Unplug & Unwind: Part 2 – How to Take Control of Our Screentime
In Part One, we talked about flow and the infinite scroll, design features meant to keep you hooked to your phone. Now, we break down what to do about it.
Tip #1: Set Your Own Stopping Cues
Easiest step: Set timers and time limits – If you don’t want to spend more than a certain amount of time on an app per day, you can actually go into your settings and set reminders for yourself (pictured above) that will let you know when you’ve hit your max. You can always ignore it if you need to, but it provides a concrete reminder for you to take a break. Or, if you just don’t want to find yourself scrolling for too long, simply set a timer on your phone for what works for you in that moment.
Middle of the Road: Create “No Phone” spaces. Have you ever been to trivia and had to put your phone in a basket? Well, why not try doing something similar at dinner? Yes, this creates quality time, but also, setting and following a rule creates the habit. Tying these “spaces” or times to a routine is best. You don’t know what you’ll be doing from 5-6PM every single day, so it’s not realistic to set that as your no phone rule. However, if you make coffee every morning, you’ll always have the rule built in, no matter what the time.
One Step further: Go old school and use an alarm clock. One of the biggest blocks for people getting rid of their phones is their alarm. Use a clock and charge your phone far away from reach of where you sleep to limit screen time and blue light exposure.
Tip #2: Use Night Shift settings or Blue Light glasses, especially before bed.
So, what’s the deal with blue light?
Well, sunlight contains many different light rays and structures of the adult human eye (the cornea and lens ) are very effective at blocking UV rays from reaching the light-sensitive retina. However, virtually all visible blue light passes through the eye. But your eyes assume that this light is coming from the sun, and so, your brain will intentionally try and keep you awake by suppressing your levels of melatonin. Plus, too much exposure to blue light can also lead to macular degeneration and digital eye strain.
Avoid looking at bright screens beginning two to three hours before bed. If you work a night shift or use a lot of electronic devices at night, consider wearing blue-blocking glasses or installing an app that filters the blue/green wavelength at night.
Tip #3: Go Grayscale
Ever notice how those little notifications on your phone are always red? Scientists are not sure why, but time after time, their research finds that neurons in the visual areas of the brain were more sensitive to red than any other color. To switch your phone to grayscale, click here for step by step instructions.
Tip #4: Listen to Your Voicemails
Now this one is our absolute favorite.
Ever delete a voicemail before listening? Or read the transcript instead? For your mental well being, you should be listening to your voicemails. Oxytocin, sometimes called the love hormone, is released when we hear the voice of our loved ones. This is the same hormone released when we have orgasms, when women breastfeed, or when we hug someone we care about.
In an inventive experiment, researchers had a group of teenage girls take a stressful test. Then, they had some call their mothers and others text their mothers for comfort. Only the girls who spoke to their moms on the phone saw a decrease in their stress levels while oxytocin increased. The girls who simply messaged their moms had no change in stress or oxytocin levels at all.
Other Popular Tips:
There are so many tricks you can implement. If those above didn’t resonate with you, more ideas are outlined below!
Send audio messages – Click here for the why and how.
Delete all social media – Ready to go cold turkey? Delete it all! Or maybe just the ones you find sucking up the most of your time. Either way, deleting social media accounts drastically improves our mental well-being.
Only keep tools on your home screen, that way you are not tempted by apps that distract you.
Turn off all notifications except from people.
Resources
Want to learn more? We’ve got you covered.
Apps:
Eliminate Blue Light (Blue Light Blocker)
Flux & Night Shift (Blue Light Blocker)
Flipd (Lock Yourself Out of Distracting Apps)
Freedom (Lock Yourself Out of Distracting Apps)
Siempo (Unbrand & Prevent Unconscious Usage)
TED Talks:
Podcasts:
Books:
Indistractable by Nir Eyal
How to Break Up with Your Phone by Catherine Price
Addiction by Design by Natasha Dow Schüll
