How to Limit Your Screen Time as an Adult

Limiting screen time can benefit your sleep, relationships, and productivity, but it’s hard to put the phone down when you use it for everything. Here are some tips how to limit your screen time as an adult.

The idea of going device free may sound nearly impossible to some folks, but I have found that doing so has improved my relationships, time management, and even sleep! I love my phone and tablet as much as the next person, but I try to take conscious breaks from it at specific times to improve areas in my life. Here are some steps you can take if you want to limit your screen time as an adult.

How to Limit Your Screen Time as an Adult

Use an old fashioned alternative – We have gotten so used to relying on our devices to do everything for us that we have forgotten about how wonderful the old way of doing things could be. By using old fashioned alternatives to devices, we can often discover something we had long forgotten. For example, when looking for recipes, consider checking out books from the library or heading to a thrift store to find vintage cookbooks. You may discover an old family recipe this way!

Use your device to limit your screen time – This might seem counterproductive, but there are apps that you can download that help you limit screen time. They are often geared towards kids, but if you are wanting to spend less time on your phone or device you could definitely employ them. These apps offer you a timer and specific times you want to be off your phone and essential lock it from you. Choose times that you would want to be screen free such as around dinner time each day.

Charge your phone outside of your room – One way to help you sleep better is to not have your phone in your room. In fact, you might want to consider even charging it in another room entirely. This will help you feel less tempted to use it in bed for hours when you should be sleeping and it helps the body get to sleep faster because your mind will be ready to shut down sooner. Then, of course, there’s the added bonus of no phone or text interruptions.

Do something else with boredom – I think it’s pretty common to reach for our phones to scroll through social media when we are bored. If you find yourself doing this at home, that is a perfect opportunity to limit screen time. Instead of doing this, use this time of boredom to tackle a project you have been putting off, even if it’s small. You will find that you can manage your time better too, as this kind of behavior often leads us to sit on our phones wasting hours at a time.