Screen Time and me!
When I wrote about screen time and my kids, a reader asked for my thoughts about screen time for adults, and what I specifically do to control my own screen time.
Just like with my kids, what I'm largely concerned about for myself is the type of screen time I'm having.
In general, I'm happy to spend time on a screen when
- I'm producing rather than consuming
- I'm building relationships
- I'm learning
Examples of things that feel valuable to me:
- writing blog posts
- making Instagram posts
- texting with friends
- responding to people's social media posts (vs just scrolling by)
- editing photos
- reading helpful content
On the other hand, getting sucked into someone's social media feed, scrolling the endless Instagram explore page, reading tons of news stories, or reading things that don't really add value to my life feels like a waste of time to me.
Even though I know this, the siren call of useless, time-wasting screen use still can easily pull me in! So, here are a few ways I try to fight that.
I don't have tons of apps on my phone.
They all fit on two pages, with room to spare.
Less stuff = less possibility for distraction.
I closed my personal Facebook account.
I do still have a Facebook account for my blog, but I have almost nothing in my feed on that account, which makes it largely for production vs. consumption.
I took Twitter off of my phone.
I'm mostly a consumer on Twitter, and having it on my phone made it too easy to open it all the time. Better to keep it on my desktop only, where I'm much less likely to check it over and over.
I seriously limit the number of people I follow on social media.
I figure that if something is going to distract me from my real life, it had better be important or really enjoyable.
So if someone's feed isn't adding value or joy to my life, I unfollow.
(And if that's true of any of my social media feeds for you, I'd encourage you to unfollow me!)
Also, if someone's feed tends to send me down too many rabbit-trails, I unfollow. I'm not strong enough to resist rabbit trails!
I have almost no notifications turned on.
Messaging is basically the only app I allow notifications on; I check everything else manually because my soul, those notifications make me want to pick up my phone more often than I should!
I installed Moment on my phone.
It's a free app that tracks how much time I use my phone each day. What I've learned from this app is that small amounts of time add up to way more than I think they do!
The app doesn't do anything magical, but it's a helpful reality check. When I think I'm just popping in here and there a few times, Moment tells me, "Um, no, Kristen. Your "popping in and out" was actually 3 hours total."
So, it's useful in the way that keeping a food diary or a spending diary is helpful. We humans tend to estimate things in our favor, and Moment keeps me more grounded in reality.
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Just so you know, even with all of these things in place, I do sometimes still spend too much time in a day looking at my screens, so please don't imagine that I have all of this perfectly figured out. Screens are super addicting for our human brains, and I imagine that there will always be some struggle to find balance.
But I do think there's value in fighting screen addiction, and the tactics I listed above do help me waste less time on my screen than I would if I just gave up without a fight.
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This is a great post and screen time is something I've been very cognizant of for the past year. Like you, I took all social media apps off my phone and since my phone is with me most of the time I feel that's the starting point to limit things.
As for my computer, that's another story. Frankly I spend too much time in front of it. I'd like to say it's more producing than consuming, but that's probably not always the case. I probably need to use simple tools to set reminders to shut down, put on the running shoes, and get outside!
It's pretty easy to avoid these things just by being a Luddite. 🙂 Literally the only things I do are e-mail and write my blog and read others'. I don't have an Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or anything else account. I don't use a cell phone for anything other than emergency use while driving around. Not even texting. I really do not like the expectation of being "always available" aspect of that.
That said, I do probably check my lap top for e-mails or comments or new posts or whatever more than I need to during the day,. However, as a very secluded stay-at-home mom, that's pretty much my entire contact with the outside world, and it certainly doesn't interfere with me getting stuff done, so I don't worry about it too much. (Though I have promised myself that when we move this summer, I'm going to make more of an effort in our new community to engage in real life. As an extreme introvert with lots of little kids, it's hard for me to make that effort, but I do think it's important, and something I let slide here because it's a temporary location for us.)
I’m the exact same way. I thought I was the only person on the planet who didn’t have a Facebook account! It’s just never interested me. I don’t have Instagram or Twitter either. I read a couple of blogs and that’s it for me.
April and kristin @ going country, you are not the only ones. I had a Facebook account when it first came out but closed it shortly thereafter as I didn't have time to deal with it each day and the contact I had with others on it was superficial at best. The people I want to be in touch with are still reachable by email or phone or in person. I check my email only a few times a day and when I do go online it's to gather information, shop when necessary, (in NYC food shopping online is much quicker than in a store), and read a few select blogs like this one. Other than that I prefer to spend most of my time offline reading, cooking, meditating in groups and alone, enjoying time in nature and socializing in person.
Add me to your list. I've never been interested in social media. Like Kristin, I have an aversion to being at everyone's beck and call. Back in the day, when my kids were tiny, we couldn't afford to upgrade our computer so we didn't really have internet (connection was too slow), just email. I felt isolated so sometimes I would have loooong phone calls with friends or my mom--was it the best use of my time? Maybe not always, but frequently it kept me sane. Kristin, I feel like what you are doing with email and whatnot is probably pretty healthy--I wouldn't worry about it.
