Hi, loves!
In my opinion, there’s nothing wrong with using your phone as much as you like to scroll through social media. Social media is a great thing, but with all great things comes some negative aspects. If you’re one of those people that spends 24/7 on your phone and is finding it is having a negative affect on your every-day life or your mood, this post might just be for you. Here are some things I’ve found helpful in reducing my screen time:
Turn your social media notifications off – This has actually been the most helpful thing when trying to reduce the amount of time I spend scrolling through social media on my phone. If you’re constantly seeing new notifications pop up on your phone, you’re way more likely to be tempted to check out what’s going on in the social media world. Not seeing what’s going on every second through notifications is so much better for me not just in regards to using my phone less, but it’s actually way more fun for me to open Instagram and have a load of new notifications to welcome me! It’s way more fun not knowing what notifications you’ve had throughout the day, instead of constantly checking your phone every minute when it ‘pings’.
Incorporate a daily hobby that doesn’t involve your phone – I’ve reached for my phone way less since I’ve started reading and writing again. I find myself getting lost in a book and being shocked when I realise a whole hour has gone by and I’ve not checked my phone. Making sure to leave the house and go for walks is another thing that has helped me live in the moment more. Instead of taking pictures of the pretty pictures you see, maybe just appreciate them to yourself. Not everything has to be shared with your followers!
Make more plans to see your friends face to face – It’s great that social media now makes it easier than ever to keep in touch with our friends, but it’s not so great that our friendships are slowly becoming social media based. Many of my friends only live down the road and yet I find myself barely seeing them as talking to them is so much easier over the Facebook Messenger app. Since I’ve started seeing my friends more, I’ve been spending way more time off my phone and living in the moment. It’s much nicer to sit with your friend and chat over a drink and a meal than it is to type to them over a social media app.
Schedule time you’re allowed to use social media – Something that has really worked for me is giving myself an hour every now and again throughout the day that I’m not allowed to use social media. During this time, I sit downstairs with my family and watch TV or sit in my room alone and read/write/plan blog posts. As long as I’m not infatuated with Instagram, I allow myself to do whatever I feel like. The first step towards spending less time scrolling through social media is to be mindful of time throughout the day. You have to be strict with yourself and have self control!
What are some of your tips for spending less time on your phone? I hope you find some of mine useful! 🙂
Lots of love,
Soph. xx
girl vs world 
I also have notifications turned off. I feel much more in control of my phone usage that way.
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Me too!
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I met a friend I’ve known on FB for 8 years, and we meet face to face for the first time yesterday. We lived on opposite ends of the continent (different countries too) so never did I think I would be standing on her doorstep one day. Over the years I’ve moved further and further west, so all it took was a road trip for my husband’s work and 2 hours out of our way to go meet her. So happy we did. It’s a whole lot different offline than it is online!
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That’s so incredibly lovely and wholesome! So glad you finally got to meet. 🙂 Good different?
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We never Skyped or video chatted so I really didn’t know anything except for a few photos and text messages over the years. Good different. 🙂 Meeting someone from online is not scary and I feel like there is such a stigma built around it.
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These are great ideas to limit your screen time. I am definitely better at not being on my phone all the time. Thank you for sharing xx
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Me too! Thank you for your lovely comment x
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You are welcome! Thank you for sharing these tips!! X
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These are some great tips. I’m trying to use my phone less so this will really help, and I’ve already begun by turning off my notifications. Starting with Facebook.
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Thank you lovely! Hope it helps you x
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I’m another one for turning all my notifications off. I was just getting so panicky with my phone pinging all the time that I couldn’t handle it, but I didn’t want to remove the apps because I didn’t want to get in the habit of using social media on my laptop (as it is I only use it for comment threads on my laptop reluctantly because my phone is having an argument with wordpress and won’t let me comment).
My friends don’t live close by, so I can’t just go and hang with them which is a pity, although it also means that I get to stay safe in my own space so I’m not altogether complaining about that.
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It’s so much more relaxing to not have your phone to off every minute isn’t it!
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Oh yes! Now it only goes off if I’m getting a text…which is maybe once a day!
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I’ve been meaning to search for something like this a for a while – cos I really can’t stand social media lmao, so thank you for sharing! x
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No prob gal! Hope it helps x
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