How much of those three hours that you spent mindlessly scrolling through your phone yesterday can you remember?
Go on, I’ll wait.
Can you remember six YouTube shorts? Four? Two, perhaps? Okay, maybe you can recall two. But how long were you online? Longer than four hours, you say?
Let’s assume those two shorts were a minute long. That means that out of four hours of phone time, you can recall just two minutes of content. Does this seem like a good use of your limited time here on Earth?
If you answered no, then keep reading.
The Black Mirror Effect
If all this seems a bit accusatory, it’s only because I asked myself the same question after I’d observed my increasing phone use. When I’m feeling bored and too tired to think of anything useful to do, I, like many others, will automatically reach for my phone. The problem is putting down.
Bearing in mind that I don’t even use TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and the rest, I can still spend hours sucked into the virtual void of endless content simply by scrolling through YouTube. Scrolling, clicking, scrolling and clicking some more, I do this over and over until I feel so chronically bored that I’ll eventually wander off to find something else to do — only to be drawn back in by the shiny reflection of my phone’s black mirror.
This was a gradual but fairly recent development. Many factors contributed, but I realised that the habit was leading me nowhere positive. All this screen time wasn’t contributing to my well-being. Quite the opposite, actually. It seems that my fears are not groundless. Studies have shown that excessive smartphone usage amongst young adults can raise the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and short-term memory loss. My memory, not great at the best of times, wasn’t getting any better, and all that screen time probably wasn’t helping. If you’re a chronic scroller like me, then you need to get clever and proactive. In short, what you need is a rehab plan.
Step One: Scroll Productively
It’s rarely a good idea to quit any addiction cold turkey, and I’m not asking you to do that. Actually, I’m not asking you to give up any screen time at all. What I’m asking of you is to make it count.
Use all that virtual wandering time to learn something! First, decide what you want to learn. And doesn’t matter if it seems silly. Learn yoyo tricks. A new guitar song. How to solve a Rubik’s Cube. Whatever it is, learn a skill that can eventually take you away from the screen.
Step Two: Start to Replace the Habit
So you’re two weeks in and you’ve learnt something ridiculous. You’ve got three boxes of sourdough starter in the kitchen and now you’re trying to palm the excess off on the neighbours. Or maybe you’ve replastered your bathroom or taken up the jaw harp.
Maybe it’s not something conventionally ‘useful.’ Sure, you won’t be making a career out of it. But I bet you’re happy about it, right? I can see that dumb grin you’re wearing now that you’re carving flutes out of cucumbers (okay, maybe learn something slightly more useful than that, you’re wasting good veg). What matters is that you look and feel happy. And that’s what counts.
And now you’ve got a skill (or several) that you can use to replace your screentime with. As you work on perfecting and developing your newfound abilities, you’ll likely find that you have less time and interest in scrolling through TikTok and the like.
To emphasise, the aim at this point is not to eliminate your screen time, but to help you use it more effectively. By all means, spend a few hours on your phone every day — as long as you’re using the time in a way that works for you and makes your life more interesting. If you’re doing this, then you’re ready for the last step.
Step Three: Step Away From the Device
The hardest part is over. Instead of passively absorbing all that short-form content that your phone streams at you, you now have something to occupy your time. The last step is learning to cut yourself off from it when you need to.
If you can, switch your phone off for a few hours every day. I want it Off, not sleeping. Put it in a separate room and don’t touch it. Find something else to do. If you followed step one, you’ve got a new skill that you can practice, so go carve a clarinet out of a carrot or play the banjo. Soon, you’ll break the habit of reaching for your phone every time you’re bored.
If there are people who need to contact you at all times, turn your phone up so that you can hear it ring, but leave it somewhere out of the way when you’re in the house. If you need it nearby, resist the urge to pick it up when boredom kicks in. Instead, practice your new hobby and be pleased with yourself for making the effort to learn a new skill. Do this for long enough, and you’ll eventually rewire your brain.
And did you know that your new skill can help you bond with family and make new connections? Teach someone else to play the banjo. Speed-solve a Rubik’s cube at a party to befuddle your acquaintances. You’ll make so many more connections than by standing in a corner checking your WhatsApp.
I’ve been following my own advice for a few weeks now, and I’m considerably happier as a result. For one thing, I sleep better, since my mind is no longer flooded with endless streams of images. Yes, I still sometimes feel like glueing myself to a screen, but when that happens, I remind myself that I’ll feel better if I do something productive.
Try these steps for yourself and see the difference. A world of new interests awaits!
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