Like most people, my screen time is probably higher than I would like it to be, but it is important to remember how easily we can get sucked into our phone. The use of my phone and its apps/abilities is primarily for leisure and social interaction, however I still use my phone for reasons outside of that, ei., all my banking is done online through my phone or computer.
For many people around my age (early 20s), Snapchat is the app that is used as a primary mode of communication as it is quick, easy and effective. I use the reminders app to that comes on every apple product, to keep myself organized. I can share my reminders between my phone and computer easily as they’re both apple products. With the reminders app, I am able to keep my life organized as I can easily date everything and have a visual reminder of my schedule at the tip of my fingers.
Every phone and app has distractions that can eat away at your productivity and time, and for me personally an app that does that is TikTok, as it easy to continuously scroll for hours. TikTok perfectly curates videos that are suited to every users personal taste in order to draw attention in. If one was wanting to minimize their time on TikTok, a good strategy to use would be to set a timer through your phone, in order for a visual reminder to be displayed. Another idea would be to use the daily limit feature that the app provides and set yourself a limit, that way the app will remind you when you’ve hit your limit. There is also a parental controls function that would be beneficial if you had kids on TikTok.
I found that I naturally have established limits and boundaries for myself and my personal screen time, again this is something that I could definitely be better at and work towards though. I separate my school/work and personal email so that I do not get easily overwhelmed with emails. Another boundary I set, is to only open a text/email if I am available to reply at that moment, otherwise the odds of me replying are reduced. Through all this, I am able to maintain a mostly healthy mix of using technology for personal use and work related use.
Hi Megan!
I can completely relate to your experiences with daily tech use. Like you, my screen time often ends up higher than I’d like, but it’s true how easily we can get absorbed by our phones. I also use Snapchat; it is my main form of communication for my friends.
TikTok is definitely a major distraction for many of us, and your strategies for managing time on it, like setting timers and using the daily limit feature, are excellent. I also try to establish limits and boundaries for my screen time, although I don’t always stick to them. It’s all about finding that healthy balance, and it sounds like you’re doing a great job at it. Keep up the good work!