Our "Tech" resolutions for 2023

New year often comes with good resolutions that are more or less easy to keep. Health, sport, professional goals... resolutions can be of all types. This year, why not thinking about your digital well-being?

Digital wellness consists in establishing a healthy and balanced relationship with our digital tools. This means learning how to differentiate necessary use and futile distractions on our smartphones, computers and other devices of our daily lives. In addition to the personal well-being, you will also be doing a good move for the planet.

Taking care of yourself

The first step to regaining a healthier relationship with your phone is to review your current phone usage. To get reliable information, not information you wish were true, you can access key information through your phone's settings:

• Your screen time

• The number of unlocks

• The number of notifications received

Once you are aware of those numbers, you are the only one able to determine whether they are reasonable or excessive. If so, find ways to limit your smartphone use by managing incoming notifications, creating a distraction-free mode, or setting a sleep mode.

After setting healthier rules on your phone, take the quest for wellness a step further by improving your physical condition as well. There are many apps that offer more or less intensive fitness programs. Here are 2 apps we recommend you.

No Big Deal: this app offers you walking or running challenges to be completed within a given time. For each challenge completed, you receive a reward or make a donation to a cause supported by an association.

• 7 minutes Workout: as its name suggests, this app provides you training programs that can be done in only 7 minutes. Perfect when you don't have much time to spare.

Taking care of the planet

With over 6 billion smartphones used worldwide by 2022 plus laptops and other connected objects, digital technology has a significant impact on the environment. This doesn't mean we have to give up all electronic devices. We should use them the right way though.

Here are 5 tips to make 2023 a more energy-efficient year.

Buy refurbished

Many materials are used in the manufacture of a phone, not to mention the many trips it takes before it reaches your hands. So why not maximize the value of phones that have already been manufactured by buying refurbished? What's more, their price is advantageous, which is good for the planet and for your wallet.

Repairing your devices rather than changing them

As well as the environmental benefit, repairing your phone will extend its life. Whether it's a broken screen, battery or operational problem, your phone is probably repairable. This saves you the trouble of buying a new one, and you'll have a phone that's as good as new, for a small price.

A connected device yes, but the right way

Because 2023 is all about energy efficiency, consider using Wi-Fi instead of 4G whenever possible. The latter uses less energy. When you don't need your phone anymore or you're going to sleep, you can turn off WiFi, or even better, put your phone in plane mode.

Recharging batteries

Limiting your phone's data consumption is not only good for your phone's rest, but also for the planet. It's easy to do:

• Activate the energy saving mode when possible,

• Disable WiFi, Bluetooth, 4G or geolocation when these functions are not necessary

• Activate plane mode to disable all connections.

As well as being good for your phone and the planet, these tips promote your digital well-being

Store when necessary

To optimise the memory of our device, we tend to store photos, videos or documents on online storage platforms (the cloud). These clouds require power-hungry data centers to operate, so in order to use them as sparingly as possible, only store things that are really important, and preferably in a single copy.

At Orange, we support you in the Return, Reconditioning, Recycling and Reparation of your phones through our Re Program.