How I Reduced my Screen Time During Quarantine
The world is quarantining and people are locked down inside their homes. Without having to dress up, travel, socialise, do outdoor chores, etc., people have more time than before and don’t know what to do with it.
In such a case, it is very easy to rely on our phones to keep ourselves from getting bored. Most of us were already addicted to our phones before; we just had a lot of tasks that kept us from using it the whole day. But now with not a lot of things to do, we find ourselves checking our phone every so often, which often results in poor health and wastage of time.
I personally realised I had been using too much of my phone when my eyes started feeling tired; however, I wouldn’t recommend anyone else to wait for that to happen. It would be better to monitor their screen time beforehand. Here’s a list of things I did to control my screen time and you can try too:
1. Turned off notifications from unnecessary apps
This included apps for shopping, gaming, groceries, fitness, pictures, media, and all other apps I didn’t need notifications from.
2. Turned off notifications from social media apps
The unnecessary app notifications weren’t a big problem — it was the notifications from social media apps. Because every time I had a notification from one of those, it somehow became important to check it, and I ended up spending 15–20 minutes on the app every time.
The biggest part for me was turning off WhatsApp notifications, because I’m really into chatting. But I decided that I should get to choose at what time I wanted to interact/chat. So, now, instead of going online for every single message, I check the app every few hours and reply to all messages at once.
3. Uninstalled Instagram app for some days
Instagram is the app I spent most of my time on. Honestly, I don’t need all the content that is out there, but I couldn’t keep myself from casually scrolling through the app even after knowing that. With Instagram, I had no control. So, I decided it was time to show my brain that I can totally survive without it for a few days.
4. Set a usage limit to apps that I spent most time on
This section is about Netflix and other entertainment apps. I often ended up watching episode after episode with no control (and a feeling of guilt in the end). So, I went to App Settings and set a limit on the app usage.
5. Called instead of texting
This doesn’t really need any explanation.
6. Scheduled automatic power off
I usually pick up my phone at 11 pm every night, and end up using it till 2 or 3, and sometimes even later, which affected my productivity the next day. I knew I wouldn’t keep my phone down unless I was compelled to, so I got my phone to do just that. I scheduled an automatic power off at 1 am, and made it a point not to turn it on again. I informed my friends I won’t be available after 1, and it worked.
7. Kept my phone away while sleeping
After my phone went off, I started putting it away on my desk instead of keeping it next to my pillow. It controlled my urge to check it while sleeping, and helped my wake up on time (because I had to get up from the bed to turn off the morning alarm.)
8. Picked other hobbies that didn’t involve usage of phone
To be honest, I didn’t pick any new habits, but simply returned to the ones I already had. And trust me, that was more satisfying, as it gave me time to do things that I wanted to do but thought I didn’t have enough time for, like reading and singing.
These steps really helped me reduce my screen time significantly, and gave me time to do other things I love. I hope they help you too. In fact, I’m going to continue some of these practices well after quarantine, while others, I’ll practise from time to time.
