The advent of technology devices such as smartphones and personal computers has engrossed many to the point of being addicted and spending ridiculous hours of screen time per day. Although some might find reasons to justify the time spent on the screen per day, it's important to know that it has its downsides, and today I'll love to talk about myself based on the subject matter.
Since the advent of technology and the innovation of smartphones, I've been a big fan and have been addicted to their usage to the point where I'm so preoccupied with it that I could go on to spend as much as 15 hours on the screen sometimes per day. There are different factors that prompt me to spend that much time on the screen, and first I'll love to talk about those factors, after which I'll share my thoughts about its downside and if I've got tips to help others reduce their screen time.
The first reason why I have that much screen time per day, I'll say, is due to my traits. Being an introvert means I prefer being on my own and mostly indoors, but I still desire connection with others. The evolution of smartphones solves this problem for introverts like me because now we don't have to force ourselves out of our comfort zone before we can connect with the outside world, so with my phone, I have loads of social media accounts where I connect with friends and chat with both old and new friends daily.
Aside from chatting, my smartphone has been a source of entertainment for me to escape boredom. Staying on the phone and checking social media channels presented me with loads of comedy series that got me to glue to the screen as I laughed away my sorrow and became more lively. I'm not much of a big fan of movies, so it hardly eats up my time, except for lately, when I decided to give it a try once again.
On top of all this, I also have more screen time due to my longing to stay up-to-date with happenings around me or read more valuable lessons that'll improve my knowledge in my field of career. Hive is another avenue that gets my glue to my screen, whether I'm writing, reading other people's blogs, or trading. All of these put together make up about 15 hours I tend to spend on the screen daily, but that doesn't mean it's so daily; there are days I only spend 10 hours.
So how do I know I've had enough screen time for the day? This is somewhat complicated because, like I said, I'm more like an addict, but then there are still things that prompt me to stay on the screen for some time, and some of those are work. Whenever it's time for me to focus on my job as a teacher, whether I'm teaching, marking, or recording, I try as much as possible to stay off the screen so I can have maximum attention on those activities, because screen time in such situations is a distraction and could bring about mistakes.
Another way I know when to stay off screen time is if I'm hungry or feeling dizzy. When either of these plays out, I tend to drop my device and devote time to doing the needful in those aspects before I pick up my device once again. Other times are when I'm interacting with loved ones, indulging in house chores, and the like, or when I'm having eye strain, headaches, and so on.
Seriously, I'm not in the best position to give advice to someone on how to manage their screen time because I personally haven't been able to do that myself. Not to mention sharing tips with others, but based on the last time I fell ill, I took some measures to regulate my sleeping pattern, which was affected by my screen time and ultimately affected my health.
So some of the things I do are to give room for more offline connection and conversation, and with that, I was able to stay busy and communicate with my offline friends, which limits the time I stay online. Like I said earlier, boredom is what pushes me online sometimes, but with more physical interaction, I've little need to come online.
I also scheduled my time spent online; for example, I set a load of alarms on when I should be indulging in different activities, like when to chat, when to drop the phone to perform other activities, and the deadline of when I must stop staying on the phone per day. I remember them. I decided I don't want to press my phone anymore once it's 10 p.m., and I was able to stay true to that for a week before I changed again. Before that happened, I really saw the difference; my sleeping pattern improved and was much better again.
The last time I'll also do something that could also be a tip for someone else who wants to reduce their screen time is to "seek an alternative". This is more like a tip for someone else who wants to reduce their screen time: seek an alternative. It's more like what I did with indulging in more offline conversation, but in this regard, it's reading hardcopy books and novels. I'm a lover of books, and reading is one of my favorite hobbies. Since a smartphone came into existence, I've come to prefer reading books online. But in order to reduce my screen time and improve my sleeping pattern, I went back to reading hardcopy books, and it helps me stay off the screen.
So I believe all of this put together can come in handy to whoever is seeking ways to reduce their screen time, and in the end, I hope they find this helpful and have a better, more enjoyable life without spending more time online.
That's all on this subject matter. I hope you enjoyed the read. Do have a wonderful day and stay blessed.
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