TIPS TO REDUCE YOUR SCREEN TIME
Our generation is addicted to their smart phones and spends hours on them. You open it for once and boom…. hours gone. Technology has helped us become way more productive, but it can be distracting and gets in the way of creative thinking. We spend hours on Instagram, TikTok and playing games and that’s not good for our mental and physical health.
According to research, on average, we spend 3 hours and 15 minutes on our phones. However, during COVID-19, we had to socially distance which resulted in much higher figures. That’s going to disrupt our productivity and too much screen time can cause vision problems. It can even lead to anxiety, stress, and depression.
If your screen time is more than 2 hours, you need to reduce it and that’s totally possible by implementing the following strategies.
Track screen time and set time limits:
You can easily track and set limits, there are a lot of features in new models, and they help you to track how much time you’ve spent on different apps.
Keep your phone out of the bedroom:
Many of us use our phones as alarm clocks, meaning they are the last thing we see at night, and also the first thing we see in the morning, even before our eyes are fully open. According to a study “social media use in the 30 minutes before bed is independently associated with disturbed sleep among young adults”.
Establish tech-free zones:
The bathroom is at the top of the list. We would also say the dining room or anywhere else you eat. You can use this time more wisely like having quality time with your family.
Leave your phone behind:
If you decide to go on a hike, leave your phone in the car or at least in silent mode and tucked away in your backpack. Even if you’re reading, the phone should be nowhere near you. For some people, this may frighten them because of FOMO but, if you gradually work your way up, you’ll notice that the world will keep spinning if you occasionally leave your phone behind.
Remove unnecessary apps:
When you have a couple of minutes, go through your phone, and remove unnecessary apps. For instance, Netflix, Hulu, or any other app that tempts you into mindless usage.
Switch to grayscale:
Both iOS and Android allow you to turn your phone’s display grey. As a result, your screen will lose its visual appeal and you’re likely to spend less time on it.
Schedule more face-to-face meetings:
Set up an old-fashioned phone call. Or, even better, schedule a face-to-face meeting as face-to-face requests are 34x more effective than emailed ones.
Be in the moment:
Instead of clicking hundreds of pictures at a party, you can enjoy and be in the moment. leave your phone for some time, put it in your bag and enjoy what’s going on around you. Start networking with people and get to know them.
Pick up a new hobby:
It’s a Saturday afternoon and the weather isn’t nice enough to go outside. The sun is not showing any mercy and you have started melting as soon as you step outside, so you come back inside, grab your laptop and just start watching Netflix, which means more screen time.
Instead of that, you can read a book, or do any type of physical activity.
Try our tips and let us know if they're helpful.