How to: Track and minimize your digital screen time.
We all know about the copious benefits that technology has to offer us. Whether the benefits comes from a cellphone, PC, tablet or laptop screen, the advantages of both stationary and portable technology are endless.
But, have you ever sat down and pondered the quality of content and the quantity of time you spend in front of digital screens on a daily basis?
Put yourself in this situation:
- You wake up in the morning and tap your phone screen to switch off your alarm then, get ready for the day and head to work.
- After working on your PC/laptop for 8 hours (if not more), it’s time to head home.
- Now, it’s almost dinner time but you want to try a new recipe and proceed to look for one on your phone or tablet.
- Either during or after dinner, you put on the series that you’re currently watching while waiting to catch up with friends or family on Whatsapp or Facebook.
Sound familiar?
There is no doubting the fact that technology has made life easier. Whether it be learning new information, speeding up communication or staying up to date with current affairs. Everything is just so much simpler and quicker than ever before.
With websites providing social and non-social platforms for us to consume information that has a positive impact in our lives, such as getting quick news notifications on Twitter or looking up tips on how to budget better , there is also an equal amount of posts, blogs and pages that are purely used as a form of escapism and distraction.
I’m sure you can agree that nowadays children are spending too much of their time in front of iPad screens and TV’s when they could be outside in the sun, soaking up the natural goodness the outdoors has to offer.
I’m not saying that we need to cut out screen time completely, but I do believe that we should be more aware regards to the amount of time that we spend in front of digital screens.
The simplest way to keep track of the amount of time we spend on our phones would be to download Moment if you are an iPhone user and Antisocial if you are on an android operating system. These apps allow you to keep track of the amount of time you spend on your phone screen and ultimately, minimizing this time.
On top of their screen tracking feature, you can also set daily time limits for specific phone apps to ensure you are cutting down screen time.
So tell me, if you were to trade watching one of your series for one of the following activities, which would it be?
- Braai time with family/friends
- Going on a family walk
- Playing a board game like Monopoly, 30 seconds or Boggle (they still exist)
Send your answers through to siren@bluesecurity.co.za
We would love to hear from you.