From home-schooling to Netflix marathons, a study by Lenstore has revealed screen time has increased by 76% during the pandemic. Fingers crossed that this year a deeper sense of reality is restored, and with that, you can make a conscious effort to reduce your screen time. An over-usage can not only cause physical strain to your eyes and body, buteven sleep deprivation and impaired social skills. That’s why it is recommended to limit the amount of time spent on devices after your working day.
To help you reset your screen time, education expert at The Profs, Richard Evans, has shared his top tips to follow this year.
When you are working on a computer screen all day, it can be tiring. Eyestrain, headaches, and back pain are common side effects from sitting in one position all day. Set a realistic timer on your phone to get up and stretch, for example every 20 minutes. The movement will improve blood circulation and allow your joints to reset. You can even just look away from your screen every few minutes to do somequick eye exercises.
If you are sitting at a desk all day, you should make a conscious effort to spend the following hours after you log off device-free. Go for a long walk or practise cooking, anything that allows your eyes to have arest from bright lights and your brain to focus on something else. You should even consider taking a full day on the weekend to switch off from devices and go on an adventure.
If you have your phone or laptop near you all the time, it might be worth setting charging time in another room. This will keep away the temptation to check notifications and will allow you to test your willpower to focus your attention on something else whilst the battery increases.
In the way of the ‘working from home world’, your days could be filled with video calls and virtual meetings. Having back-to-back calls scheduled in might seem like a good idea to get them out the way, butthis can lead to Zoom fatigue. Try to ensure you have at least a 10-minutebreak between video calls so you can get up and move around. Taking the time to get some air in between can make a big difference to your attitude towards your next meeting.
Many of us have developed a bad posture from working at home. This can be due to inadequate chairs, desks, and screen sizes. A natural, upright posture will help to support your head and reduce any aches. Make an effort to pay attention toyour posture throughout the day as this reduces screen time strains. If you have the wrong equipment, it is worth your health to invest in items that prevent neck and back pain.
With the addictiveness of social media, you can fall into a pit of endless scrolling. Look at your most-used apps via ‘Screen Time’ on your phone settings and see if you can delete the apps taking up most of your time. You don’t need to delete your whole account, just the app which tempts you to scroll.Within time, you’ll enjoy the lack of distraction and provide yourself the power to only use them when you need to. You can even set yourself time limits on some devices, so you never exceed the desired amount of time on them.
Everyone has their own preference on a call or text. Calling someone can save your eyes screen time as opposed to texting. Try to call loved ones more than texting or video calling for the first few months of this year. This will allow you to reduce screen time and have more uninterrupted time with the people that matter most.
About the authorRichard Evans is Forbes 30U30 Social Entrepreneur, NatWest’s Young Entrepreneur of the Year and Founder of The Profs.
