Americans Are Losing 2 Months a Year to Scrolling... Here Are 5 Ways to Fix This

By Rachel Perez

Smartphones give humans an infinite amount of connection, whether it be through calling or FaceTime, texts, or messaging via social media apps. While being able to connect with people hundreds or even thousands of miles away is quite the superpower, it can also lead to some brain-damaging habits that affect people’s ability to focus or remain emotionally stable.

According to this recent study by Solitiared, Americans spend 1,460 hours a year scrolling on their phone, which amounts to 61 days or two months out of the year. Imagine the amount of free time people would have if they put their phones down and focused on something else! And it’s not for lack of trying, as this study points out that 70% of Americans surveyed have tried to reduce their screen time recently. It’s just very difficult to get rid of scrolling habits that are so ingrained in the brain.

Yet hope is not lost, as it’s entirely possible to break these habits and build new ones if you have a good strategy. So in this post, you can check out five different ways to reduce screen time with tips and tricks to keep you from reaching for your phone and doomscrolling.

Charts: Solitaired

1. Start Small

Try to set a small screen time goal, whether it’s staying off of one social media app for a whole day or only trying to reduce screen time by a specific increment of time, such as 30 minutes per day. You can adjust to more limits each week so that what starts as something small can make significant change in just weeks.

Rome wasn’t built in a day, and screen time certainly can’t be reduced in a day either. While small goals might seem pointless, they can help make the screen time problem seem a little less daunting, and meeting smaller goals can boost confidence and keep you on track to reduce your screen time.

2. Track Screen Time

Many smartphones allow you to track their screen time in your settings app, mapping out usage over a day, week, or month. By looking at your screen time, you can see which apps are being used the most each day and determine whether your screen time is high because you send tons of emails per day for work on your phone or because you’re spending large chunks of time doomscrolling on Instagram and TikTok. If you find yourself spending too much time on one app (or two or three!), you can target those for reduction.

Tracking screen time also offers a tangible way to hold you accountable for the smaller goals you’ve set. For example, if you decide to spend one less hour on Facebook each day, looking at your screen time for that particular app can help you stay on track. Watching your progress over time can be rewarding as you see yourself reducing the time you spend on the app over weeks or months.

3. Schedule an “Unplugging”

Most people seem tied to their phones these days because much of what we do can be filtered through our phones. You might be switching between scrolling on social media apps, texting with friends and family, or using your device for work or school. While not all screen time is a waste of time, however, being tethered to the beck and call of an incoming message or notification can make you a little too dependent on that device.

To combat this, consider an “unplugging.” It can be as simple as putting the phone away in a drawer for an hour or two or staying off your device for an entire day. Unplugging gives you a chance to spend some time off your device completely, not just off a single app. Use this time to connect with the real world in a purposeful, meaningful way. Whether you meet someone for a coffee, pick up a new hobby, relax outdoors, or just work on that to-do list that keeps growing, giving yourself a break from your phone can help you relax and begin new habits that don’t keep you attached to your phone.

4. Social Media Cleanse

One of the most talked-about approaches to reducing screen time is a cleanse. By permanently deleting social media or locking those apps so access is restricted throughout the day, you can finally resist the urge to doomscroll and focus on other things besides social media because you don’t have access to it.

There are other benefits to taking a break from social media. Social media has long been a source of depression and anxiety, with people focused on generating likes and perfect looks rather than things that truly generate joy and fulfillment. By reducing time on those apps or getting rid of the apps altogether, you can free yourself from that cycle.

5. Take on a Brain Workout

For some, scrolling on their phones is simply a way to pass the time while waiting on that email response form work or taking a lunch break. But you can still be on your phone and put your brain to work by doing a brain workout instead of doomscrolling. It can be as simple as trying a word game or playing a quick game of Solitaire. While it’s tempting to get sucked into your phone and scroll mindlessly, you can choose to engage your brain with some mental gymnastics.

Bad habits are always difficult to break, no matter what they are, and creating new habits is even harder. Thankfully, you don’t need to break the scrolling habit immediately. Starting with a small goal makes adjusting to less time on the phone a lot easier. Plus, there are other things to fill time with, such as games that work the brain or just putting the phone away and going outside. By finding the trick that works best for you, you can help yourself by scrolling less and getting that screen time down!

Reviewed by Irfan Ahmad.

Read next: 

• What everyone gets wrong about the modern job search — and what actually works

• New study explores rise of 'ragebait' and its impact on online accountability
by Guest Contributor via Digital Information World