Do you spend hours scrolling through instagram? Here’s how to manage your screentime!

The average American spends almost 3 hours on their phone each day. That’s 1095 hours a year, or over 45 days – over the course of a year, you’ll spend a month and a half on your phone. If you use a phone for 50 years, you’ll spend 6.25 years on your phone, mindlessly scrolling through social media. Just think of what you could do with that time! If you want to spend less time on your phone to get your life back, here are some ways to decrease your screentime!

Set screentime goals

The first thing you should do is set a goal for how much you want to use your phone. Check how long you use you phone each day – you’ll probably be surprised! Then, decide on a realistic goal. Remember to take into account whether you use your phone for work or for studying, since you shouldn’t cut down on that time.

Choose times to use your phone

By choosing a specific time to use your phone, you’re less likely to make it a mindless activity where you get lost in an endless scroll. Make sure it’s not right after you wake up or before you go to sleep! If you want, set timers for your time so that you have a proper reminder to stop scrolling.

Hide your phone

If you place your phone away from you, you’re much less likely to use it. Even if it’s only 15 seconds away, adding a little friction to your phone usage is enough to decrease it drastically. Instead of having your phone right next to your desk, place it in your living room – the increased distance you have to walk means that you’re less likely to open it.

Try screentime apps

There are tons of apps out there that aim to decrease your screentime! My personal favourite is Focus Plant – it’s got Pomodoro timers, stopwatches, and timers to count how long you stay away from your phone. For every 5 minutes you focus for, you get water so you can grow your plants! (This isn’t sponsored, I just really love this app!)

Get accountability

If you still spend hours on your phone, then it might be time to get some accountability. Ask a friend to set a screentime password on your phone, that way you won’t be as tempted to keep asking for 15 more minutes of screentime. If you’re not ready to go to such lengths, then tell your friends about your goal and send them your progress – even having a little bit of accountability can help a lot!

Do you really enjoy this?

The final thing you can do is consider: do you really enjoy this? Is it actually fun and enjoyable? The chances are you don’t actually enjoy scrolling endlessly through instagram, you just crave the dopamine you get from the novelty. There are literally hundreds of other things to do instead! The next time you catch yourself scrolling through social media, ask yourself whether you’re actually enjoying the activity.