Our devices have slowly taken over our lives. Their multipurpose nature ensures we are glued to them every single day. According to Uswitch’s study in 2019, the average Brit will spend 6.4 hours of their day using the internet on any device. This can include mobile phones, laptops, televisions, games consoles and tablets.
This number remained high particularly through the UK lockdowns earlier on in the COVID-19 pandemic. With little to do outside of work, people found themselves filling their brains with new series, social media and the latest games.
Now that all restrictions have been lifted in the UK, it’s time we start using our time better and avoid eye strain every day. To do this, we’ll need to significantly reduce our screen time. Here’s how we can do it.
Set limits
Modern phones allow limits to be set on our screen time. We can select how long we are willing to allow ourselves to use certain apps across the day. For example, we may give ourselves an hour to use social media across the day to limit the amount of time wasted using it.
There are limitations to this, however, as it is a straightforward process to turn off screen time warnings if we are not done using the apps. If it was harder to do this then maybe it would act as more of a deterrent.
Phone free zones
Our phones are always with us, so it’s important to create spaces where the phone isn’t welcome. This will allow us to avoid using our phones in every area of the house. To do this, decide which areas of the house phones aren’t allowed. A commonplace for this would be the bathroom or the bedroom.
When this is done, more time can be dedicated to other activities such as reading or talking with family and friends.
Get a new hobby
Instead of spending time staring at phones, why don’t we challenge ourselves more with new hobbies? Try learning how to code with a Pi kit or learn to play a new instrument like the guitar.
Challenging our minds will boost our abilities in many other areas of our lives. When we find a hobby we care for, we’ll think less about picking up the closest screen to us and wasting the day away.
Delete unnecessary apps
Some apps such as games or social media websites can take up a lot of our time without really adding much value. If this is the case then a purge is needed. We must go through our phones and delete the applications we can live without. This will, therefore, reduce the time wasted scrolling.
