
Episode #145 Reduce Screen Time
If we’ve learned anything through the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s that a screen can never replace a face. This week, Logan Brown and Dr. Justin Brown offer their tips for being fully present in the presence of people.
Show Notes
I never remember those nights when I’m scrolling on my phone. It feels good for a little bit, and then at some point it doesn’t feel good anymore. And you are just kind of stuck.Logan Brown
Seven Problems
- Screen time is more harmful to our relationships than it is to our productivity.
- Most of us look at screens more frequently and for longer periods of time than we intend.
- Without proactivity, we will inevitably increase rather than decrease our screen time.
- We are far too uncomfortable being alone, sitting in silence, and doing nothing.
- Screen time reduces our ability to engage in restful and reflective activities.
- We tend to use social media to delay difficult conversations and distract from frustrating situations.
- When we use screen time as a reward for hard work, we lose the momentum we have gained and even reduce our stamina moving forward.
Three Principles
- Although we can never reverse the last hour, we can always reclaim the next hour.
- As we learn to reduce screen time, we will find ourselves with more time to do other, more meaningful things.
- Putting our screens down allows us to lift our eyes up to appreciate and engage with the world around us.
Ten Practices
- When you can’t seem to pull yourself away from a screen, ask yourself, “Is this helping me to achieve my most important goals in life?” and “What is happening in my heart?”
- Move the apps around on your phone every week to prevent yourself from opening them without thinking.
- Invest in a smart watch so that responding to a notification doesn’t lead to unintentional searching and scrolling.
- Commit to reserving screen time for alone time so that it doesn’t infringe upon your time with others.
- Read the book How To Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy by Jenny Odell.
- Next time you are standing in a line, waiting for something, or walking past others, take in the environment and people around you rather than filling the time with a screen.
- Make a practice of spending one commute each day in complete silence.
- Consider listening to podcasts (or even watching TV) on 1.5x speed to reduce the total amount of time spent on those activities.
- Review your phone’s weekly Screen Time report, and take steps to cut it in half over the next 7 days.
- Reflect on the question, “Who do I want to become?” to motivate and inspire creative ways to reduce screen time.
In This Episode
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