Marketplace®

Daily business news and economic stories

Bad tech habits were made to be broken

You might be guilty, too. Now, put the phone down and go to sleep already.

We all have annoying tech habits, but luckily Ben Johnson thinks we can break them.

At the top of the list:

Here are just a couple: Taking photos with your massive iPad while you’re at an event [and] blocking the view of others. Looking at your phone while driving; this is a habit that has proven to be very dangerous … it’s really problematic, and we’ve seen a lot of PSA campaigns around this. There’s been research that suggests screen use in bed is bad for your health and your sex life…. My personal most-hated is the people who aren’t even yet out of the subway in the morning, and they’re pulling out their phone to look at it and slowing everybody down.

On Johnson’s most annoying habit:

Well, this is the supreme irony. The one that I hate the most is actually the one I’ve done before … which is looking at my phone while I am on the street and slowing down people, so I’m a total hypocrite. I think these are things that we hate but are also sometimes guilty of [doing].

On how to break these habits:

They say the first step is admitting you have a problem. That might mean you be brave and ask the people around you … what your bad habits are and get them to tell you. I mean, that’s a little bit dangerous of a suggestion, but in some ways it can be good. If you actually devote brain power to your habit, I think you can beat it, think about it when you’re in danger of doing it. Don’t let yourself get into bed until you put your computing device down, or maybe put it down in another room. If we can be more mindful of this stuff … we can actually start to avoid doing it.

Related Topics

Latest Episodes

View All Shows
  • Marketplace
    10 hours ago
    26:08
  • Make Me Smart
    14 hours ago
    16:46
  • Marketplace Morning Report
    17 hours ago
    6:52
  • Marketplace Tech
    a day ago
    6:54
  • How We Survive
    4 days ago
    25:04
  • This Is Uncomfortable
    4 days ago
    26:12
  • Million Bazillion
    5 days ago
    7:35
  • Financially Inclined
    3 months ago
    12:30
  • The Uncertain Hour
    4 months ago
    22:50
  • Corner Office from Marketplace
    5 years ago
    20:58