-
12 votes
-
Reduction of screentime leading to positive changes in daily life
Hi, I think I have mentioned it here a few times, but I (used to) spend A LOT of time on my phone. I’ve tried to reduce it in the past with more or less success, and recently without any...
Hi,
I think I have mentioned it here a few times, but I (used to) spend A LOT of time on my phone. I’ve tried to reduce it in the past with more or less success, and recently without any university work (I finished all exams half a year ago) and varying amounts of work as a freelancer, it crept up to 6+ hours of screen time per day. (this is excluding watching stuff to fall asleep, which I want to reduce but I am taking one step at a time) - So it’s a lot.I tried a lot of stuff, reducing the hours, by setting limits for apps, turning off notifications, but that just leads to me extending the time by entering the password myself, or checking my phone more often because I am curious about whether someone texted.
So last week Wednesday some stuff changed. I took my first long bike ride in a long time, and that day I felt really good, I still had 5 h screen on time that day though. The next day I turned off notifications for Whatsapp, but I left the indicator next to the app on, so I could see that I have messages quickly, I also decided to just force myself to wait a bit until replying to people. Also my girlfriend is the only one that knows my screentime passcode now, so I can't sneakily extend my app timeThat Thursday my screentime was 3h 16 minutes. I was hooked, I wanted to keep my time as low as possible. Since that Thursday, I have not hit the 4h screen on time once. Yesterday I was at 3h 59 min... it was an exhausting day though (Spending 1.5h at the waiting room at the doc) and I wouldn’t have blamed myself, but I still didn’t want to hit the 4h mark. Last Thursday my daily rhythm has changed quite a bit. I got Ring Fit Adventure this week, and I have done sports 4 times this week, I started to pick up playing guitar (literally got one yesterday) and ukulele again, and I just try to find stuff to do that does not involve my phone. I also played Persona 5 Royal on my ps5, I know it’s screen time but I feel less bad about it because I don’t take my PS everywhere with me, and these were the first days I have taken off in a long time… Next, I am trying to maybe work through my books that are on my backlog, finally finishing some more again. (my girlfriend gave me the book "South Sea Vagabonde, and I am meaning to read it, and I am also listening to the Audiobook "The Shallows")
One change just caused so many good changes. I am stoked and looking forward to how low I can bring my average, I know 4h per day is still a lot for most people. I am aiming at sub 3h next ( I had that once this week).This scene from Bojack has been my mantra since then: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2_Mn-qRKjA
It really does get easier, too. Today I went biking and I managed to go much longer without breaks and I feel way less exhausted.
I just wanted to share my experience somewhere, maybe someone else is on the same path and this helps.
22 votes -
Will places that depend on tourism be more open to high tech, given that remote work is more accepted?
5 votes -
What the Dutch can teach the world about remote work
5 votes -
Virtual sex parties offer escape from isolation — if organizers can find a home
6 votes -
We’re on the brink of cyberpunk
8 votes -
Internet 'is not working for women and girls', says Tim Berners-Lee
17 votes -
It’s okay to leave your headphones at home
23 votes -
Match on dating app Tinder helps rescue camper trapped in ice in northern Norway
7 votes -
When Minneapolis segregated
4 votes -
In Norilsk, Russia's most isolated major city, the arrival of high-speed internet gave residents a new window onto the world
9 votes -
Student tracking, secret scores: How college admissions offices rank prospects before they apply
15 votes -
You can now practice firing someone in virtual reality
6 votes -
The internet has spent three years taking care of this guy’s plants: The subreddit r/takecareofmyplant has 11,300 members, all dedicated to, well, taking care of a plant
17 votes -
Black tech news coverage struggles to find a home in mainstream newsrooms
8 votes -
Forty online resources all women in tech careers should know about
7 votes -
One out of every 11,600 people in San Francisco is a billionaire
5 votes -
Everything is a subscription now
8 votes -
Blind people can struggle to understand memes, so they made their own
11 votes -
How to grant your child an inner life
8 votes -
The future of aging just might be in Margaritaville
9 votes -
The lie generator: Inside the black mirror world of polygraph job screenings
6 votes -
Yuval Harari: The most important investment is building a more flexible mind
7 votes -
The startup world’s cuddly, cutthroat battle to walk your dog
5 votes -
The memoir by Steve Jobs' daughter makes clear he was a truly rotten person whose bad behavior was repeatedly enabled by those around him
17 votes -
The future of policing is here
20 votes