We live in incredible times. We are more connected than ever and have instant access to just about anything we could possibly want thanks to the little computers virtually all of us carry around in our pockets at all times. See something online you want to order? No problem, it'll be at your doorstep tomorrow. Want to connect with some old friends from way back when? You can talk to them without ever leaving the comfort of your bedroom through social media. Getting bored at a party? Whip out your phone and scroll Instagram for a few minutes. Filling up your car? There's a freakin' TV on the pump you can use to distract yourself from paying 6 bucks a gallon.
This is all fine and dandy, but what's the constant stream of stimuli doing to us? I don't know about you, but I constantly hear how detrimental it is. For example, most of the time on social media, people just post cool milestones and accomplishments or fun vacation photos and the like. I've read that seeing only the positive side of people's lives can really screw with how we perceive ourselves which of course negatively affects mental health. On the other hand, some people like to post rants about current events which has negative effects too. Particularly if it fires you up in a not so good way. If you're constantly exposed to that, it just gets exhausting.
As a result, I've been trying to prioritize eliminating some of these distractions to a degree. I'm not hardcore enough to eliminate all of social media like some people do (mad props if that's you), but I definitely have been trying to cut down on the time I spend using these resources. My phone loves to tell me how much time I spend on it each day which has actually been helpful for monitoring usage. Sometimes the amount of time I wasted during the day using it is shocking. What could I have been doing with that time instead?
Dopamine
What happens when we pull out our phones? We get a little kick of something called dopamine. Whether you're firing text messages off with a friend, checking notifications on social media or scrolling TikTok, it's all creating a little dopamine kick. It doesn't take long for the brain to associate that little dopamine kick with our phones, so we begin to check our phones more often. Eventually, it becomes an addiction. Fortunately for us, there are some ways to kick this addiction!
Actually Reducing Device Time
Reducing time wasted using our devices can be difficult, but it is doable. The first step is to figure out the triggers that cause you to pull your phone out and start scrolling. During my day for example, we sometimes have lulls between flights which opens the door up for scrolling. Maybe you have certain times during the day where you have a lull at work. Recognize when you are experiencing those lulls and look for something else to do that doesn't involve scrolling. I like to try and socialize with my crew, or stretch my legs and walk the terminal for a bit. I sometimes try to make some phone calls and catch up with people as well. It's also completely acceptable to do nothing for that lull and just sit by yourself in the moment. We don't have to constantly have something to do by any means.
I can't speak for Android, but I do know that iPhone has a screen limiting application built in (Screen Time in your settings), and you can make it as strict or lenient as you want. I looked at all the apps I was spending time on throughout the day and put time limits on them. For example, I set a limit on Reddit for 30 min a day. I set up another combined limit for Facebook and Instagram for 30 min. They don't make it difficult to override the time limiter, but it does provide a nice reminder that you've reached whatever the amount of time that you set.
Notifications
Notifications are the bane of my existence and are the most obvious trigger for phone usage. For example, your phone dings and you pull it out to check, finding a notification for Instagram. Instead of just putting the phone away after checking the notification, I'd bet most people wind up spending a few minutes scrolling their feeds. I myself was no different, so I just ended up turning off almost every notification possible. They're really no big deal here and there, but if you're receiving a ton of notifications every day, you might wind up spending a huge amount of time on social media without even realizing it.
A little bonus side effect of reducing device time is that you're giving yourself less opportunity to make online purchases. It's no secret that we're bombarded by ads on a daily basis, so by reducing the time you spend on your device, you're probably reducing the chances that you'll bust out the credit card and make an impulse purchase. I talked a little bit about that in this article.
By implementing some of these tips, you'll inevitably wind up with a little more time throughout your day to do some of the stuff you truly enjoy!
Notes
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