Add me to that list, too! I email, I text, and I read a couple of blogs. I don't have the energy to try to make my life look fascinating, so no social media accounts. And although I have a Smartphone, I dearly miss my little flip phone.
Definitely not worried about it, though I appreciate the supportive comment. I realize, however, that I will not be able to maintain this kind of avoidance for much longer. Texting, for instance, has become so ubiquitous that it's how my sons' school contacts us or their Little League coaches inform us of game changes and practices. So far my husband fields those with his work number, but eventually, I'll probably have to text myself. Same with various online things to monitor my children's usage and so on. It's a brave new world, I suppose, and I will have to engage in it eventually. But I'm avoiding it as long as I can because it is very contrary to my nature.
I'm the same. I have never had any of those accounts. I have to admit when people tell me to friend them on facebook, they look at me a little strange when I say I don't have one but I don't mind.
Oh my goodness, I thought I was the only one. I don't have any interest in putting my personal life online by opening up Facebook/Instagram/Twitter accounts (no offense to anyone who does!), and I don't have a cell phone either. I like it that way, though it makes it increasingly difficult to receive information from people who refuse to communicate any other way (or refuse to simply keep their commitment to be somewhere at an agreed-upon time and are frustrated they can't text me 16 times with the play-by-play about why they're 30 minutes late ("I'll be 15 minutes late..." followed by ".....it's going to be another 10 minutes...." followed by "almost there...." followed by "finding a parking space now...."). But "Quit mindlessly surfing the internet" is on my New Years Resolution list every year as a worthy goal, so I have lot of room for improvement!
Hello!
This is SO interesting. None of my family have Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. My husband reads massive amounts of news from all over the world online, I follow a few blogs and write my own, but still I seem to spend too long in front of screens. I text two friends quite a bit, but this conversation has made me very aware of the time taken by things that don't make me happier. Screen time is faux connecting, so I'm logging off and I'm off to the garden!
I intentionally do not have a smart phone because I have a strong aversion to people who stare at their phones all day. It's bad enough when kids do it, but I have seen parents staring at their phones at the park, restaurants, and church. So I just choose to avoid the temptation all together. Now, my iPad is a different story:) That is a daily struggle!
I fought a smart phone for a long time for the same reason. I eventually ended up getting one, but only because they were raising the rate on my dumb phone to $20/month (I think with Verizon) and it was cheaper to switch to having a smart phone with Republic Wireless. Now I just keep my data turned off unless I need it for something like my GPS.
Ruth....you cracked me up when you said they were raising the rate on your "dumb phone"!!! Hahahaa....too funny. As much as I like smartphones, I do miss the simplicity of the "dumb phones" of the past. I actually was a huge fan of the now defunct Palm Pilot, and loooooved my Palm Centro phone with its teeny tiny screen, tiny real physical keyboard, and a tiny stylus. I used that Palm Centro phone like a boss!!! Hahaha. Anyways, thanks for the Wednesday morning laugh that I really needed!☺
I loved my Palm Centro also. It was the best little phone. I used it until it didn't work any longer. I am planning to get my daughter a "dumb" phone when she is ready for one this summer. I just find it difficult to put so much technology into her hands and then let her drive too! It is also difficult enough to monitor computer usage and cell phone usage. But I know I must begin to monitor myself on usage also. This was a good lesson on how to begin.
A fellow palm centro fan!!! You said it....it was THE best little phone indeed! I know it must be hard to monitor your daughter's usage of cell phone and social media on both the phone and computers. I am relieved we did not have to deal with all this social media when we were growing up!?! I applaud you for doing your best to allow your daughter to grow, but within loving moderation. And I agree....this article by Kristen was fantastic!!
I don't have one eighter, and I don't miss it! I just have a regular cell for emergencies.
Isabel, lately I've been thinking of going that route myself.
I never did have a Facebook account and over the course of the past few years, I have deleted my G+, Tumblr, Twitter, and You Tube accounts and uninstalled the Hangouts app. The only social media account I kept is Pinterest, and that is easy for me to just keep and view when I want since there is limited interaction with other people and therefore, less pressure to keep up online relationships.
Heck, I remember the thrill of when faxes and emails were coming onto the scene!?! Too funny It was such a big deal back then. How times have changed!!
Mr. FAF and I don't watch TV. We just watch random stuff.on YouTube when we are bored.
I like watching food review channels, but I'm getting tired of it. I like watching TomTom with Mr. FAF though hehe.
This is a topic that's near and dear to my heart right now. I'm expecting my first child in June and after getting pregnant, I realized I didn't want to be one of those moms who is constantly sucked into her phone. I deactivated my Facebook account, took Twitter off my phone, and unfollowed a lot of people on IG. I still have more work to do (deleting Snapchat, possibly deleting Twitter altogether), but I feel so much better about the amount of time I spend "consuming" on the internet already.
Congratulations, Momma! And kudos to you! My kids are 4, 1.5, and I'll have #3 around the same time you do. I'm working to not be on my phone in front of my kids. There was a long time where my daughter just thought it was a camera and that was fine with me! It is certainly a struggle to not have it out (especially since there was a time where I got really used to using it while I nursed), but it's worth the effort.
