Is Social Media Taking Over Your Life? 24 Ways to Cut Down Screen Time

With so many of us glued to our phones, it’s no wonder that social media addiction is a prevalent problem. If you, like most folks, are struggling to cut down your screen time, then look no further. Here are 24 tips from online communities that might just do the trick for you!

1. Know Thy Enemy

When combatting your chronic screen time problem, you have to understand the issue first. It’s only after identifying the enemy you will be able to defeat it.

Start with looking at the apps that eat away at your time. Your screen time report would give you a comprehensive summary of which apps you use the most. Think which ones you consider to be time-wasters and which ones are harmless. 

2. Seek an Alternative

Well, now that you’ve decided to cut down time on certain apps, the question is: what do you do instead? Many commenters recommend figuring out something interesting to you that also counts toward self-improvement. Learning something new, working out, stretching, reading, or doing house chores can all be good distractions from screen time.

3. A Race Against Time

Of course, timers are the go-to suggestion for reducing your screen time. Instead of expecting yourself to know an hour has gone by, let your gadget do the trick. You can set timers on your device or download extensions for your browsers that can help manage the time you spend on each app.

4. Say No to Notifications 

A constant buzz on your phone can definitely fuel the FOMO and compel you to check your social media account. You better believe you’ll end up doing ten different things besides the stuff you got notified for. 

How about turning off the notifications and only looking at all the texts you get at a set time? That way, you’re not missing out but only checking your device once or twice a day. 

5. Privacy Protection

Besides notifications, you can also tweak privacy settings on your account for the better. Turning off activity status and read receipts can relieve the pressure of getting back to people immediately. Learning to reply or get back to texts when you’re ready instead of doing so instantly can keep your hands off the phone. 

6. A Fresh Start

One person provided an exciting suggestion. They mentioned how their current social media accounts are saturated with too much information. Imagine a culmination of all the pages and accounts you’ve followed. 

The clutter on your feed will make you waste your time, consuming content you don’t even like anymore. Maybe a new account with a curated list of content creators to follow can give you the fresh start you’re looking for. 

7. A Deep Dive

This tip may not be an immediate solution, but it’s definitely worth thinking about. Often, the extreme duration of screen time is a form of procrastination. Perhaps ask yourself why you’re scrolling away when you have a billion other tasks to do. 

Are the tasks scary? Do you have a fear of failing them? Are you stressed out about something? If the answer to these questions is yes, screen time is only a symptom of a bigger problem: procrastination. 

8. “If You Can’t Beat ‘Em, Join ‘Em”

Now, this one’s for those who just can’t seem to put their device down. If you’re going to be on your phone anyway, why not make it productive? Instead of scrolling through weird reels, watch a short educational video on YouTube. Maybe chuck the lengthy Twitter threads out for an article. Small steps can make you shift your focus from social media to other forms of entertainment that aren’t as mindless and won’t make you feel so guilty.

9. Productive Procrastination?

Of course, the previous tip isn’t perfect. It can help break the social media cycle, but it’s still important to overcome, or you’ll fall into another rabbit hole of what some term “productive procrastination.” 

While consuming better content can be a decent substitute for social media, it’s a temporary solution. Only self-reflection and mindfulness of why you keep going back to your phone will solve the problem for good.  

10. “Tell Me Why?”

Speaking of self-reflection, here’s a tip that’ll be a huge help. Build a habit of asking yourself why you picked up your phone and immediately close out of social media or games and put your phone away if you did not consciously choose to go there. You can significantly reduce mindless scrolling with this trick as you become more mindful of your screen use.

11. Scheduling for Safety 

Planning is your best friend as far as time management goes. When you know your final isn’t till two weeks later, you might push the prep to the last day. Blocking any such events on your calendars and getting daily reminders of the big day approaching can motivate you to stop scrolling and get down to business! Set arbitrary deadlines if you have to. 

