As exciting as this newly growing space is, no one should allow themselves to get sucked into this virtual black hole.

So much of this space is addicting. It’s literally built to be!

Just pick up a copy of Nir Eyal’s national best-selling book, Indistractable, or his prequel Hooked, for a glimpse behind the scenes.

He helped corporate ventures make apps addictive, so he knows a thing or two about how the space works.

Or.. check out a snippet of him in action, lecturing in a series I curated for my health media venture, SoMeDocs.

We all need to remind ourselves that the online world, while a powerful tool for propelling careers, isn’t always “real”. There’s a ton of curation online, and nuance we still aren’t used to, and so we must take it all with a grain of salt – and not just information we read, but interactions we have with others we don’t necessarily “know”.

Consider using the online space as a supplement to real-life interactions and space.

Point here is.. take breaks. Because breaks are like protective armor: each time we step away to spend time with the people who love us in the real life, we’re investing in the purest form of oxygen life can get.

So let the relationships you’ve spent time nurturing in the real life breathe warmth into your day to day.

And then when you’ve had your fill, get back to your digital work.