A survey recently revealed that the UK is becoming a nation of addicts when it comes to our smart devices. Many people check their phones or tablets within five minutes of waking up in the morning.

Business Argus asked local business people what they do to make sure they turn off...

Steve Morgan, Steve Morgan Associates Ltd, Newport

The first thing I do every morning, even before putting the kettle on, is check my phone for e-mails. I'm still not sure why as I had checked it at midnight the day before. It’s become a habit. Every time the larger than necessary mobile buzzes, I pick it up and check what the message/e-mail might be. In all honesty, 50 per cent of the time it's junk or something that can wait. For me, in the construction industry, the immediacy of the mobile phone is not always a good thing. You are contactable 24 hours of the day and people will ring within minutes of sending an e-mail asking why you haven’t responded. From Monday to Friday (and quite often on the weekend) it is, unfortunately, a necessary evil as the nature of our business needs us to react quickly. The question is when to leave the phone and how to forget it for a couple of hours. I tried putting apps on the phone for more leisure activities; BBC iPlayer, games and sports news. Every time it beeped I would still go straight to the e-mails. Now, I put it down when I get home from work and do anything but pick up the phone. I am getting to the stage where I run the phone, the phone doesn’t run me. I still use it for sports news on the weekend if I am out and about but try to avoid checking e-mails. Whenever I can, I leave it behind. To forget it completely, I unwind by swimming, or practicing on my guitar. I’m not very good at either but I find that it helps me to focus on something other than the phone. I have tried listening to music but unfortunately, the music industry now focuses on streaming sites that can be accessed through the phone. The big issue for me is getting over the feeling that I don’t feel properly dressed without the phone. However, I'm not sure that I ever will.

Kate Richards, general manager, Budget Vets, Newport

Technology is certainly taking over the world! I never switch off anymore as It has become part of my evening / weekend routine to check e mails, text on my work phone. This then leads to checking the practice management systems, which opens up the whole business and all on your smart phone. This is of course great for when you are out of the office but need to work but it also means that you are always partially at work or thinking about work, depending upon the industry you work in. It’s a standing joke in my family that if you want to get hold of me the best bet is on my work phone. Even holidays have become a struggle. As there’s that power of knowing everything if you just look at your phone. Unfortunately, this is now increasing the expectation for being able to constantly contact people as we all know its now so easy via calls, text, e mails, social media which draws us easily into working, when we shouldn’t be.

I wonder how many hours people are paid for and how many they actually do when they take the ‘quick email’, etc into consideration?

John Newell, Kingston Newell Estate Agents, Newport

I don’t turn my mobile off! In our industry, customers now expect emails and calls to be responded to asap. The majority of properties of now initially viewed online resulting in us receiving enquiries at all times of the day and night! Technology is certainly taking over my life but maintaining constant, effective communications with clients is essential so it’s a double edged sword.

Nick Phillips, g2a Energy, Newport

This is all about expectations, since computerisation took a hold in the early 80s technology has developed to near lightning speed of processing capability, yet poor old humans have had to try their best to keep up without the same design improvements. We are generally no quicker at processing than we were before computerisation, so the result is we work longer hours and believe we have to respond to phone calls and emails as quickly as a computer would. Instantly contactable by mobile phone, text and email brings about a split in human nature, on the one hand we hate being chased by the technological demon, but then conversely apply pressure to those who do not respond instantly…a strange dichotomy! How do I switch off? Simple, I don’t until I go off on holiday, only then do I make a conscious decision to leave work related technology behind at home. A second phone purely for personal use (outbound calls only as no one has the number to call me) is taken with as a means of communicating in an emergency. Oh and I take an old fashioned camera that is not part of the phone.