11 Digital Habits of Successful People

Many things in life are so much more convenient (and often better) with tech. We can make purchases, stay in touch with friends and family, compare options for services, and even work remotely from anywhere with an internet connection. 

Technology also provides us with a variety of fantastic tools for enhancing productivity, running a business, and exploring our creative side. Unfortunately, though, many of us don’t always use tech to improve our lives; instead, we develop bad digital habits.

What Are Digital Habits?

Before we explore further, let’s define digital habits. These are the routines and behaviors you develop when using technology regularly — whether positive or negative.

Healthy digital habits may include setting screen-time limits, using technology to learn new skills, or utilizing apps and tools that enhance productivity and foster stronger relationships.

On the other hand, unhealthy digital habits can lead to procrastination, excessive online shopping, information overload, or spending long periods of time inactive in front of a screen.

Digital Habits Across Generations

It’s common to hear older generations complain that younger people are more distracted, less considerate, or overly self-absorbed — and often, they point the finger at technology. Smartphones and social media are usually blamed for these behaviors.

However, these people willfully forget that when they were younger, older generations said very similar things about them — not about digital habits per se, but about their lifestyle choices and other behaviors. Technically, it all comes down to the same thing.

In fact, this has been a trend throughout history — we can actually trace instances back through the centuries. As a rule, each older generation thinks the youngest generation is the worst yet. Today, the culprit may be smartphones, but in the past, it was cinema, chess, waltz, and even umbrellas.

The reality is that digital habits are not a generational problem — they’re a human problem. Every age group can fall into unhealthy routines with technology, just as every age group has the potential to cultivate healthier digital practices. Whether you’re in your 20s, 70s, or somewhere in between, building positive digital habits — like mindful screen time, balanced device use, and intentional online behavior — can help you thrive both personally and professionally.

Digital Habit Examples of Successful People

Successful individuals often share a set of positive digital habits that support their productivity, well-being, and relationships. These habits — from mindful device use to intentional online interactions — frequently play a direct role in achieving and sustaining success.

By adopting similar routines, you can increase your efficiency, strengthen connections, and even boost your overall health.

1. Turn Off Phone Notifications

Whenever they need to be undisturbed (such as when they’re working on something that requires focus or in a meeting), successful people turn off all but the essential notifications on their phones. In fact, throughout the day, they keep push notifications for personal apps turned off — this removes the temptation to glance down at the phone when it pings. 

Not only does this contribute to greater performance at work, but it also eliminates the vulgar (and unfortunately common) habit of looking at one’s phone for something menial when in company.

2. Regularly Delete Old Apps

It’s time-consuming to turn off the alerts app by app. You can speed up the process by deleting all those apps you downloaded only to realize they have no value for you. 

Successful people make a habit of reviewing their phone every couple of months to delete unnecessary apps. This digital minimalism approach can also help you feel more organized and calmer.

3. Send Emails During Business Hours

Sending emails at appropriate times is particularly important for business owners and managers, as employees may feel they are required to answer as soon as they receive the message. Whenever you need to send a non-urgent email, it’s better to leave it until the next day. 

When successful people write emails late in the day, they save them as drafts — or, if they’re worried they’ll forget to hit send, they use a scheduling tool like Boomerang for Gmail.

4. Leave Their Phones Alone in the Morning

The only thing successful people use their phones for in the morning is an alarm. Once they’ve stopped the alarm (no hitting snooze!), they put their phones aside until they’ve at least finished their morning routines. 

Try this to see for yourself how it puts you back in control of your day, particularly because it allows you to decide how you’ll spend your time. Most significantly, you’ll have time to think before you find out what others are demanding from you.

5. Have an Uncluttered Home Screen

If you look at successful people’s home screens, you may be surprised at how few apps there are. 

Successful people tend to have just the most essential apps visible — particularly ones for which there is no appeal to open, like map, calculator, ride-sharing, and phone call apps. They put all the rest of their apps on screens that take a little more effort to reach. 

This may not seem like much, but apps that are out of sight are often out of mind, and a single mindless tap on an app you didn’t need to open can waste a significant amount of time.

6. Set Their Phones to Grayscale

Phones are designed to be addictive. The bright colors and apps with attractive icons draw us in. Successful people are often just as prone to these temptations as anyone else. 

What they do differently is set their phones to grayscale — at least during working hours. Everything looks far less enticing when it’s black and white, which helps them to focus on what actually matters.

Note that this tip works for all iOS phones (including older operating systems), but only for some Android phones. 

On iPhone, you can enable grayscale as an “Accessibility Shortcut.” When enabled, you can activate or deactivate grayscale by triple-clicking the home button. The setup for Android depends on the model.

