Screen Time

It's kind of scary how often we are on phones, tablets and laptops. Even now as you're reading this post, it's through a screen. One thing I did a while ago was activate my Apple screen time which sends me a weekly reminder of how much screen time I've had on it which is honestly quite scary when you realise how many hours you spend on your phone. A lot of the time my screen time averages between six to eight hours which may not seem like a lot but remember we're asleep for eight hours during the night which means roughly 16 hours is during the day and if you minus the screen time, it means you're spending half the day you're awake on your phone which is kind of crazy. 

Now, I'm not making this post to say get off your phone because a lot of the time we need our phones. Sometimes, we're just watching a video which can take some time. My guilty thing is I watch a lot of true crime videos that tend to be an hour long on my phone. Although I'm often doing something else while I'm watching it. For example, right now I'm watching a true crime video and writing this blog post. Which means I have two screens on the go right now which is probably not good but it's not like we're going to stop ourselves from using our screens. Yet we could reduce the time we have them. The next time you get a screen time notification on your phone then try to see if you can reduce that time by an hour just to see if it makes any difference to your life if you're using your phone less and less. Here are some tips on how you can do that. 

1. Having a switch off period

It's plain and simple but having an afternoon or even a whole day where you don't use your phone unless it's an emergency. I've done it before where I completely switched off from the world and did other things instead. Granted I have a playstation so I used an alternative screen but I feel like social media is the biggest culprit of using your phone all the time so that's why I started switching my phone to not disturb so I don't receive any notifications and I'm not tempted to reply so quickly. Honestly, having a break from your phone for a couple of hours could make all the difference to you and may even become a daily habit for you. I would definitely recommend you give it a try. 

2. Don't use it at work

A lot of us have jobs and in my job especially we're not supposed to be on our phones so my big tip is to leave your phone in your bag and locker. After all, you're in work during that time and shouldn't really be on your phone unless of course your work requires you to be on your phone in that case only use it for work things and not other things like social media and watching videos. You can switch your phone settings to a work setting where you can see apps that are meant for work. This helps take the social media apps off your phone for a bit so that you're not tempted to check on them. Either way, being off your phone while at work will bring your screen time down even more as often you're in work for a long period of time so you may as well make the most of being off your phone during that time and do the best you can in your job. 

3. Do things that don't require a phone when you're bored

The majority of the time we just use our phones as we're bored so this is where you need to find alternative ways to fulfil the boredom. Do things like read a book or tidy your bedroom or even just go for a walk without your phone. There are so many things you can do when you're bored that don't require a phone. Make a list and stick it on your wall so that you have a plan of action when you're bored because sometimes I feel like you could be caught up in the trap of watching multiple videos and before you know it several hours have gone past to which you've stayed in the same position the whole time. There's so many things you can do like have a movie day or play a video game you've been longing to play or even one you've completed multiple times before. I often get out my playstation 2 and play one of the many Harry Potter games. Even though it's a game I've played many times before and know where all the collectibles are, it just means I don't have to think too hard about it and can just get lost in the game. Plus they are games that I really enjoy so it's nice to just go back and play them. There are lots of things you can do when you're bored instead of going on your phone so make that list of things so the next time you're bored, you can do something on the list instead. 

4. Live in the moment

You know what is sad when you go to events like concerts or festivals and all you can see in the crowd is multiple phones. A lot of the time people are just watching the concert through the phone. I'm going to say it right now that you never watch those videos back. Maybe once but after that they just sit there taking up storage. I'm not saying don't take any photos or videos but try to limit yourself to maybe five at the most and the rest of the time put your phone away and just live in the moment. It's so much more fulfilling because you're there experiencing it now before your eyes and not watching it through a screen. Another thing is how many of us are guilty whenever we go anywhere and post a story about it because I think we are all guilty of it and sometimes I wonder why we do it. Whoeven cares what we are doing. I'm also one of those guilty people that posts a photo of food I have in a restaurant. Again why is that thing? I don't know. Something I started doing though was taking photos on my camera instead of on Snapchat or Instagram then create a little post later on when I'm back home then at least I can make a memory from it on my feed instead of it being on my story for 24 hours until it disappears. I'm just going to say that nobody cares where you are and what you're doing at the time. They don't need to see that you've left your house. My biggest tip is less is more. The less you post then the more people will appreciate it when you eventually do post something exciting that is happening in your life. You don't want to be one of those annoying posters that is constantly filling everyone's feed with what you're doing. People get sick of it and will eventually unfollow you. The amount of friends on Facebook I unfollow because of how much they posted on Facebook every day is a very long list. My biggest tip is to just live in the moment and stop posting every time you leave the house. Nobody cares. Just post about the important things that happen and that will be fine. Just live in the moment as it happens because social media can wait. 

Anyway, those are my tips for reducing your screen time. I hope they were helpful to any of you who feel like your screen time is a bit too high. Let me know if you have any other tips for reducing your screen time in the comments below, I would love to hear it. 

Thank you for reading my blog and I'll be back again soon with another post. 

See you then. 

Megan x 

*This is not a sponsored post* 

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