“No more iPad for you tonight!” Us parents find ourselves saying this phrase to our kids often. However, what about us? Over-exposure to digital screens isn’t a disease that only targets children and teenagers. We are sure, at some point or another, you’ve probably felt that you are gradually losing control over your life as smart devices. If you are addicted to staring at the screen, you need to read our tips to breaking the cycle of scrolling for hours. Because you don’t have a parent telling you to get off your computer or phone, here are five practical ways to spend less time glued to digital screens. Probably the only irony here is that you will be reading about this on a digital screen as well!
It Starts As Soon As You Wake Up
What’s the first thing that you do when you wake up? Even before you lift your head from your pillow or have some water, you probably subconsciously look for your phone and check your Instagram feed.
There, you just lost your entire day’s discipline as soon as your day started! Make it a part of your morning routine to not check your socials for at least two hours after you wake up.
Keeping Your Screentime In Check
Another reason that you spend a good amount of your time glued to your phone screen, scrolling through TikTok mindlessly, is that you aren’t even aware of how much time you are wasting! Remember the phrase “mindless scrolling”!
An easy way to tackle this issue is to regularly check your screen time and shortlist the apps that you waste most of your time on. You know the rest! Avoid those apps as much as possible. You can even set app timers if you have to.
Say Goodbye To Colors
Another main reason we’re addicted to staring at our screens is that the software designers behind these apps are geniuses. They understand how the perfect balance of colors can make things impossible to ignore.
Knowing this, looking at your phone will make you want to keep looking at it; the best way to counter this issue is to switch to grayscale settings. You’d be surprised how boring your “addictive” apps turn once you take the colors away from them.
Download Apps To Counteract
Now that you’ve realized that the technology that you’ve been subconsciously addicted to for years is very good at reeling you back in, you don’t need to start viewing the word ‘technology’ in a negative light!
Some apps help you reduce your screen time by not allowing you to get distracted and go on a “2-minute break that turns to a 1-hour TikTok sesh”. Much like the technical version of “Big Bro’s watching you!”
Regular Breaks
If your entire work revolves around a screen, like programming or digital arts, you probably cannot reduce your screen time much. However, what you can do is make it less harmful to your health.
Spending extended hours glued to a digital screen can pose serious harm to your vision. Therefore it is advised that you take a 5-minute break every 30 minutes to rest your eyes, get blue light glasses, and get up to stretch your body.