Recommended for you

Start writing a post

Health and Wellness

iPhones & Eye Strain: Decreasing My Screen Time

There is only so much Night Shift and Dark Mode can do.

Simone Murphy

Jun 02, 2021

Florida State University

iPhones & Eye Strain: Decreasing My Screen Time

Unsplash

While I knew it was a bad thing, I found it hard to cut down on my time (and I still do as it is a working process). I was spending hours watching YouTube, Tik Tok, and Netflix mainly as entertainment is a hobby if that counts. I also have to mention games, music, other social media, and more as well.

I knew it was bad for my eyes despite using both Night Shift and Dark Mode all the time. I also knew it was bad for my time management and productivity with various tasks I want to accomplish.

This week, my average screen time is 6 hours and 16 minutes. Objectively, this is probably still bad. But I think it's also bad to ignore small achievements and not recognize improvements! I'm proud of myself for an around 5-hour difference in a week. It was simple changes that helped me cut down my online time. It took some effort, simply because I am used to spending all of my free time online.

Here is what I did instead:

1. Read Novels

Unsplash

I am guilty of purchasing books, putting them on my shelf, and not thinking of them again. I started reading for fun again during my down time and I am very much enjoying it. It is a form of entertainment that takes my eyes away from screens, but is just as immersive as any show or movie.

If you're curious about what book I read this week, I read "Everything I Never Told You" by Celeste Ng, (it was good).

2. Get A Job

This one is both more drastic and more simple than the others. I got a job.

I had a ton of free time so I figured it would be something productive to do rather than spending days on my phone. There are obviously a ton of other benefits to working, but for the purposes of keeping my screen time down, this worked perfectly.

3. Do Mini Projects

I don't know about you, but I have a growing To-Do list with stuff that I have told myself that I will do in the future and the time never comes where I do it.

I decided now is the time to do those projects. One example of a mini project I did that I have been pushing off is creating a photo album. I bought a small printer and began printing family photos and such that are only in my online camera roll and put them in an album.

It was quick to do, but satisfying to complete.

All in all, spending less time on my phone has made days feels more special and longer. I would definitely recommend if you can. It's worth a try.

Report this Content

This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.

Health and Wellness

5 Ways To Bring Positivity Into Your Life When All You Want To Do Is Drown In Self-Pity

It seems like life has been serving up more bad than good and in all honesty, the only thing you want to do is crawl under your covers and hide from the rest of the world.

Grand Canyon University

1316

5 Ways To Bring Positivity Into Your Life When All You Want To Do Is Drown In Self-Pity

Photo by Kinga Howard on Unsplash

The first two weeks of classes have come to an end and they have been anything BUT easy. It seems like life has been serving up more bad than good and in all honesty, the only thing you want to do is crawl under your covers and hide from the rest of the world.

Although this seems like the best solution, it is also the easy way out. Take it from the girl who took basically a whole week off from her life because she just could not handle everything that was being thrown at her. This caused her to feel extremely lonely and even more stressed out for being behind in classes that JUST began.

Keep Reading...Show less

self-pity

Entertainment

11 Things We Learned From Brooke Davis

"What's more important? What we become or how we become it?"

St. Thomas Aquinas College

694

"She was fiercely independent, Brooke Davis. Brilliant, and beautiful, and brave. In two years she had grown more than anyone I had ever known. Brooke Davis is going to change the world someday, and I'm not sure she even knows it." - Lucas Scott, An Unkindness of Ravens

Brooke Davis of the hit show One Tree Hill was the it girl - she had it all, or so we thought. She started out as a stuck-up, shallow, spoiled, head cheerleader who didn't have her life together. She slept around a lot and loved to party - sounds like your typical high school teenager right? Wrong. B. Davis had so much more to offer. Caring, loyal, and outspoken, she has taught us some valuable lessons throughout the 9 seasons that OTH was on the air:

Keep Reading...Show less

brooke davis

Relationships

11 Signs You Have An Honorary Roommate

Make yourself at home, why don't you?

Appalachian State University

2611

Rachel Zadeits

For some of us, coming to college was the first time we ever had to share a room. It was a big change, but a fun one. As you meet more and more people over the course of your college career, it seems to be a pattern that you will at some point have that one friend that doesn't live with you, but acts like they do. We call those people, "Honorary Roommates" and here are 11 signs you have one in your life.