The Burnout Trigger No One Talks About: How our phones quietly fuel exhaustion—and what can restore your energy

[Originally posted to Psychology Today on 24 March 2025]

You’re not imagining it—your phone might be stealing your energy.

If you're experiencing burnout or creeping exhaustion, your mobile habits could be playing a bigger role than you think. I’ve seen the impact firsthand in my own life and in the lives of those I help in burnout recovery.

After noticing growing mental fatigue and fragmented sleep, I decided to take a closer look at my phone use. What I discovered—and what the research strongly supports—is that regaining energy requires more than just reducing screen time. It starts with creating healthier digital boundaries that protect your focus, sleep, and mental space.

Here’s why this matters, and what we can do about it.

The Research Is Clear: Your Phone Is a Burnout Risk Factor

A 2021 literature review published in Frontiers in Psychology examined how problematic smartphone use is associated with psychological distress, burnout, and reduced well-being across various populations (Li et al., 2021). It highlights several mechanisms by which phone overuse can contribute to burnout:

📵 Sleep disruption: Studies show that smartphone use before bed is linked to decreased sleep quality and shorter sleep duration. The blue light emitted by screens delays melatonin production, making it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep—both crucial for burnout recovery.

📵 Cognitive overload: Constant alerts and multitasking on mobile devices reduce our ability to concentrate. This fragmented attention taxes our cognitive resources and increases fatigue, contributing to emotional exhaustion—one of the core dimensions of burnout.

📵 Blurred boundaries: Smartphones make it easy to stay connected to work outside of work hours, eroding the separation between personal and professional life. This ongoing mental engagement, even when off the clock, prevents psychological detachment and recovery.

📵 Addictive loops: Excessive phone use can mirror behavioural addiction patterns, driven by compulsive checking, fear of missing out (FOMO), and social comparison. These patterns have been linked to increased anxiety, stress, and emotional dysregulation.

These findings reinforce what burnout experts like Nick Petrie have also observed—reclaiming our time and attention from our phones is essential for protecting our energy and mental health.

What Helps? A Clear, Conscious Phone Strategy

In his 2023 Burnout Research Report, Petrie found a clear pattern among individuals who reported low burnout and high energy: they had a conscious strategy for managing their phone use.

These individuals didn’t just reduce screen time—they redefined their relationship with their devices to preserve their mental energy. Here’s what they consistently did:

• Put their phones away when they got home: This helped create a physical and psychological boundary between work and personal life.

• Turned off nonessential notifications: Reducing the constant buzz of alerts protected their focus and prevented mental fatigue.

• Used their phones only when necessary: Instead of reflexively checking apps or scrolling, they accessed their devices for specific tasks and then set them aside.

Petrie describes this shift as feeling like "quitting an addiction"—uncomfortable at first but, ultimately, freeing.
Those with a clear phone strategy experienced better sleep, deeper rest, and improved focus. Most importantly, they regained a sense of mental spaciousness—a key ingredient in burnout prevention and recovery.

Reflective Practice: Questions to Help You Create Healthier Phone Habits

To create a new relationship with our phones, we first need to understand where the current one is at.

The first three questions below are about building self-awareness—bringing curiosity and compassion to your existing phone habits. Questions four and five gently guide you into experimenting with small changes that align more closely with your energy and values.

• What prompts me to reach for my phone, especially when I’m not truly needing it?

• How has my phone impacted my sleep, energy, and focus this week?

• What value of mine is being compromised when I scroll—time with family, rest, or creativity?

Then, once you’ve noticed the patterns:

• What could I do instead when I feel bored, lonely, or anxious?

• What small experiment can I try this week—a phone-free dinner, a social media-free Sunday?

Burnout recovery isn’t about rigid rules. It’s about reconnecting with what restores you—and letting your phone use support that, not sabotage it.

Your Phone Should Serve You, Not Rule You

In the recovery journey, energy is everything. Our phones are powerful tools—but without conscious use, they can quietly rob us of rest, connection, and clarity.

You don’t need to quit your phone. But you might need to reclaim your relationship with it.

What small boundary might help you protect your energy this week?