Exposing My Slight TikTok Addiction

So I looked at my screen time for my phone, and I wondered where I get all the time in a day. My average per day is 9 ½ hours on my phone, which is higher than the week before, after doing the math, that is a lot of time. 

For example, to break down my Tuesday – I spent 6 hours on my phone.

18 (total hours awake) – 6 (screen time) – 3.5 (work shift and travel time) = 8.5 hours left

8.5 hours – 6.5 (hours of classes on tuesdays) = 2 hours left for eating, homework, and whatever else I have left in my day.

Looking at the week  – there are 164 hours – about 50 hours of which I am asleep so – 114 hours.

Of the 114 hours awake in a week I spent 

33 hours on social media (26 of those on TikTok).

12 hours playing games on my phone

4 hours reading on the Kindle app

3 hours between my email, work app, notes, and banking app

1.5 hours on my camera and photos

1.5 hours on Walmart ordering groceries for my work

0.5 hours on music

Leaving 58.5 hours minus my classes and work (30 hours) and eating/cooking (15 hours).

So 13.5 hours a week left – and I am pretty sure I spent all of that time doing homework.

Meaning I spend wayyyyy to much time on my phone, social media, and tiktok. I spend most of my time using technology on TikTok and most of the rest of my time ousing technology on my laptop doing classwork – URcourses, google docs, etc.

I do not really want to admit this but I have no fancy strategies or boundaries to help me keep my tech-related distractions to a minimum or keep a healthy relationship with technology. Although my screen time usage seems bad it used to be much much worse. A year or two ago I used to average 12 to 16 hours a day. So I have a much better relationship now, but I am still working on it. My only strategy for reducing my distractions (TikTok) is my own will and determination. 

Now for technology that helps keep me organized I 10/10 recommend the app TimeTree to use instead of the calendar that comes with your phone.t is a calendar app that allows you to share your calendar with friends, family, coworkers, etc. However I use it to keep track of my assignments, work shifts, appointments, and anything else I need to keep track of. Using that app allows me to assign colours to different things so I can look at the calendar visually and know what I have to do or how busy I am. I find it more visually appealing and just overall l nicer than the calendar app that comes with the phone. So if you struggle to keep your times and due dates organized I highly recommend that app.

*Update* November 27th, 2023 – I decided to see if I had improved my screen time at all since reflecting on my TikTok and social media usage. I decided to start by putting a 2-hour daily limit on TikTok and other social media apps, which has helped. Comparing my screentime from the original post which was about September 15th to 21st data with last week (November 19th to 26th) data.

I have to admit I am proud of myself. I cut my daily average by 2 hours a day – which is a lot of time if you think that means adding 2 hours to your day for homework, cooking, or other things. My social media average was reduced by 14 hours. The total hours I spent on my phone in a week went down by 15 hours! And finally, my total TikTok usage in a week went down by 12.5 hours! That’s like not watching 750 one-minute videos. It’s crazy what you can do when you set your mind to it!