Take your life back by limiting screen time

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I used to tell people all the time, “I don’t have time to ___.” Then I looked at my screen time average… yikes. It was an astonishing 10+ hours per day. I wasted time scrolling through TikTok and social media when I could have done my homework or studied, cleaned my room, made dinner, or tried new hobbies. So, in reality, I just wasn’t making the time to be productive.

Overusing social media is slowly ruining our lives. I thought it made me more connected to my friends and family, but I found that I struggled to form real and genuine relationships. I became obsessed with people’s lives that seemed far more interesting than mine. This caused a spiral of anxiety and insecurities, depression, and a longing for more. 

So, how did I take my screen time from 10+ hours down to 1-2 hours a day?

• Downtime. Every night, at 10 p.m., my phone shuts off access to my apps. Of course, I keep access to certain apps in case of an emergency, but it forces me to wind down and get ready to sleep. You can set this up in your settings by searching for “Downtime,” and then choose which apps you do or don’t want to have on, and you can choose what time they turn off.
• Focus. Setting up a specific focus to automatically turn on during important times during my day limits distractions. For example, class. I’m not going to pay to go to class just to sit on my phone when I can do that at home. So, I turn off notifications from everyone, except my emergency contacts.
• Delete the app. Honestly, I don’t think you’ll regret it. For me, that was TikTok, but it could be whatever app consumes you the most. 
• Turn off notifications. Go into your settings and restrict access to notifications that will cause more distractions. 
• Time limits. You can set up an hour time limit for certain apps, but for that to work, you have to be self-disciplined when it comes to not ignoring said limit. It’s ok to ignore it every now and then, but if it’s every day, it’s not going to be helpful.

Now that I’ve reduced my screen time, I started to notice that I’m more engaged with my everyday life. Plus, I have more time to do the things I enjoy, like scrapbooking and sewing. To make the most of your day, you have to sacrifice something, and maybe that means a few hours on social media. 

Try something new. Learn how to play an instrument, read a book, learn to bake, play card games, go fishing or bowling, be creative! There’s so much more to life than obsessing over what other people are doing.