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| -This post is in collaboration with Vizulize, all opinions are my own- |
Because I'm self-employed via my blog it means I spend a lot of my time online. This can be from writing a blog post, scrolling through social media either just being sociable or looking for opportunities as well as checking my emails, listening to music and catching up on TV online whilst I'm working. So it's safe to say when I decided to look at my screen time app on my phone for the first time it was not a pretty sight in terms of how many hours on average I spend on my phone per day (and that's just my phone!). Since the shocking revelation I've been actively trying to reduce my screen time each day and so far I have succeeded and to my surprise it's not been too hard to do either. So in today's post I'm talking about why you should try and reduce your screen time and some easy ways you can do it.
So first of all WHY should you try and reduce your screen time...
If you're in a job when you're staring a screen most of the day like myself then you will already know that looking at a screen for long periods of time is bad for your eyes as well as your posture and you should make sure you take breaks throughout the day. I ~used~ to suffer with dry, itchy eyes from staring at my screen and I'd always make sure that I'd have eye drops or an eye mist near by but since I've cut back on my screen time I've noticed that I don't have to use the products as often and I don't get as many headaches throughout the month either (which I thought was down to hormones... but apparently not lol). Also as you naturally get older, your eyes deteriorate so you want to try and look after them and not make them deteriorate even quicker. If that's not enough to make you think about reducing your screen time for your health then eye care brand Vizulize recently put together an infographic which has some shocking stats. It looks at people's phone habits, how much time they're spending on their phone, which apps are most popular within certain age groups and more. You can find the infographic at the bottom of this post.
I also find social media has quite an impact on my mental health and how I feel about my body shape and size, especially if I'm just going through a bad spell with my mental health and chronic pain. So since I've been cutting back on my screen time and not aimlessly scrolling through my social media when I'm bored and need a distraction I feel like it's been helping my mental health which is obviously a good thing.
Another thing which being on your phone can do if you're on it late at night is mess up your sleeping pattern. Who else has fallen down a black hole of conspiracy videos and true crime documentaries on Youtube until the early hours of the morning? Because I definitely have haha.
Another thing which being on your phone can do if you're on it late at night is mess up your sleeping pattern. Who else has fallen down a black hole of conspiracy videos and true crime documentaries on Youtube until the early hours of the morning? Because I definitely have haha.
So HOW can you reduce your screen time easily...
If you're a sucker for looking at your phone first thing in the morning which can quickly mount up time on your screen time app then leave your phone in a different room overnight. This is also a good way to make sure you wake up when you should and to stop you pressing snooze on your alarm.
If you work from home then don't carry your phone around the house with you. For instance if you're going to the kitchen to make food or a drink then leave your phone upstairs or wherever you were prior to going to the kitchen. Also not looking at your phone whilst you're eating is apparently a good way to stop you from overeating because you're more conscious of your food intake.
Try to have a "Switch Off" time in the evening (you can set this up on your app) when you put down your phone/tablet/laptop or stop using certain apps such as Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
If you're a sucker for looking at your phone first thing in the morning which can quickly mount up time on your screen time app then leave your phone in a different room overnight. This is also a good way to make sure you wake up when you should and to stop you pressing snooze on your alarm.
If you work from home then don't carry your phone around the house with you. For instance if you're going to the kitchen to make food or a drink then leave your phone upstairs or wherever you were prior to going to the kitchen. Also not looking at your phone whilst you're eating is apparently a good way to stop you from overeating because you're more conscious of your food intake.
Try to have a "Switch Off" time in the evening (you can set this up on your app) when you put down your phone/tablet/laptop or stop using certain apps such as Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
On the screen time app you can add things to your "Always Allowed" and I have added some apps to this for various reasons. I currently have - my banking app, Kindle, Mail, PayPal and Spotify in the "Always Allowed" apps. I've added my Kindle because I think reading is more productive than scrolling through social media and I am trying to get back into reading. I've added Mail because it's technically my job to keep on top of my work emails, I'm not too fussed about my general emails though. I've also added PayPal because again, it's more work related than anything else and lastly, I've added Spotify because I don't sit and stare at Spotify for very long per day. I tend to just play either a playlist I've made or one of my daily mixes. I feel like adding all of the above to the always allowed section gives me a more accurate reading on the screen time app too.
The last tip is to have a social media detox weekend every few weeks and use it as a self care measure. Instead of scrolling and updating, go for a walk, read a book that's been sitting on your TBR pile for ages, go for a drive to one of your favourite places etc. If you think of it as a self care measure then it's easier to do.
The last tip is to have a social media detox weekend every few weeks and use it as a self care measure. Instead of scrolling and updating, go for a walk, read a book that's been sitting on your TBR pile for ages, go for a drive to one of your favourite places etc. If you think of it as a self care measure then it's easier to do.
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Ah, I have been trying the last few weeks to try and minimize my screen time - I would lie its so hard.
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