12. A Gentle Reminder

If timers have failed you, set reminders on your phone instead. Put notes or to-do lists in your calendar that alert you. While a timer is just a general indicator to stop, a reminder is more specific, highlighting an upcoming task you have to make time for. It’ll be much harder to ignore than a timer.

13. Stepping Back

Stepping back, literally, can be surprisingly helpful. When your timer goes off, don’t just sit around. Stand up, walk somewhere else, and stay away from your device for at least a minute. In the meantime, look at your handwritten to-do list to clear your head.

14. The Pomodoro

This timing method has taken the internet by storm in recent years. Many people find it to be realistic and easy to implement. The idea is usually to do 25 minutes of focused work followed by a 5-minute break. However, you can develop your variations, such as 40 minutes of screen time followed by 20 minutes of respite to help you clear your head.

15. A Short Breather

Many people swear by pauses to deal with time blindness. “Take a walk around the place, get some outside air, washroom, whatever seems like a good pause that lets you step back and recognize the passing of time that has occurred,” says one person. Small breaks can make it a lot easier to do a complete halt at the end of the day.

16. The 20-20-20 Rule

Perhaps a health reminder can help cut down your screen time. Remember that blue light isn’t all that great for your eyes, and you only get a pair of them. 

One commenter shared their optometrist’s recommendation: the 20/20/20 formula. After 20 minutes of the screen, look at something else 20 feet away for 20 seconds. If you struggle with this, you may change 20 minutes to 60 minutes of screen time. 

17. Someone’s Gotta Do It!

According to one person, “If you want clean clothes, you have to wash them. If you want something to eat, you have to cook and go to the store. If you want a clean living space, you have to take time to clean.” Reminding yourself of all the other tasks waiting for you that’ll enhance your living standards can incentivize you to break away from the screen.

18. Task Scheduler

Windows users might like the sound of this tip. Some folks have tried using Task Scheduler to schedule their computer to shut down automatically at 10:30 pm. It’s better than other app blockers and disablers because it’s annoying and can’t be disabled with a few clicks. 

Sure, you can turn it back on, but the deadline forces you to wrap your things up within the time limit. So, you have little incentive to go back to your virtual world immediately.

19. Going Cold Turkey

Speaking of apps, one person recommended purchasing Cold Turkey. You can set your games or social media applications to be blocked at certain times. If you lose track of time, this app can save you and make your screen time better managed and spaced out. 

20. First Things First

When I, for one, sit down to game, the rest of the day goes by in a flash. It’s an unfortunate reality despite the intentions to do better. If you’re anything like me and are sure that you’ll get reeled into the virtual world, you might want to try to get done with your work as soon as you get home or start your day. 

Getting things done prior can help you have your screen time without the stress of pending tasks.

21. The Walk of Shame

Another way to make timers work for you is to set one on a device that’s at a distance. For instance, if you’re on your computer, set the timer on your phone and put it in such a location that you have to walk to it to turn it off. The short walk will force you to physically leave your device and might clear your mind a bit. 

22. Ending the Blame Game

While technology has its harms, there’s one thing to note: screens are not inherently evil, and they should not have a negative effect unless used irresponsibly. “It is absolutely possible to form positive relationships with how we interact with technology,” says one optimistic commenter. Instead of blaming inanimate objects, let’s focus on being aware of how to use tech for good.

23. Not Black and White

Despite all the problems with screen time, here’s a gentle reminder: your brain needs rest. Mindless scrolling, fun, useless content that gives you a dopamine hit after a grueling day is totally valid. As long as your social media doesn’t take away your life, it’s alright to indulge a little.

24. Perfectionist’s Defect

With all these tips, it’s just as important to note that things won’t go perfectly every time. Some days, your screen time might be less; some days, it’ll be more. Getting back on track and undoing habits takes time, so while you should aim high, don’t forget to be gentle with yourself along the way.

Source: Reddit.