What is the first thing you reach for in the morning? My first guess would be your phone, it is for me! However, there are so many more options that you could do instead.
Imagine this: It is Sunday morning, you are scrolling through Facebook in your bed watching the various videos that fill your screen. *DING* Screen Time: 5 hours 31 minutes PER DAY. I took the average of our HerCampus chapters’ screen time: 4 hours and 45 minutes.
Are you looking for some alternatives to picking up your phone? Or to just cut down? Well, I am here to help you!
When conversing with other members of HerCampus, I had come aware that there was a feature that Apple offered, a downtime feature. This feature is described as giving your phone ‘naps’. It can set communication limits, app time limits, and notification limits. This seems very convenient.. Illinois State’s Sidney Ropp’s experience was as followed, “I have used apple’s downtime feature in the past to help limit the amount of time I spend on my phone, and while it was effective, I ultimately turned the feature off because it slowed my phone down and caused a lot of glitches”. This is not to say this will happen for everyone’s phone, so take your own opportunity and use this feature! Let me know how it works for you!
Now, there is no harm in having some screen time. But, if we can find ways to more effectively spend our time why not try it? Here are some suggestions that I have personally tried:
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Instead of reaching for your phone in the morning, pick up a journal! This will be an easy way to cut screen time down and it will also give you a positive mindset to start your day with! I truly believe if you start your day with positivity it can set the tone for the rest of the day.
Just like in the morning, right before I go to bed I always take one last scroll through social media I find myself scrolling longer than I originally planned to, thus staying up longer than necessary. To combat this hobby:
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Pick up your current book. The most common phrase I hear from book lovers is: I can never find the time to read. Well, switch that screen for a page! Even if you are able to squeeze 5-10 pages in I can promise you that your eyes and mind will thank you!
One of my favorite hobbies is to write or draw. I never feel like I have enough time to complete my hobbies.
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Pick up a pen, draw without erasing. Write without deleting. Let your creative juices flow and spend some time on you. Express yourself creatively, I bet you will surprise yourself!
One thing that we can all never get enough of…sleep!
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2-3 nights a week shut all of your lights and screens off, and head to bed 15 minutes early. Just simply skip the time you spend on your screen!
By no means am I saying there is anything wrong with taking some time to scroll through social media, I am just suggesting some more options! Take some time to appreciate yourself, rest your eyes, and express yourself.