Typically, I would be the first to say that I despise eBooks. Why would I elect to stare at a screen when I could instead curl up with a book complete with freshly printed pages that smell of vanilla and cedarwood? As the popularity of Kindles and other e-readers rose, I thoroughly rejected the acclaim and ease of eBooks, instead choosing to visit the library for a free and equally simple process of obtaining books. Yes, I will always choose a physical book over an online one, but I have recently found another use for eBooks that has helped me to tackle a separate issue in my life: my screen time.
My screen time is something I have battled with for a long time, TikTok being the usual culprit of my egregious screen times each day. Whenever I am bored or avoiding other responsibilities, I turn to my phone and scroll endlessly through videos. However, when my library recently lacked a book I was anxious to read, I downloaded it on my phone instead, leading to my surprising revelation. Excited to read my new book, I found that each time I opened my phone, rather than turning to TikTok, I opened the Books app.
Over the next few days, during my down time when I would not have necessarily thought to pick up a book and read it, I consistently turned to my eBook rather than to TikTok or other social media platforms. I realized that I had stopped meeting the screen time limits that I set for myself on my social media apps each day because I chose to read my book whenever I habitually unlocked my phone.
Just the mere fact that I had a book that I was enjoying downloaded onto my phone pushed me away from mindlessly scrolling through social media in a way that physical books never had. At least for me, when I am reading a physical copy of a book, there is usually a set time or place that I am most comfortable doing so. I use my phone more frequently in my free time since it is much more convenient and I always have it with me. Therefore, always having an eBook downloaded on my phone has become my solution to limiting my otherwise mindless screen time.
To anyone facing a similar struggle with their screen time, I recommend downloading a book that you have been wanting to read onto your phone. If it interests you enough, I promise you will consistently find yourself opting to read it rather than once again opening your time-sucking app of choice. While I will never be a full eBook convert, I am happy to say that I have a newfound appreciation for them and their impact on my life.