Please join me in beating my screen addiction - there’s more to life!

[Slimmingstar]

Since I got an iPad in 2016 I’ve spent more and more time on my devices and I’m at the point now I’m completely addicted.

Mumsnet is a big swallower of my time. I’m ashamed to say I’ve spent probably 12 hours on the phone, iPad or TV today - this is fairly typical now and I need to change.

I used to read all the time and I miss it, but books don’t hold my attention now. I used to bake and cook and now I don’t. I used to do puzzles, read the paper, play with my pet mice......... now I spend much of the time when I’m in indoors and not working, on screens.

I only work part time and odd hours and I’m on a screen whenever I’m not walking the dog or at an exercise class. It has to stop.

I’m neglecting the house - it’s a mess and there’s no excuse. I’m neglecting my partner and most of all I’m neglecting myself.

I’ve put on weight. I have a very healthy diet, but I spend so much time sitting and staring at a screen, I’m just not burning the calories I used to with general moving about.

I’ve lost my sex drive - I’m sure, in part, due to the fact I’m just doing nothing all day..........

I turn to my phone the minute I wake up and I fall asleep holding it. I never used to be like this and I’ve never had an addiction before (other than to exercise).

I don’t want to get to the end of my life and regret wasting it on screens.

I’m going to post on this thread once a day to keep me accountable and I’d love for others to join me if you are addicted too, or just want to cut down.

I’m doing better, but I still have a long way to go!
Yesterday I over-rode my down-time in the evening, which is not a good thing to do!

Today I’ve spent quite a long time on rightmove, but I am house hunting, so that’s ok?
Need to just not randomly check it during the day........ I have, however, done a lot of cleaning I’d not usually bother to do and been out walking for quite a few hours. It’s been dry here today!!

Shameless place marking as this is a major issue for me too. Both the iPad and the phone have way bigger figures than I want.

It’s best I don’t stop to think about adding the two together!

Well 5h 36 yesterday which is 2 hours down from the average the week before.

Putting phone in another room definitely helps me during the day.

Aim today is 5 hours. Good luck everyone!

@Breathmiller

On my Samsung phone you can add the screen wellbeing to your front page. Just keeps it there in your mind when you open your phone.

@Breathmiller I have a Samsung- what do you mean by this? Sounds useful!

I'm joining too. I recommend leaving social media, and avoiding news sites. Will check in tomorrow, and let you know how I get on.

Placemarking.
I would love to lose or break my phone, I hate the hold it has on me and the time it wastes. I’d love to go back to an old fashioned Nokia but I do everything on my iPhone: banking, camera, alarm clock, satnav so I can’t see how a Nokia would be possible.

Yesterday was 4 hours 42 mins BUT an hour of that was satnav and some was audiobooks which I don’t really count...

cavagirl when you go into your settings and check your times. It gives you the option to add the screen wellbeing app to your apps. It's a little green heart. I then put it on my main screen.

I'm afraid I am not admitting how long I was on yesterday on my day off. But I'm letting it go and will try better on my next day off. Work days are never quite so bad.

My timer app for meditation and yoga adds it up but I'm not counting that as it is literally a bell that goes off every 15 minutes to keep me on track. I don't look at or listen to anything.

Yesterday, my mumsnet was time was shocking! And I also went on my laptop and was on Facebook. But, even for me it was a long day on screens, some useful some not. Hey ho. Room for improvement anyway.

I find it so hard as I use my tablet as a Kindle and a radio (podcasts) and you need to legitimately go on to look at your bank account, check your email, or book things or buy things or look things up or use it to FaceTime, then I end up in a vortex for hours. Like right now.

When trying to read I get distracted, so never finish a book even when I am enjoying it. I may have to try getting a separate E-reader again. The news apps that customise stories are always showing interesting content but I basically feel my brain has fractured and I no longer have the concentration I used to. I’m a bit scared for the kids today, I was much older when the internet became mainstream.

I also surf whilst watching TV and last week had to completely rewatch a drama show as I’d only remembered two scenes in an hour long programme. I think maybe mindfulness and focusing on being present in what you’re doing would help.

If I stop using one app or site, another one quickly takes its place. For example I’ve not been on Instagram all year but that hasn’t cut down my usage overall.

I don’t think lockdown has helped.

I don’t do it at work, too busy and focused on what I’m doing, just need to replicate this outside of work.

It's good to know that others have the same issue, because I don't feel quite so bad about my own addiction!

Yesterday was 4h20 but 34mins of that was driving so using Maps. I was at work, though! The real tests are non-working days, as @Breathmiller says.

I've definitely been better without the games on my phone.

Oh - next week is half-term! Hopefully it won't be TOO terrible. Bit of a test of my willpower - maybe I'll be able to keep it down below 5 hours for each day!

Anyone know how to take an app off of the time on a Samsung?.
I have been on for 6 hours today but nearly 5 hours of that is on zoom and banking for my work. Apparently dh can take an app out of the mix. I will never be using zoom in my phone for anything other than as a camera for my meetings in zoom.

OK. I wasn't bad yesterday, but when I had a quiet moment, rather than enjoying quiet moment, I found myself reaching for phone on auto.

Also my DH showed me something on his phone last night he'd seen on twitter, then I found myself doing the mindless scroll for 45 minutes on his.....

I probably lost 1.5 hours to phone yesterday (excluding work emails and productive phone use of looking things up). I'm going to try hairband around phone today as a little reminder not to use it for mindless time wasting.

Can I join? I average around 7 hours a day on my tablet.

One thing I’ve been trying to do over the last few days is stay off my tablet for longer each time I put it down. For example, if I put it down to go to the loo rather than go straight back on it I might gather up the towels that need a wash while i’m in the bathroom and put them on first.

I have to be somewhere at 12:30 today. My plan is to go offline in 5 mins and get ready then read a few pages of my book before I need to go. Then I’m not going online again until 3 (think I will be home around 2:15).

I think this “stretching” plan might work better than a hard limit on how long I’m allowed on. But I’ve also deleted the main timewaster apps I use.

Right, I was doing well, but tonight did an hour and a half stint. Fell off the wagon. Nevermind tomorrow is a new day and all that.

I think I lost 2.5 hours to phone over the day.

Screen time restrictions never work for me because I know the code to unlock it 😂

I’ve taken up hobbies and just get sucked in. I’ve also booked things like running with friends and then I can’t escape and
I have to exercise as a result.

Also gardening - I’ll tell myself I’ll go out for five mins and next thing you know I’ve been out for an hour, no screens.

Sometimes we have a no internet hour with the kids and that works a treat as we all have to stick to it! We turn the router off.

How is everyone doing?
I was out and about at the weekend so screen time dropped to less than 3 hours a day! Back at work now and back to bad habits 😬 although still on average an hour or two less than last week.