My Technology Use

I would say that technology is very much a part of my daily routine. There are several websites and apps that I open frequently. The first apps that come to mind are social media apps including Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, BeReal, and TikTok. While these apps are all ways for me to feel connected to my friends and family, I also often find myself stuck doomscrolling on them.

I have recently gotten really into reading and listening to audiobooks. For this hobby, I often open Goodreads, Libby, and my library’s website. While these apps are mainly for leisure, I don’t see them as too harmful either. I have found that I am far more productive with household tasks when I have an audiobook to listen to. I have also used Libby and my local library to access resources for class.

I have a few go-to digital tools that I rely on to help keep me organized and productive. My most used is probably Google Docs. I not only use Google Docs for writing papers, but also use it to keep track of what assignments I have due. Whenever I hear something that I need to remember, I write it down in the notes app on my phone. I use the calendar app TimeTree to keep track of my husband’s and I’s busy schedule. I like that we can both add to it and see what the other person has going on. The tool that probably helps me be the most productive with school is honestly Spotify. I find that I can focus a lot better on homework and accomplish more when I have slow indie music playing as I work.

While it’s helpful for playing music, I find that my phone can be a major distraction that can really take up my time and drastically decrease my productivity. Social media notifications can easily distract me from work and suck me into mindless doomscrolling. I am also lately pretty addicted to the phone game called Block Blast, which has consumed much of my screen time the past few weeks. I have figured out a few strategies to help minimize distractions from my phone. First, I often place my phone out of site. I have found that it being out of my vision helps stop me from mindlessly picking it up out of habit. Secondly, I like to put it on “Do Not Disturb” or a similar setting when I really need to be productive but still want to use it for streaming music. Finally, when it’s crunch time on an assignment and I cannot afford to waste any time, I have given my phone to my husband and told him that he cannot give it back to me until I have  finished my work.

I am working on establishing a more healthy relationship with my use of technology. I would like it to be a tool in my life, rather than a distraction. One way that I have done this is allow myself to take the breaks that I need. I often “reward” myself with social media or phone game time after I have completed a set amount of work. For my personal well-being, I have taken a few long-term breaks from social media when I notice it negatively affecting my mental health. For instance, I deleted my Instagram app for about a month last year when I found myself comparing myself to others on it too much. While these are some little things that have helped me, I am still working on striking a proper balance between screen time for academic purposes and personal well-being.