Screen Time: 3 Tips For Success

I’m sure by now you’ve heard of screen time / screen time limitation. If not, it’s the idea of limiting your online time by setting a time limit of your choosing. After that, you’d typically need to insert a passcode of some kind to continue using your phone (or a specific app if you’ve set up screen time for certain apps). Now, while this CAN work, there are a few caveats. I want to briefly go over them and how I really optimized my results from screen time.

The very obvious issue with screen time is, if you know the passcode, you can simply type it in and get back on the phone / app when you hit the limit. It’s as easy as that, and at that point it’s not really performing it’s job as being a barrier. Now, this setup could work for you if you have strong resolve and a sense of presence, but if you’re like me, you may be lacking just a bit in those aspects. It’s easy to just type the password in and continue scrolling.

The fix? Get someone else to make the passcode, someone you can trust and someone who will you really hold you accountable. For me, that was my brother. I got him to create my passcode and since then I’ve only asked him to insert the passcode once because I had to message someone whose number I didn’t have. My screen time drastically reduced from that one change alone, but there’s more to the puzzle.

The second issue with screen time is knowing where to start. While you could just set a limit for an hour, this may not work in all cases. For example, if someone is regularly on Instagram for 7 hours a day, knocking their time down to 1 hour might be a bit too harsh, and may even lead you to crave entertainment from another platform.

Instead, subtract 1-2 hours from your average time on the app / device and use that as your starting point. Once that becomes easy, you can bring it down even lower. It’s all about conditioning, and diving straight in without stretching can be a real no-go. You may not cramp, but that possibility becomes much more possible!

The last thing you need to account for is time management. When you only have 1 hour on an app, sometimes time management can be crucial. I had a 1 hour timer for Instagram and since I was used to getting up and scrolling, I’d use my entire hour before 12 PM. This became difficult because later in the day when I had down time I couldn’t use Instagram, so I’d end up just scrolling elsewhere and wasting more time than I should’ve.

Space out your timer. Set 15-20 minute timers when you scroll so you remember to get off. This is what really helps you dial in, because the timers ensure you don’t scroll for too long at any given moment and also allows you to have access to the app all throughout the day. This can also prevent you from resorting to other apps and wasting even more time, which then defeats the purpose of the timer.

Try these 3 principles out together and see how it works. If all goes well, it should really make it easier for you to limit your time, and reduce those dopamine cravings. Just by setting a screen time you’re taking a huge step in the right direction.

I believe in you, make yourself proud!