Seven tips to reduce screen time to improve wellbeing

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Written By Roar! Editor

Over the pandemic, our electronic devices have been more important when it comes to working, entertainment and keeping in touch with those important to us. In fact, studies have reported that half of the adult population (50%) report looking at their screens for a combined total of 11 hours per day. ¹

But with research suggesting excess screen use can interfere with sleep, exercise, and personal interaction² – just what are some ways you can reduce time spent on your screen? To help, experts at Ebuyer have provided seven tips on cutting down screen time to boost your wellbeing

Keep track of your screen time

If you’ve felt a pang of shame when the notification comes through with your screen usage, it may be a good idea to start tracking how much time you spend on your devices. By doing so, you can see which apps or devices exceed a healthy limit and be more conscious of reducing usage over time.

Take back control of your screen time by limiting how much time you spend in front of the screen for something other than work or school and replace any unnecessary usage with non-screen activities, such as going out for a walk or a hike.

Use helpful phone features

When it comes to mobile screen-time both iOS, and Android have a series of apps that have more features and settings than the built-in ones. From apps that track how long you are “in the moment” of your everyday life, to apps that offer virtual reward systems.

For example, Moment gives you daily coaching on simple habit tweaks to improve your everyday well-being, whereas Freedom allows you to create blocklists and schedule time away from the apps that may be distracting. Digital detoxing doesn’t have to be complicated!

Keep moving

Often if you work from home, that lack of morning commute to work or lunchtime stroll to a local café can really take its toll on your daily exercise. Therefore, it’s essential to schedule times in the day when you can get moving – whether that’s a lunchtime yoga break or a morning walk before hitting the desk.

Always, make sure to take regular hourly breaks away from your devices, whether to make a coffee or spend some time in the fresh air. This can really help with re-charging and motivating throughout the day.

Don’t eat at your screen

It’s all too easy to grab some lunch with a side of checking your emails or scrolling through TikTok content. Even when the workday is over many of us find ourselves settling down to eat while we watch the latest Netflix series or power through a gaming session.

Designating eating to the table encourages us to spend time away from our devices and increases the quality of time we spend with friends and family. Perhaps invest in some new tableware or crockery for that extra motivation.

Reduce your screen time before bed

Studies have shown that the harsh glare of electronic screens can interfere with our sleep. ¹ So, in setting an hour before your bedtime to be a strictly no-screen zone, can really improve the quality of sleep.

To confirm that night has started, keep the lights dim and your screen time down in the evening. Perhaps you can replace the time spent scrolling through social media with engrossing yourself in a gripping novel or journaling.

Switch to grayscale

Both iOS and Android allow you to turn your phone’s display grey. So, why is this effective at curving your screen-time levels? Without all the bright colours, your devices can lose their visual appeal.

For iPhone users, head into Settings. Next, select Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Color Filters. And finally, toggle the switch on so that the Grayscale option appears.

Android users can do this by opening up the Setting panels and going into Digital Wellbeing. Chose Wind Down and you can either turn Grayscale on now or schedule it for a later time.

Schedule face-to-face meetings

Over the pandemic, it became all too easy to simply call someone via Zoom or Teams. But, with lockdown restrictions eased, there is little excuse to get out and interact with friends, family, and colleagues.

If you have the means, perhaps you can schedule that critical meeting to happen face-to-face or if you want to catch up with a friend, arrange to meet them for a catch-up at a local café.

Commenting on the tips, Andy Roberts E-commerce Director at Ebuyer says “As the new normal has shifted to a world where digital communication is at the forefront, it’s become all too easy to spend a huge number of hours on our electronic devices.

“Although, our devices are essential for keeping us connected, limiting the amount of unnecessary screen-time can be great for both physical and mental health.

“We hope our tips will help people find good balance between the time they spend on and off their devices.”