7. Take a Break from Social Media

A particularly addictive aspect of tech is social media. Even the most disciplined people struggle to stop checking their accounts — which is why more are starting to delete their accounts altogether.

Contrary to popular perceptions about who uses social media the most, Gen Z users are actually leaving platforms in droves. 

A survey of around 1,000 respondents found that almost two-thirds said they would be taking a break and more than a third said they were quitting platforms permanently. 

Many people actually find that they feel more connected to people around them when they stop seeing endless updates about how great everyone else’s lives are.

8. Back Up Their Data

Losing important files or data should be a thing of the past. For successful people, it is essential to back up their data automatically by storing it in the cloud and regularly create backups of the most important or sensitive information on a physical hard disk. 

They never wait until a disastrous breach or data loss to develop this crucial habit.

9. Unsubscribe from Email Mailing Lists

It’s impossible to reach the ultimate goal of inbox zero (or at least stay there for long) if you’re receiving countless emails every day. 

Successful people don’t ignore those emails they’re never going to read: they unsubscribe from the mailing list. It takes almost no effort to remove yourself from all the mailing lists you’ve ended up on and you’ll reap the benefits every day.

10. Stick to a Schedule

Instead of dealing with emails as they arrive, successful people schedule time each day to focus on their inbox. This may be just once a day, or it could be as many as three times a day — the number of times matters less than the fact that they’re not constantly checking email throughout the day. 

This tactic also applies to other digital habits that can result in wasting a significant amount of time, including social media use, research, and calendar management.

11. Spend Time Device Free

Those with the healthiest digital habits spend a few hours each day away from screens entirely. They use this time to pursue hobbies and other activities, such as working out, taking a walk in the park or forest, art projects, and reading physical print books.

In addition, successful people always put their phones away when they’re around others, such as when they’re with their kids or spouse, at mealtimes, and when socializing with friends. 

If the conversation tapers off, they don’t reach for their phone to check for new messages or scroll through their social media feeds. 

Instead, they show those around them that they care about the relationship by thinking of a new topic of conversation!

Bad Digital Habits and How to Break Them

Adopting good digital habits is important — but equally vital is breaking the bad habits that drain time, focus, and energy. While letting go of unhealthy patterns may feel harder than building new ones, it’s absolutely achievable with the right strategies.

1. Keeping Too Many Browser Tabs Open

It’s easy to fall into the trap of opening multiple tabs to “read later.” But before long, you’re staring at a cluttered browser that slows you down, distracts you, and makes it harder to find what you actually need. Worse, a flashing notification on one of those tabs can instantly steal your attention.

How to break it:

• Be intentional — only open tabs you genuinely need.

• Bookmark or add content to your Reading List instead of keeping it open.

• Set aside a weekly block of time to review saved content.

• Close or bookmark all tabs before shutting down for the day, so you start fresh tomorrow.

2. Spending Excessive Time on Unproductive Activities

Whether it’s scrolling social media, binge-watching, gaming, or online shopping, most of us have one digital activity we overindulge in. These behaviors can consume hours each day without being noticed.

How to break it:

• Use built-in tools on your phone to set daily time limits for specific apps.

• Once you reach the limit, your device will warn or lock you out unless you enter a password.

• For added accountability, consider asking a friend or family member to set the password for you.

• Allow more flexibility on weekends, but maintain clear boundaries.

3. Never Putting Your Phone Down

Being tethered to your phone from morning to night makes it difficult to focus or recharge. Over time, this habit can even disrupt your sleep due to exposure to blue light.

How to break it:

• Replace your phone alarm with a basic clock and charge your device outside the bedroom.

• Keep your phone in another room during work or study sessions.

• If that’s not possible, turn it face down or place it in a drawer to reduce the urge to check.

• Track how often you pick up your phone in a day — you may be surprised. Once you have a baseline, aim to reduce it gradually.

4. Constantly Checking Social Media

Social media is designed to grab your attention — but constant checking fragments focus and wastes hours. Even turning off push notifications may not be enough.

How to break it:

• Delete social media apps from your phone and use web versions instead. This adds friction, so you’re less likely to check impulsively.

• Turn off unnecessary notifications to reduce digital noise.

• Delegate time-consuming tasks that keep you tied to your phone — such as admin or customer service — to a virtual assistant, freeing you to focus on what matters most.

👉 By gradually replacing bad digital habits with healthier alternatives, you’ll create more focus, reduce stress, and reclaim valuable time in your day.

With a virtual assistant, you can delegate tasks such as inbox management, scheduling, calendar management, posting social media updates, and research. 

A general virtual assistant from MYVA360 can do all this and more. Request a free trial to see for yourself how having a virtual assistant could help you maintain better digital habits.