Have you ever checked the average screen time you usually spend on your phone? According to recent data I found from various sources on the internet, the average screen time for most people is around 3-4 hours a day. Some reports stated the average as closer to 4 hours and 37 minutes. This is alarming as health experts generally advise a screen time limit of 2 hours a day. So, if you check your screen time report and find a 2 hours plus screen time on average, you might want to do a digital detox.
To be honest, I’ve been there as well. During the height of the pandemic, I had a lot of screen time per day. I spent most of my time on social media back then, Instagram in particular. Only after it affected my well-being did I realize that I needed to reduce my screen time.
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If you’re currently stuck with the same problem, I encourage you to keep reading as I share my personal steps to successfully navigate a digital detox. I’m not suggesting to cut off screen time entirely—instead, I suggest to gradually reduce it to a healthier level.
#1 : Turn off notifications
Let’s start a digital detox journey by turning off notifications from distracting apps. Do you know that notifications are designed to annoy us in a way that we feel the urge to open it right away? When you keep finding yourself opening distracting apps, it might be because of the notifications that keep popping up.
Try to turn off notifications from apps like social media or news outlets first and see what happens next. I specifically mentioned social media and news outlets because their notifications are designed in a way that will keep us hooked. This is plausible if you look at their business model. Social media and news companies are making money from our behavior on their apps, thus they want us to engage more on their platforms.
#2 : Use App Blockers
Using app blockers is the most immediate and simple step to start digital detox. App blockers can block designated apps of our own choice. Try to block distracting apps like social media and news for a designated time in a day.
Sometimes our habit of opening distracting apps is automated. App blockers can get in the way of this particular bad habit. App blockers can serve as a roadblock so that when we “unconsciously” open distracting apps. They can kind of tell us to get back to work and be productive.
Today’s smartphones have their in-built app blockers. However, you can also download app blockers of your liking from the app store or google play store.
#3 : Hide Distracting Apps
Another way to reduce the usage of distracting apps is by hiding it. Now if you tried using app blockers and you still found yourself occasionally turning off the app blockers, you might want to step things up. Lucky for us, today’s smartphones have just the right feature to help us. If you’re an android user like me, you can put those distracting apps in the apps screen instead of the home screen. For iphone users, you can put distracting apps in your app library.
We often find ourselves mindlessly opening distracting apps like social media. By placing these apps out of sight, we create a barrier that forces us to make a conscious decision before opening them. This extra step requires us to make a conscious decision, which can help us pause and think if we really need to open these apps.
#4 : Log out of Social Media Account
Logging out of our social media account may sound a little bit too much. However, it is quite an effective way if you still found yourself bypassing the previous steps. Same with what I already mentioned before, logging out of social media can act as a barrier that forces us to make a decision before we proceed to mindless scrolling.
Logging out of social media accounts can do your mental health a favor as well. A lot of research has found that prolonged time spent on social media can harm your well-being, especially mental health. In my opinion, the comparison to other cultures in social media is to blame for this.
Instead of mindlessly scrolling on social media, try to focus on real life connections. By disconnecting from social media, we can focus more on other things in our life such as hobbies. Not to mention, the time you spend on social media can be redirected for more productive things.
The Bottom Line
With how things go nowadays, it has never been easier to get information or connect to our loved ones far away. However, it also comes with negative things as well. Over consumption of social media can lead to bad mental health. Not to mention it would affect our productivity as well.
I am not saying that we have to cut off our screen time entirely. That would be impossible in the modern day. Instead, I suggest limiting our screen time so we can regain control of our time and well-being. Try to limit time for social media when you’re in front of the computer only. This should manage the compulsive checking of your social media.
Remember, take it slowly to digital detox. Start from the simplest step like turning off notifications and escalate the intensity if the previous step didn’t work. Feel free to try other methods besides the ones that I outlined. Do not beat yourself up and try again when you fail. The key point to digital detox is consistency.
So here we are at the end of the post. I really hope that I can give you insights on how to limit your screen time. Until next time! Cheers!