This is something I struggle with at times. I can go almost all day without looking at my phone except to take calls or messages, but I work on a computer all day, so it's there, in front of me, for my down times, calling.....
I don't do Twitter, Snapchat or Instagram. I have a Facebook account, but I don't post even once a month. What I do is check out what my friends and relatives are doing, and there's where I can get pulled into those rabbit holes, too. I'm trying to take a stand and limit my time. My husband gives me a hard time about catching up on Facebook and getting sucked in, but he reads news stories for at least an hour or two every day on his phone, and has yet to realize how much time he spends doing that. So we both need to just turn it off a lot. We basically never watch our TV, unless a game or good movie is on.
I use Cold Turkey when I have to get stuff done. Facebook is an all-consuming Siren -- terrible. If I manage to avoid the first click of the day, I can avoid it all day. If I can't, it's Cold Turkey to the rescue.
Great tips. I try to leave my screens in my office so that they don’t interfere with family time.
Bethany | http://www.CutrCapsuleLife.com | Simply Share Friday Linkup
Honestly, since I started this new blog, I feel like I am staring at a screen more. I'm not sure how I feel about that, yet. While I love providing what I feel is fun, frugal info, I'm not sure that I am not still being lured into the computer, a bit. I purposefully do not have any social media accounts because I don't want them to eat away at my life. I have never even had Facebook, which most people I talk to, think is strange. I have always felt that life is about balance and when I am out of balance, some areas will suffer. For instance, I'm not exercising as much lately. I'm going to move that to the top of my priority list because of this post, thanks Kristen.
Great suggestions! I like the idea of removing the apps from your phone and only going with desktop.
I have a really hard time with social media as a time-sucker. The big issue is that I HAVE to check social media regularly as part of my full-time job. It's tough to separate work vs. personal in that context.
I benefit from having "cool down" moments throughout the day where I either read or nap or sit outside. Something that requires zero electronics. 🙂
These are wonderful tips! I have really been struggling to control my own screen time, and even media consumption time in general. I recently realized that nearly every waking moment is filled with consumption of social media, podcasts, audio library books, or television. I am supposed to write quite a bit for my job, and my ability to produce has gone down significantly because I just don't have any quiet time to think anymore. I have been thinking about ways to limit what I consume and I appreciate this post for giving me some great ways to start!
This was a really helpful post - a topic I am continually thinking about! Question regarding your Facebook account(s): is it possible to have a "business" FB page as you do with your blog without a personal account/profile? I thought you had to have a personal account to open/manage a business page? Thanks in advance for the info!
You are correct. So, I have a "personal" Facebook account that I use to run my blog's Facebook page. But I friended almost no one with that "personal" account, so it's not a distracting feed.
I used to have a completely separate personal account with a bunch of friends/acquaintances on it, and that's the one that I closed down.
Gotcha - thank you! A secret facebook account - ha! 🙂
I am deep undercover. 😉
I just got my first smart phone (I know I'm so behind the times), and I am shocked by how easy it is to get sucked in and not set it down.
My trick to use it less is to put it in another room when I'm trying to focus. I don't have kids and never really get emergency phone calls, so I'm able to do that. It helps so much!
How did we get emergency calls before cell phones? I have a one-step-up-from-flip phone that I take out only when we are traveling, (and even then, if we were in an accident on the road, I suspect a dozen drivers would call it in as they drove past).
I've never opened a Pinterest account, as I fear that would take much time as well.
I did a digital detox for 15 days and it felt great! Just used the computer for "essentials" basically.
I'm not on the detox anymore but I still pay attention. I cancelled Instagram, for once. I also limit my screen time at night, no screens after 9h30 (in bed by 10h30). I also try to just be more mindfull about what I watch in general (Cat videos on Youtube? Noooo! Interesting documentary? Yes!). I also limit my time on Facebook and have a limited amount of "friends" on it. I rarely post.
I don't use other platforms (Twitter, etc)
We also limit the kid's screen time.
It really is addictive!
Good post!
The moment I deleted the facebook app from my phone, I became a better mom.
This is a great list of ideas. Thank you for writing it!
How did I miss reading this post until just now?! It's probably because I'm not spending enough time in front of screens.
hmmm...
Screen time is definitely a struggle and I know the more mindful I am, the better I am at not just mindlessly suckling off the internet. (ok, that sounded weird.)
I find if I plug my phone in to charge I'm more likely to leave it alone.
I turn off the computer between uses to save power and the temptation of just checking something quickly.
I try to be purposeful and try to have books close by so that when I catch myself mindlessly scrolling, I can pick up a good book to read which is more enjoyable and beneficial.
Part of the reason I started a blog was to be more productive with my online/screen time. I might be spending more time right now since I have to write posts and try to interact and let people know that I actually have a blog and would love for someone to read it instead of just my husband (even though he's pretty wonderful.).
Anywho. Great thoughts on a very relevant subject.