How I Successfully Cut Down My Screen Time?📵
I believe we are all looking for the answer to the perpetual question — How to prevent the urge to pick up your phone every minute, even though there’s nothing to look at?
What is the first thing you look forward to at the break of dawn? Who texted you on WhatsApp? Or did your Instagram post break the internet overnight?
We all live the same lives, and believe me when I say that I was locked in the same routine as everyone else. I found myself idly browsing through social media regularly, although I had only picked up the phone to check the time. And, as a result of succumbing to this addiction, I frequently failed to check the time, which was the prime motive. But, before I fully surrendered to this habit, I decided to break it. When my eyes weren’t forced to be two inches from a screen every minute of the day, I could tell a difference. There was this one time when I took my phone into the restroom, and I was so engrossed in it that I had no idea if I had pooped or not. Since that time, I’ve never stepped foot in the bathroom with my phone on me. I went from six or seven hours a day to no more than two hours of usage.
Here are some of the measures I took to combat the impulse to check my phone.
1Avoid setting alarms on your phone, but even if you do, keep the device far from your reach (in the living room or on your table), to ensure that when you get up to switch the alarm off, you’re automatically up for the day. This may sound like a very minor step, but it is the most essential. It is better to use the old wind-up clocks because when you pick up your phone to turn off the alarm, you end up looking at the notifications as well, because it’s literally right there and you can’t help but open it up.
2 Never keep your device near your bed before sleeping. There are studies showing the adverse effects of screen radiation on sleep patterns. I ditch my phone at least a couple of hours before going to bed.
3 Constantly pester yourself. Your mind doesn’t control you. It is you who is in charge of your actions. If you keep telling yourself that you will not pick up the phone, you most definitely will not pick it up.
4 Leave little post-it notes. Personally, this trick worked wonders. I left notes on my bathroom door, on my work table, on my bed, and on my dresser. It felt like a command from me to myself, so it gave me the extra push I needed.
5 Read. Read. Read. Novels are the best alternative to fulfill the emptiness felt from being cut off from your mobile. Books provide the missing element of entertainment, and can have you hooked for hours, victoriously diminishing the urge to surrender to your device. I always have a novel or newspaper in my bathroom to guarantee that I don’t take my phone in.
6 Out of sight, out of mind.
7 Set limits. Download a screen time checker and make sure you don’t cross your limits. I use an app that has a permanent notification which helps me keep track constantly.
8 Minimize notifications.
How much time do you spend on your phone daily? Hope this read helps you to break off the habit!
