The Best Tool to Reduce Your Screen Time and Do a Digital Detox

Have you ever sat down at the end of the day and wondered, “Where did all my time go?”

I sure have.

And for a while, it was a real mystery to me why I felt like I wasn’t getting as much done as I should.

Then I discovered something shocking…and quite frankly, a little embarrassing.

Here’s the story…

One day I was reading a Buzzfeed article on my phone (you’ll see the irony of this in a minute) about the Screen Time feature on iPhones.

Screen Time tracks a ton of different things: your total screen time, how much time you spend on each app, how many times you pick up your phone, the number of notifications you recieve, and more.

I was curious, so I thought I’d check it out on my phone and see my stats…

The results?

I was spending an average of six to seven hours a DAY on my phone.

What. The. Heck.

No wonder I wasn’t getting stuff done! How could I when I had my nose in my phone for that many hours every day?

Seeing my screen time stats was a massive wake-up call. I could have spent those hours working, reading a book, spending time with my family and friends, sleeping…SO many other things more important to me.

I decided then and there that I needed a digital detox in a big way.

So I took the Buzzfeed article’s advice to heart and set up time limits on some of my most time-wasting apps. That means after I spend X amount of minutes or hours in a certain app, that app becomes inaccessible to me until the day is over.

I’m thrilled to say after I set these up, my screen time decreased significantly. I still have some work to do, but I’m no longer spending seven freaking hours a day on my phone.

And the best parts?

I can totally tell a difference in my attitude.

I’m engaging with my family more instead of staring at my phone.

I feel great reducing the negativity that comes with mindless social media scrolling.

And my productivity has increased in a big way.

Want to join me in a screen time detox? I’ve recorded a short video for you on how you can set up time limits for your apps on your iPhone. It’s super fast and only takes a couple of minutes.

(You might notice in the video my screen time is upward of five hours a day. It’s not usually, I promise! My silly tech wasn’t working properly, so I ended up recording the video about fifty times and jacking up my screen time numbers in the process. It figures, right? 🤣)

Have an Android device? Don’t worry! You can still get in on the productivity-boosting action. Here’s how to set up your time limits on an Android.

Good luck with your digital detox!