If you waste a lot of time on social media on your mobile phone, which is the case with most of us, here is a solution that I have been using for the last few days and it has helped me reduce my screen time on my iPhone.
Uninstall the most distracting apps on your mobile phone
I know this is not easy for everyone, but this is the best method to cut down your screen time. Especially if it is a social media app.
Last year I uninstall the Facebook app for 30 days, and after 30 days I did not install it back. Crucial things can still be accessed on the web version of Facebook, which can be opened in your mobile browser.
But it is quite difficult for me to do the same with Instagram for various reasons.
I post videos on Instagram and for that,
I look for inspiration within the app.
I also follow some great creators who create content on Instagram.
Use ScreenZen App on your iPhone to Cut down your screen time
iPhone has already a feature called Screen Time built into the iOS itself. The app nicely tells your screen time and the amount of time you have spent on particular apps.
It also gives you the option to set limits for individual apps. For me, I have put a 30-minute limit on Instagram app usage.
This means after 30 minutes, it doesn’t let me get into Instagram directly and gives a screen which tells me that I am done for the day, but the screen also gives me the option to extend the time.
But I started using the ScreenZen app along with it and I can see a decline in the usage.
How does the ScreenZen app work?
It is a pretty straightforward app to use. Its sole purpose is to reduce your screen time by adding a barrier between you and the app that is distracting you the most.
It will add a splash screen before the app with some crucial information like the number of times you have to open the app for the day. You can set this limit inside the app. And you can also set the number of seconds this message will display on the screen before the app opens.
Most of us have gotten into this habit of picking up our phone in the middle of something, and our subconscious mind automatically opens Instagram or Youtube, but once we are inside these apps it is just mindless scrolling and we end up wasting a lot of time.
So the message appearing before the app opens allows you to make a conscious decision about whether or not you want to check your social media app.
Once you have installed the app on your iPhone, you can add the apps you want the message to display, there is no limit to the number of apps you can add.
There are advanced controls as well for you so that you can add different messages and times to different groups of apps.
You can install the app for iPhone. Here’s a similar app for Android users.