If you think about how much you touch your phone, how many touches would you estimate per day? A recent study showed that the average person touches their phone more than 2617 times a day. Other studies more focused on millennials find that it’s double that number. Clearly, our attention is being continuously compromised.
If you step into any public area in the world, you’re likely to see people scrolling on their phones, often oblivious to what’s happening around them. This is because social media is considered addictive, and it’s designed to keep us coming back like a gambler to a slot machine. The hit of dopamine released when we get a like or see a cute video keeps us coming back for more. But less screen time leaves you with more time for joy, peace of mind, meaningful relationships and productivity!
Today we’re sharing three hacks to decrease screen time and social media.
We got the Vive team together to brainstorm the three most effective and sustainable hacks to help reduce screen time… especially when it comes to social media use.
- Turn off notifications for social media apps… and keep them off! Reducing notifications is the key to using your phone intentionally. Take control – you decide how to use your screen time! Being bombarded with constant notifications can really take a toll on our overall mental health and ability to focus. Say goodbye to those little daggers of stress!
- If you have a second device handy, make that the home for all social apps or any apps you don’t need regularly (the ones that suck up all of your time!). Delete them from your primary phone, knowing you can access them from another device, like an iPad. Now, you're only checking those apps when you intentionally grab your second device instead of mindlessly clicking and scrolling every time you wait in line or go to the bathroom.
- Put the phone down. We know, this sounds obvious. But guess what – when the phone is in your hand or pocket all the time, you're about a million times more likely to use it! Working on a project? Put it out of reach. Watching TV? Leave it in another room. Going to sleep? Stash it in a drawer. Use an old school alarm clock if you have to! Out to dinner? Keep it in your purse or leave it in the car if you can. This is all especially important when you’re with friends and family. Put the phone away and connect with them! You can even plan “no phone times” and let people know in advance that you will be offline for a few hours, the whole day, or even the weekend. It’s so freeing!
We hope these three tips will help decrease time spent on your phone and social media, help you feel better, and allow you to spend more time living in the present moment doing the things you love.
