Distractions are your biggest enemy when it comes to getting your work done. Every ding, beep, popup, and message notification sucks precious moments from your day.
Turning off the tech helps you become a better communicator. I’m not saying you have to sit down and hand-write a 10-page letter to your distant cousin every week. I’m talking about spending REAL time with the people near you.
While stream-of-consciousness typing can unlock thoughts and get crap out of your head, you should also try mind-mapping on paper. Take it a step further and write some things by hand.
My completely unscientific observation is that when I set a time to turn off my phone and laptop (and yes, the television) and leave quiet space afterward, I go to bed about 60-90 minutes earlier and sleep better because my mind isn’t still processing everything I just looked at.
With so much tech, we think we can do everything at once. But we can’t, and we shouldn’t.