How our routines change as technology changes

Technology does not just transform what we do. It also transforms how we live our daily lives.

Over the last two decades, our daily habits have changed profoundly: we work differently, we get around differently, we consume information constantly, and we organise our time around screens.

Various studies in public health, sociology and digital technology show that this change is not a one-off, but structural.

Work is no longer confined to a fixed location

In the past, working meant travelling. Leaving home, going to an office, coming back.

Now, for many people, that is no longer the case.

Work has moved to the screen. And with that, habits have changed too: less travelling, more time spent sitting down, more time in front of devices.

The OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) has been warning for years about something quite clear: digitalisation is changing the nature of work, and with it, our daily habits.

We spend more time online than we realise

We don’t usually realise just how much time we spend in front of a screen.

But the figures help to put it into context: on average, people spend more than 6 hours a day online globally, according to DataReportal.

And that’s just the time spent ‘online’. It doesn’t include the rest of the day spent in front of a computer, mobile phone or television.

Ultimately, a large part of the day is spent without moving around much.

Leisure has also changed in nature

This is where the change is most evident.

Before, leisure meant going out, meeting up, travelling. Now, many of those activities have moved online: TV series, social media, video games, on-demand content.

It’s neither better nor worse. It’s just different.

But it does have one clear effect: less physical activity in our day-to-day lives.

We move less without realising it

Perhaps the most interesting thing about all this is that it isn’t a conscious choice.

It’s not that we decide to move less.

It’s just that digital alternatives are more convenient, quicker and more accessible.

And little by little, that is changing the way we experience our bodies.

Technology isn’t the problem

This is important: technology isn’t the problem.

The problem is balance.

Because we’ve never been so connected, so well-informed… and at the same time so sedentary.

So, what do we do about this?

It’s not about going backwards.

It’s not about disconnecting from the digital world.

It’s about something much simpler: bringing movement back into modern life.

Walking more. Getting up more often. Breaking away from the idea of sitting still for hours on end.

Small but consistent changes.

In summary

Technology has profoundly changed our daily routines.

It has made everything easier, faster and more accessible.

But it has also done something subtle: it has reduced the amount of movement we get without us realising it.

And perhaps the challenge today is not to use less technology, but to learn how to move more effectively within it.