drawer to visiting a thrift shop, and reframes slip-ups as data, not disasters. “The books shows that lasting change doesn’t require deleting Instagram or TikTok tomorrow,” says Singer. “You need to win one personal victory today, and then another tomorrow. That’s how confidence rebuilds.” Propelled by University of Toronto’s Innovation Ecosystem Offline.now is a University of Toronto-affiliated startup, leveraging one of the world’s most powerful innovation networks. U of T is ranked among the top five university-managed business incubators globally and has helped create more than 1,500 venture-backed companies and secured more than CAD$14 billion in investment over the past decade. How Offline.now Works For individuals and families: Take the free self-assessment quiz using the Offline.now Matrix to map your motivation and confidence levels in under three minutes. Receive instant access to practical strategies, curated resources, and a searchable directory of digital wellness experts organized by specialty, location, and insurance coverage. For digital wellness professionals: Join a growing community of licensed mental health practitioners, certified behaviorial coaches, and registered social workers by creating your profile at Offline.now. The platform provides new client leads, professional development opportunities, and visibility in a rapidly expanding market. About Offline.now Offline.now is the first global platform dedicated entirely to achieving digital balance. Founder and author Eli Singer built one of North America’s first social media agencies before seeing technology shift from community-building to attention-harvesting. As a parent, he experienced firsthand the struggle to maintain digital balance. The platform combines proprietary behavioral research, expert guidance and counselling from licensed professionals, and science-backed strategies to help individuals and families build healthier relationships with their screens. Visit Offline.now at https://offline.now Expert Interview Availability Offline.now can arrange interviews with: Eli Singer, Founder – Vision for digital wellness; behavioral data insights Harshi Sritharan, Psychotherapist – Dopamine cycles, ADHD, anxiety and intentional tech use Craig Selinger, Executive Function Coach – Digital distraction in high achievers, family dynamics, ADHD Mark Diamond, Personal Development Coach – Outdoor wellness, sustainable behavior change, happiness, connection Gaea Woods, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist – Communication, digital third-party relationships, phubbing Additional Resources Free self-assessment quiz - The Offline.now Matrix: https://offline.now/quiz Expert directory and booking: https://offline.now/experts/ Join the directory: https://offline.now/join/ Order Offline.now: A Practical Guide to Healthy Digital Balance: https://offline.now/book/
