Live in the Real World

I remember getting my first iPhone. What a revelation. I was working in a design agency and I now had 24 hours access to my emails and the internet. I looked at my phone before I turned over to go to sleep and as soon as I woke up. Clients could email me at whatever time they wanted and I’d get straight back to them. It was so f’d up! Luckily I don’t work in agencies anymore and I’m able to switch off on my non-working days. But I still spend too much time on my phone!

In the last few years, I had got into a great habit of not living on my phone. I put it down and only checked it a few times a day. But recently my screen time has been creeping back up, lockdown doesn’t help as a lot of our conversations now need to be online. It’s time to live life offline and say no to technology!

So how can you reduce your screen time? Did you know that you can set daily time limits for apps on your iPhone? Go to settings, screen time, app limits. Now set some healthy time limits for the apps that you really shouldn’t be spending too much time on. Social media bring a big one. What about YouTube, maybe you sit and watch funny videos all day? Mail, how many times do you check your emails? Shopping apps, do you really need to browse and waste your day?

Have a cull of apps on your phone. If there is an app that’s sucking away your time every day… maybe delete it. Do you really need it? Delete other apps that aren’t really doing you any good. You can still access websites via a web browser, but deleting the app will make it less easy for you to get to within half a second.

Next set your bedtime routine on your iPhone. In Clock set your bedtime in schedule. Your phone will now wind down at night and up in the morning. Reminding you to go to bed but more importantly turning all notifications off.

Next, you need to change your mindset. There are a million and one productive things that you can do in a day that don’t require screen time. Make a list of things to get done around the house, in the garden. Now add wellness activities like meditation, yoga/fitness, going for a walk, drinking water. Next, add things that you enjoy doing, cooking, reading, whatever it is. Now stick this list on your fridge. The next time you reach for your phone for entertainment, pick something off of that list and do that instead. Over time you’ll train your brain to make healthier choices.

Good luck and remember, life is way more exciting when you put your phone down!