Are you (too) often on your phone or behind your laptop? With these 8 ways you can significantly reduce your screen time, also in the long term!
Do you also find yourself spending a lot of time on your phone, tablet or laptop every day? We all know by now that prolonged exposure to blue screens is not exactly optimal for our sleep, relaxation and focus. Time for a digital cleaning! Because yes, if you get rid of unnecessary stuff and clutter in your house, why wouldn't you be able to do that on your screen? Precisely! These 8 tips will help you drastically reduce your screen time. Are you ready?
Read also: 'The presence of your phone makes you less smart'
By calling it "detoxing," you're giving your brain the indication that you're only taking a short break. But that won't help you in the long run. So call it 'digital cleaning', where you remove the distracting apps on your phone. After a while you can really restore the important apps. It's actually the Marie Kondo method, but for your smartphone!
Do you also receive a push notification every Sunday with how much screen time you have had on average per day in the past week? And do you always fear that? When you get the message that you spent an average of 3.5 hours a day on your phone this week, just think that this week you spent one whole day on your phone. And that probably wasn't just for doing something useful like answering your emails and making important phone calls. Perhaps this confrontation will help you reduce that screen time…
To do a real digital cleaning, it is advisable to remove all apps that you do not use for work – because, let's face it , you can't ignore everything - temporarily remove it from your phone. From social media to games, news apps, you name it. It's a bit intense to get everything out of your system at once, but the goal is of course to get used to a life with less screen time. Don't worry, after a while you can restore the really important apps. Tip:do this digital cleaning not only on your phone, but also on your tablet and laptop for a thorough cleaning.
Now it would of course be very easy if you delete all distracting apps before your digital cleaning and then put them back in the short term. It may help you, but it won't make the difference you hoped for in the long run. It is therefore important that you make a commitment and in any case tries to keep this digital cleaning going for a month. We understand that you cannot completely avoid the internet for some professions, but you can get used to less online engagement. Is there a chance that you will miss news from friends now that you no longer use Facebook or Instagram? Certainly. But it also gives you the opportunity to consciously lead your own life without the need to constantly occupy yourself with others' lives. Sounds pretty good, right?
Do you often catch yourself picking up your phone to see if you have received any notifications? It is also better to avoid that during digital cleaning. In any case, you will receive much less notifications when you have filtered your apps, but it also creates unrest if you constantly keep an eye on your phone. So try to avoid that quick glance for check!
A good way to reduce the tendency to constantly check your phone is to create some distance between yourself and your phone. You will probably find that you now constantly put your phone close to you, so that you can react quickly if something happens. But it can be very soothing to not have to deal with your phone all the time. For example, place it on the dining table when you are sitting on the couch. Does your phone ring or do you need to check something? Then stay at the dining table and avoid snuggling up on the couch with your phone. You can also try leaving your phone at home when you go shopping quickly or walk the dog – what a peace of mind!
Now that you're saving yourself a lot of screen time per day, you have time to do other things that you really enjoy doing. So go and see for yourself whether there are activities you would like to do that you normally don't have time for, such as sports, reading or another (creative) activity. Bet you will appreciate life much more with this combination of rest and fun activities? Are you afraid that you don't know what to do when you start your digital cleaning? Then start with these kinds of activities before you start, because then you already know exactly what you can do if you have some time to spare.
Congratulations, you lasted a month! Time to let a little bit of tech back into your life. We say a little bit because you're really supposed to only use the apps that really matter to you. So try to make a selection for yourself of apps that add value to your life and only put them back on your phone, tablet and/or laptop. We bet that your screen time will be a lot shorter than before… good luck!
Source:Realsimple.com
