In a digital age, it can feel impossible to disconnect from technology for even a second. There are so many enticing, entertaining things online– things that make us feel that we would be missing out if we looked away for a second. However, it’s well known that excessive screen time can lead to a myriad of problems– poor sleep, increased stress, and ironically, a decrease in social interaction. Disconnecting from your phone can be a great way to center yourself and feel more grounded. If you are looking for some tips on how to reduce your screen time, here are some things that have helped me, and that I hope will help you as well.
- Downtime
If you have an iPhone, there’s an option in settings (under screen time) to enable downtime, which limits you from accessing apps for whatever time you set. Downtime is best for limiting screen usage before sleep and right when you wake up. For example, if you go to sleep at 11 and wake up at 7, you can set downtime to start at 10 and end at 8. This can definitely help if the majority of your screen time is at night, or if you’re susceptible to scrolling first thing in the morning. What’s nice about downtime is that you can still allow certain apps to be available that you may need to use, like Clock or Phone.
- Target your most used apps
Under screen time in settings, it allows you to see your most used apps throughout the week. I think one of the most helpful things in reducing screen time is to target the apps you use the most. For example, if it’s Instagram, maybe set an app limit for 30 minutes a day, or however long you think is realistic. Go down the list from most to least used until you find yourself going on your phone significantly less.
- Grayscale
Out of everything on this list, I think this one has been the most helpful for me. In settings, go to accessibility, then display text and size, and then click on color filters. This turns your phone into a grayscale. So much of the appeal of your phone comes with the color of each app– each one looks like it’s screaming for you to click on it. When you put your phone on grayscale, your home screen becomes a lot less appealing, and scrolling is way less enjoyable.
- Screen time apps
There are some apps out there to help reduce screen time, like Forest and Freedom. Forest is more of a study app, but it does the same thing that downtime does– it prevents you from clicking on any app except for those that you have on “always allowed”. This is especially good if you find it easy to get distracted while studying. You simply set the timer for however long you’re studying for. Also, it has a really cute theme: you get to grow your own little forest by planting more trees while you concentrate. Freedom is more of a general screen time app. It allows you to create blocklists (lists of apps you want to block) and set a timer for however long you want to block them for. What I like about these apps is that you can’t ignore the screen time limit like you can on Downtime.
- Deleting apps
This one is a little more drastic, but if you’re willing to, you can completely delete your most-used apps in order to reduce your screen time. Part of why it’s so easy to go on your phone is the convenience. It’s right in your pocket at all times, and you hear every notification throughout the day. Deleting social media apps makes it way less convenient to check as often. This doesn’t mean you have to completely delete your social media accounts. You can still access most social media sites through your computer or Google. It just means that instead of checking your socials twenty times a day, you might be checking five times a day, or once. I find that most of the time I don’t need to be checking social media as much as I think. Even one time a day can keep you caught up, and off your phone.
- Turn off notifications
Speaking of notifications, it’s hard to ignore your phone when you can hear every time someone texts you or likes your post. There are a bunch of studies about how notifications create an addicting feeling of dopamine, which makes you want to hear them more and more. Turning off some or all of your notifications is a good way to stay offline.
Hopefully, a few of these options were helpful. One thing I think is nice to keep in mind is that it’s pretty normal to have a hard time staying off your phone. It’s super normalized to be online all the time, and I definitely am not saying that screens are all terrible. At the same time, it’s good to take everything in moderation. These are just some options for feeling more in control of your screen time, so that it’s a positive rather than a negative thing in your life.