6 ways to reduce your daily screen time

We have become SO reliant on having a screen in front of us or next to us at all moments of the day. I'm guilt of it. I've realised mine is a bad habit more than an addiction though, thankfully. I know this, because I purposefully give myself regular breaks from my phone for hours at a time and I love the freedom from it. Sometimes I dread picking up my phone again because I love being without it!   

1 / One screen at a time 

Hands up if you sit in front of the TV with your mobile phone? This is a VERY bad habit of mine. Most of the time, I'm more interested in what is on my phone (texting, Instagram, reading blogs etc) than what is on TV.

So not only am I slumped on the lounge in a non-back-friendly position, but my neck is also slumped forward using my phone. I know for sure my chiro would be horrified! 

My new rule - 1 screen at a time. Make a choice. If I am captivated with what's on my phone, then I will go and sit somewhere else (ideally outside in the fresh air) and give it my attention for a designated amount of time. Or...on the off chance I'm enjoying a TV program, I will put my phone in a different room. Inspired by my beautiful yoga teacher Leanne and a habit I used to be in, I will also use that TV time to stretch while I'm watching. My body and chiro will be much happier because of it! 

2 / Remove a social media app from your mobile 

Many of us have multiple social media apps on our phone (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snap Chat....). It is all very accessible. Unless we put restrictions on ourselves, the habit or addiction will take hold. 

I don't have a plethora of social media apps, but I've decided only keep the Instagram app since it is my favourite and looking at beautiful images makes me happy. If I want to check or upload anything to Facebook, I can do it from my computer. 

Another tip - log out of your apps between using them to make it less tempting to continually check. I know all too well how tempting it is to do a quick scroll of Insta. If I counted the amount of times a day I do it, I'd be embarrassed!  Taking away the temptation is a great place to start. 

3 / No screen time when you eat 

It seems there aren't many sacred rituals during our day where are phone isn't with us. Not even meal times. 

There is a rule in our house of "no phones at the dinner table" and where possible, phones are on silent so they don't interrupt our meal. 

I've been learning about the benefit of mindfulness while you eat, instead of shovelling down your food while distracted by your phone, computer, tablet or the TV. Much of the time, we eat like zombies, paying no attention to our food and often, overeating because we are too distracted to notice when we are full (leading to weight gain!). 

It is so important to give your body the benefit of the multi-faceted digestion process which all starts in your mouth. The digestion of food starts the moment you start chewing - our saliva contains enzymes that start the chemical process of breaking down our food. The better we chew, the less work our body has to do to break the food down, the easier it digests and we absorb more nutrients which equals more energy for our body. If you are shovelling down your food, not chewing properly or concentrating, it can lead to a range of uncomfortable digestive problems.  

Plus, if you're a foodie like me, we actually like to enjoy our food - the smell, taste and nourishing experience. No one is too busy or too important to take a small percentage of their day to disconnect from work or technology, to eat a meal like it should be eaten.  

4 / Switch to silent mode 

This is something I've been doing for a while and while it may drive some of my friends and family nuts when they can't always reach me instantly, it is something that has improved my life immensely.

If I'm not expecting a phone call and there is nothing urgent happening in my day, I put my phone on silent and put it out of sight - sometimes for an hour or sometimes for a few hours. The saying "out of sight, out of mind" is true. Depending on what I'm doing, whether it is working, studying, meditating or exercising, whatever I'm being contacted for can wait until I get back to my phone. 

Touch wood, I haven't had any emergencies that I've missed and if anything semi-urgent has popped up, it can be dealt with when I check my phone. I've learnt through my mindfulness practice that multi-tasking isn't an efficient way to live or work. If you are concentrating on only one task at a time, without distractions, you will do that task better. Quality over quantity.

Sometimes this can't be helped, obviously if you are working in a busy work environment with other people and a lot going on around you. Even more reason to put your phone away if it's not required for your work.  

5/ Show respect to the people you are with 

This is a pet peve of mine and it drives me NUTS when I'm spending time with someone and they are always checking their phone. I don't even like seeing phones on the table, especially if they are constantly buzzing or beeping. I find it highly disrespectful when you choose to prioritise your time with someone and they are distracted with technology that is generally not important, like checking social media.  

Technology has a time and a place and on the occasions I'm spending time with friends and family, I get my phone out to show them a photo, send them a website we are talking about or write something relevant in my notes for later. But once that's done, I put my phone away again. 99% of the time, my phone is on silent when I'm spending time with someone, so I can give them my full attention and respect.

This is one of my soap box topics of conversation, so I'll stop now before I really start to rant :) 

6 / Swap screen time for other activities 

Instead of mindlessly checking, scrolling, checking, passing the time (or often wasting time).....swap out your screen time for something else. If you enjoy reading blog articles, read a magazine or a book instead. Or spend that time cooking or baking something. Or make a smoothie. Or go for a walk. Or go sit in the sunshine for some vitamin D. If you have a dog, you can read more about screen-free walks in my 'Why dogs are good for our wellbeing' article. 

The point is, instead of straining your eyes and brain at a screen for things that aren't super important or nourishing to your wellbeing, swap it for something your body and/or mind will thank you for. Even if it's for 10-15 minutes. I guarantee you'll get more from sitting outside or reading a magazine article than you will from scrolling through other peoples lives on Facebook or checking your emails. 

Kate x

P.S. Here's a challenge for you: Spend a day observing your screen time behaviour. How close it is to you? How often do you check it? Do you ever put it on silent? How much of what you are attending to on your phone or computer is necessary? Could you achieve what you want to in allocated blocks of time rather than an ongoing basis all day and night? 

I'd love to hear how you go, what screen time bad habits you've never noticed you have, or any improvements you make.......