Summer’s bright, busy days are a memory, autumn’s colors have faded, and in front of us is the northland winter. Instead of whiling away the long nights sitting in the glow of our phones, how can we use this time to grow in the dark?
First, let’s figure out how much of our time is being spent on the phone. On average, Americans check their phones 204 times a day (about every 5 minutes when awake) and spend five to six hours a day using them. That’s the equivalent of spending about 2.5 months out of the year connected to these devices. Phones monitor which apps are being used and for how long. Take a moment to find your phone’s “screen time” record. There you can find out what your personal usage numbers look like.
How do you feel about what you find? If you’re on the phone more than you like, don’t beat yourself up. Remember, these devices—and the apps they run—have been built to be easy to use and purposefully designed to keep you engaged for as long as possible. If you want to spend less time on your phone, ask yourself why? Is it so that you can sleep better? Increase your attention span? Strengthen in-person relationships? What else? How will more phone-free time benefit you?
Once you understand why this matters to you, you can plan how to make changes. Here are some suggestions:
- Delete (or at least limit) some apps. Which apps are eating up the most of your time? What would happen if you got rid of them, even temporarily? There’s a difference between deleting an app and deleting your account. Removing the app from your phone makes it less convenient to access. You can reinstall it and log back in whenever you like.
- Mute your notifications. Ask yourself which notifications are truly important and which ones are distractions. All phones allow you to customize the settings so that texts or calls from the important people in your life will still ring through.
- Use grayscale to minimize the phone’s hypnotic hold. Dulling the vibrant colors makes phones easier to set down. This setting is under “Accessibility.”
- Work with friends and family. Choose parameters together and then gently hold each other accountable. For instance, one boundary might be “No scrolling at mealtime or when spending time together.”
These changes will help you create more phone-free space in your life, but that’s only part of the equation. If you don’t have something planned to fill that time, the empty vacuum can pull the phone back into habitual use, or lead to other screens (TV, tablets, or computers) taking center stage.
- Brainstorm new (and old) activities. What mix of small, fun activities would you enjoy doing for 20, 10, or even 5 minutes at a time: working a puzzle, chatting with a friend, or walking around the block? What did you enjoy doing as a kid? How could you adapt that to your life now?
- Get suggestions from folks that know you. Based on your time, space, and financial realities, what do they think you’d enjoy doing?
- What do you want or need more of in your life? Are you feeling too sedentary? How could you work more “movement snacks” into your day? Do you spend a lot of time analyzing and problem solving? How about relaxing into some fiction by reading or listening to an audiobook? When’s the last time you let your creative side out to play? Are you getting enough social interaction? If not, where could you volunteer or what club could you join?
Now that you’ve generated some ideas, create a list, and keep that where you can see it. In moments of boredom, it can be hard to come up with options. Put some of your new activities out where you can see them, and make all of them as accessible as possible. That’s the only way that they can compete with the ease of screen-time. Set a regular time to check back in on your phone log, and track your use. The goal isn’t to completely quit using your phone, but to use it as a tool that serves you—one that allows you to eat and sleep well, to feel peaceful and connected to other people, and to have time to engage in activities that fill you up.
Celebrate your progress and enjoy all that a low-screen winter has to offer.
