The devices we use on a daily basis hold important information, such as photos, essential documents, and passwords. While smartphones can benefit us, they can also be our downfall when we can’t seem to get our faces unglued from the screen. This is a problem many of us struggle with, but there are strategies you can use to cut down your screen time.
Set Aside a Portion of Your Day for “No Screen Time”
What specific time of the day do you spend the most on your phone or devices? Typically this is in the morning or right before bed, which is one of the worst things you can do. To avoid spending too much time on your electronics, set aside a portion of your day that is strictly for “no screen time.” This forces you to put the phone down and get some things done around the house that you might neglect.
Use an App To Track Your Time
It can be difficult to picture how much time you spend on your phone when you don’t see a physical number as evidence. You might be spending five hours on your phone without even realizing it! Download an app that tracks how much time you spend on the phone and which apps you click on the most. This can give you a better idea of how much screen time you need to minimize and which apps are the most distracting.
Stop Taking Your Phone to the Bathroom
We’ve all been guilty of taking our phone to the bathroom with us and spending more than enough time in there scrolling through social media. Reminding yourself to leave your phone at your desk or on the table might not decrease your screen time drastically, but it can help. If you need something to distract you in the bathroom, consider a magazine or a book instead.
Turn Off Notifications and Use Do Not Disturb
Your certified pre-owned device can hold countless apps that send you hundreds of notifications a day. You don’t need your phone going off that much, so consider turning off your notifications for non-essential apps to help reduce the number of times you pick up your phone throughout the day. You might also use “do not disturb” during the busy hours of your day to help limit your screen usage.
Make Your Bedroom Screen-Free
How many days can you remember scrolling through social media until the wee hours of the morning? The strategy for cutting down screen time by making your bedroom screen-free is foolproof—how could you spend that much time on a screen when you don’t bring your device in there? This might be a tough habit to break at first, but it can significantly reduce your screen time.
Don’t worry; we’ve all been down the road of endlessly scrolling through our phones and pushing the limit on our screen time. As long as you’re aware of what you’re doing, you can cut down on how much time you spend on your phone. Which one of these strategies are you going to try to implement first?
