Missed last week’s post about the tech habits we’re cultivating and why they matter? No worries–you can catch up here.
All right, so you understand why your relationship with technology matters. And if you’re anything like me, you probably have a pit in your stomach when your phone shows your weekly screen usage. We know it’s not good for us, our mental health, or our relationships, but it can still be so hard to break the patterns of scrolling and mindless entertainment.
As believers, even areas like our screen time can be submitted to the Lord. Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit, and many of us probably ought to be applying more discipline to what we’re doing online.
If you’re ready to begin bringing back balance to your tech use, the following list of ideas is the perfect place to start. Choose one or two and commit to building better habits for the next month.
Note: I can’t take credit for all these ideas myself! Rather, they’re a collection of my personal tips, ideas from friends, and gracious suggestions from fellow Substack-ers on a note I posted a couple weeks back.
Restrict It
Boundaries and self-control are important. Here are some ways to implement that, particularly when it comes to your phone or social media.
Screen limits: Most phones have screen limit options that allow you to cap your time on certain apps. What I found is the default setup of iPhone limits were too easy to ignore. I’ve gotten into an app called Roots where I can customize what apps count as social media and have them blocked after a certain amount of use per day (1 hour) as well as a time cap (not after 8pm) if I haven’t already hit the daily limit.
Go analog: Instead of keeping your phone by your bed or even in your bedroom, store it elsewhere and use a traditional alarm clock instead. This can limit blue light before bedtime and keeps you from starting your day scrolling.
Social media fasts: I really need to be better at this one! I’ve heard of people taking a weekly Sabbath from their phones or social media. I know some people who will delete social media apps for a month or season. I once gave up social media for Lent. Whatever the length is, consider a practice of regularly fasting from social media or whatever other technology is a big temptation for you.
Delete apps: Another great idea I’ve heard is to remove social media apps from your phone all together and instead, check accounts only on a computer. This keeps it from being constantly available at your fingertips. A couple years ago, I deleted TikTok all together. It was just too much for me to have the endless ability to scroll, and I really haven’t missed it.
Replace It
You tell yourself not to scroll so much, but have you ever thought about what you’d do instead? It’s a lot easier to exercise discipline when you have a fun and effective replacement activity for your time.
Read more: This was one of the most helpful habits I turned to when trying to spend less time on my phone and social media. Renew/apply for a library card, subscribe to a platform like Audible for audiobooks, ask friends if you can borrow any recent reads, or dust off old favorites from your bookshelf. For anyone with an Amazon Prime account, look up their “First Reads” program, where you can download one free ebook a month from a curated list!
Do a puzzle: Candidly, I’m not super into traditional puzzles with all the pieces but if that’s your jam, go for it! But also consider puzzle books like sudoku, word searches, or logic puzzles as an engaging pastime. For Christmas, I asked for the logic puzzle book Murdle and have settled into bed some evenings with that instead of my phone.
Get outside: go for a walk, sit on a towel/blanket in your backyard or at a park, or take your kids to the playground. The fresh air has so many benefits beyond helping you ignore the screens.
Pick up a craft: Coloring, drawing, painting, knitting, crocheting, needlepoint crafts… The list goes on of creative hobbies to get into. Lately I’ve enjoyed some simple adult coloring books with markers, but if you’ve got the time and resources to learn a new craft, it’s the perfect way to more meaningfully fill your time.
Redeem It
I’m not here to say that tech is bad or that you should throw your phone out all together! There are certainly ways we may want to limit ourselves, but it’s also possible to redeem the time and make better choices in the digital content we consume.
Be selective with what/who you follow: Look, I still have social media and see plenty (really, too many) reels on Instagram. But, it has been helpful to curate the accounts I’m following, focusing more on real life connections than lots of influencers, and spiritual accounts that are at least solid and encouraging versus lots of shallow content.
Choose longer form content: Of course it’s great to do analog activities and ditch screens more, but sometimes, you do just want to unwind with some low-thinking entertainment. I’ve tried to use that time more to watch sports, get into a show with my husband, or pick a movie rather than tons of 5-second video clips. The short-form videos dominating social media are so bad for our attention spans, and I notice how it even makes it hard for me to sit through a whole movie. Re-training ourselves to longer content is needed.
Engage with community: One idea I’m totally saving is to prioritize family movie night with kids, watching something fun and wholesome, as opposed to lots of individual screentime. Then, at least there’s a communal aspect and fun memories being built instead of doomscrolling alone or not having a sense of what your kids are watching online. My husband and I have gotten into watching Survivor together, and it’s become a weekly date night that while TV focused, does spur our conversation. It feels more meaningful than me alone on my phone.
Look for quality: Instead of random social media nonsense is there an interesting or informative podcast or audiobook you could get into? I love having Christian podcast episodes saved to listen while walking, cooking, or driving. Silence is of course good too, but if I’m going to be consuming something, at least this allows me to learn, be encouraged, or have my faith sharpened. If you’re needing some good podcast recommendations, check out my must-listens from a couple weeks ago.
This list is not exhaustive, so what tips do you have for managing your tech time? Drop them in the comments, and let us know what habit you’re going to start this week to find better balance.
These are great tips, Olivia!