Picture this. You’re sitting at your desk watching the sun rise through the blinds in your home office. Your hands are being warmed by your morning coffee. A textbook is opened next to your laptop, and you are ready to shorten your to-do list with a productive morning… DING! And just like that, my brain is pulled away from work and to my phone.
I have worked hard to create a positive relationship with technology and the media I consume. However, having a positive online community does not remove the addictive nature of technology. Therefore, I have been working at creating lifestyle choices to not only create a positive online experience, but also an experience that does not take away from balancing my personal health, academic success, work motivation, or social life.
Frequented Apps
My most used apps, according to my iPhone’s screentime stats, include Instagram, Snapchat, Safari, Spotify, Duolingo, and NYT Games. Primarily the apps I use on my phone are for leisure and social interaction. I like to keep my academic and school life off my phone in order to keep a work-life balance.
The apps I frequent the most provide me with the following benefits:
- Creative inspiration
- Connecting with friends and family
- Looking up random questions
- Discovering and listening to new music
- Learning a new language
- Entertaining games
Staying Organized
I have always been old-fashioned with my organization technique: a good old fashion paper planner! However, when I was creating day plans during my internship, I used Chalk to organize my day plans and link in related resources. Chalk kept my day plans sleek and easy to use each day.
Staying Productive
To stay productive, I use screentime limits on specific apps on my iPhone. For example, I have a 15 minute screentime limit on TikTok to reduce the amount of time I spend scrolling. Check out Apple’s user guide for screen time.
As well, one of my favourite apps for staying productive is called Flora – Green Focus, which motivates you to stay off your phone during worktime. You can pick how much time you want to spend uninterrupted from your phone, and the app will start growing you plants to create a virtual garden!
Creating Balance
Technology is a great tool to better ourselves both academically and personally. The key to using it successfully is to set firm boundaries for yourself surrounding technology. To summarize, the main strategies I use to create a healthy relationship with technology include:
- Keeping my iPhone free of school and work related apps
- Using app specific screen time limits
- Using the productivity app: Flora
- Keeping my online social media platforms positive
- Putting my phone down at nighttime
- Being open to new technology that will benefit my experience
2 Comments
Alea Lehne
Hello Kira,
I just wanted to start by saying that I absolutely love the layout of your blog! It is so aesthetically pleasing, and I especially enjoyed reading the quotes on the side. On top of that, your writing style is incredibly engaging—my attention was immediately captured by the way you set the scene before diving into this week’s prompt.
While I truly enjoyed every point you made in your post, I was particularly drawn to the way you discussed creating balance at the end. Finding balance with technology is one of the most challenging aspects, and I really appreciated your perspective on it.
It was a pleasure to read your post and relate to your thoughts in so many ways! Keep up the amazing work.
Chandre Lerat-Yew
Your approach to tech is so thoughtful! I love how you use tools like Flora to stay mindful and focused. Here’s an app I use that you might also enjoy- the Finch app (https://finchcare.com). It’s a self-care companion that helps with mood tracking, goals, and daily check-ins. Plus, you get to care for a little virtual pet along the way. It’s a fun way to support balance and well-being!