It’s important to turn off our phones and reduce our screen time if we want to be more productive. Here are 4 steps to help you get off your phone and reduce your screen time.
Do you want to be more productive? Do you want to get more tasks crossed off your to-do lists? Then girl, get off your phone! I know! I know! That’s really hard to do!
In case you didn’t already know it, our phones are time suckers! According to research collected by RescueTime, the average person spends 3 hours and 15 minutes on their phone every day! I know disconnecting seems almost impossible in today’s 24/7 connected lifestyle, but it is necessary that we turn off our phones if we want to get more done.
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HOW DO WE DISCONNECT?
What can we do to disconnect and stop scrolling continuously through our social media feeds? How do we stop pinning those adorable Pinterest projects that we will never actually do? (I am the queen of pinning projects and NEVER doing them!) How do we stop checking our email every time we hear the notification ding? I have a few suggestions!
Over the past few months, I have become more aware of my screen time thanks to my phone’s weekly screen time report. Sadly, week after week, it stated my screen time percentage was up from the previous week. I decided to lower that statistic and purposefully planned time on and time off my phone. I was able to reduce my daily screen time with thoughtful planning. I’m not going to lie though- it was painful to get off my phone!
For the first few weeks, I had withdrawals while purposefully disconnecting. (And I cheated a few times!) It was hard, but it does get better. Day after day, week after week, it got easier and I completed many important tasks and projects by just putting down my phone. You can purposefully disconnect too. I have complete faith in you! Here are 4 steps to help you lower your screen time:
1. Create a schedule and stick to it!
Plan phone downtime.
Mute your phone and place it out of sight. I usually put my phone away the first hour I get home from work (it is my P.O.W.E.R. hour), during dinner and during family time. Distraction is so easy when our phones are near us. It is important for us moms to be totally present when we are spending quality time with our families or focusing on tasks. Try putting your phone away during meal times or scheduled family time to show your family you are focused on them.
Schedule active phone time.
Scheduling active time is just as important as planning downtime. Plan time for you to return phone calls, reply to emails, reply to texts and scroll through your social media. Planning time throughout your day for those tasks keeps you from feeling like you need to constantly look at your phone or computer and get distracted. Those distractions hinder you from completing your important tasks.
2. Hide your phone.
This is an old-school solution. If you can’t hear it or see it, it makes it easier to ignore it! Just hide the sucker! Put your phone in a drawer, or in the other room while you are working on an important task or having family time. Being totally present and giving all your attention to the person or task at hand makes the task go faster and makes other people feel valued, heard and respected.
3. Turn off notifications and/or activate “Do Not Disturb” on your phone
I have to reply to work texts and emails constantly during the work day, but I purposefully turned off my social media notifications so that I don’t get easily distracted and look at my phone every time it dings. You don’t need to be notified every time someone posts a comment on social media or likes one of your posts. Try to reserve routine emails, social media comments and texts until your scheduled active time.
If you’re like me and can’t completely turn off your phone during work or don’t want to totally turn off your phone or notifications, you can easily activate the “do not disturb” function on your phone while you are working on an important task. There are also apps out there to help with this, but I am more low tech and prefer to just mute it and hide it while I am working on a project.
4. No phone before bedtime!
This step doesn’t help you be more productive specifically, but it does help you get a better night’s sleep. And we all know that if you are fully rested, you have more energy the next day. According to an article in Psychology Today, studies show that blue light-emitting screens (like your phone) can disrupt your sleep cycle, inhibit your ability to fall asleep quickly and make you more alert instead of sleepy if you are looking at the screen prior to bedtime. The research suggests stopping screen time 2 hours before bed which seems totally unrealistic! But, the research findings really caught my attention, so I decided to try it. I stopped looking at my phone 2 hours prior to bedtime for a few days as a challenge to myself and read a paperback book before bedtime instead.
No phone before bedtime is hard but helpful
While I couldn’t make myself stop looking at my phone 2 hours before bedtime every night, I was able to create and maintain the habit of no screens for 30 minutes before bed. Instead, I read an old-fashioned, paperback book and my sleep is so much better. I encourage you to try putting your phone down before bed- especially if you are having trouble sleeping or staying asleep. Try eliminating screen time for at least 30 minutes before bedtime. If it seems to be working, then gradually work your way up to an hour or so if you like. A goodnight’s rest is so important for our bodies and productivity.
We are part of a connected world and our phones are wonderful tools to help us connect with others and communicate. However, too much of a good thing can be overwhelming and distracting. Take back your time and be more productive. Regularly schedule some phone downtime and phone active time so that you can focus on your most important tasks and goals. Try turning off your phone and just be present with those you love. I promise you will feel so much better!
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