I’m guilty of it, most people I know are guilty of it, and you are probably guilty of it too. I’m talking, of course, about the amount of time we spend every day looking down at our phones and devices instead of at each other and at the world around us. Addiction to screens is a real thing, and if you don’t work to keep yourself in check, it can start to become a real problem. Here are five ways to reduce your screen time.
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Acknowledge the Problem
The first step to addressing a problem is admitting you have it in the first place! You might think that using your phone that much is just a sign of the times, but it doesn’t have to be if you don’t want it to. Really, how much of the time that you spend looking at screens can you count as time that is absolutely essential to your modern living?
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Screen-Free Zones
Commit to having areas and rooms of your home that are designated ‘screen free’. Good rooms include the bedroom and the living room, because these are the places in the home that should be the best for both rest and for interaction and communication with loved ones. There is nothing worse than a whole family sitting together in a living room, not talking to one another, all glued to their screens.
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Apps
I know, it seems counterproductive, but there are plenty of apps out there that you can download on your devices in that can help you to limit your time spent playing and scrolling. You can set them up to block you from going on attention-sapping sites etc., along with features like alerts and reminders if you have been spending too much time without putting your phone down.
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In Person
Make the effort to spend less time talking to friends on Whatsapp, and more time actually in their presence. If you are spending hours typing back and forth but you live in the same place, then there is no excuse not to just take that interaction to a face to face level!
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Privacy
Pay more attention to the all of the privacy settings and permissions that you give to all of the different apps that you download. Sometimes your information will be sent to other companies and developers, and ads will be targeted at your preferences to entice you to download more and more things. The less temptation there is, the less you are likely to download.
