For myself scrolling time is usually leisurely. Others in the class inspired me to look at my screen time report, it was terrifying. According to my phone, I spend about 6-7 hours on it daily. My most used apps are Tiktok, Snapchat, and YouTube Music. I do use my phone a lot to take notes for class. I find that usually when I get all settled to get some work done I usually forget to grab my laptop, so I just read Power-Points, notes, etc. on my phone.

Photo by tranmautritam on Pixabay

I have tried using apps to help myself stay organized and on task, but I usually find that I forget that they exist, or I just end up deleting it. I have a Google phone, so Google Assistant is quite handy to remind me of appointments, bills, and other tedious things to remember. My tried and true method though is just a large desk calendar. It has been the only thing that really keeps me on track. I do use my notes app to keep track of due dates and such until I can write it on my calendar. If anyone has any suggestions for a great planner app that would be greatly appreciated!

TikTok is my biggest distraction, I sometimes catch myself scrolling for an hour or more straight when I definitely have other more important things to do. I find that if I “reward” myself with 15 minutes of mindless scrolling after I complete a task that helps. Sometimes, (more often than not) I get stuck “doom scrolling” and accidentally waste a good portion of time. I sometimes use the built in app locker on my phone, but then I will just disable it and continue scrolling. I have actually considered getting myself a phone jail, which is exactly what it sounds like. It seems extreme, but I truly think I would benefit from it.

Being honest, I am still trying to find that perfect balance of screen time. I think I have improved somewhat on staying focused when doing school work, but I would like to discover more strategies on how to improve my likeliness to be distracted.

Thanks for reading!