We all use our phones frequently and often try to reduce the time we spend using them, but for many it can be an impossible task. Sometimes we take drastic measures to reduce the time we spend on our phones, for example by deleting apps or hiding the phone in a remote location and then quickly recovering it.
The key to success in changing habits is to start small and work your way up. Even if your addiction to technology seems impossible, small changes can have big effects.
If you are using an iPhone, Screen Time settings can help you spend less time on your phone in a simple and effective way, as shown below:
1- Know your screen time stats:
If you want to reduce your iPhone usage, you first need to evaluate how much time you spend on your phone and which apps you use the most.
Knowing this information can help you better understand your phone usage habits and make specific, meaningful changes that will help you achieve your goals. To access this information, follow the steps below:
- Go to Settings and tap on Screen Time.
- Click here to view all events.
- Note the number displayed above. This number is the average daily usage time of your phone.
- Scroll down to the Most used section and note which apps are in the top three.
- Go to the Pickups section and rate the apps in the top three.
- Go to the Notifications section and check out the top three apps.
With this information, you can make small but important changes to shorten the time you use your iPhone.
2- Set a time limit for using the application:
One of the easiest and most effective ways to reduce iPhone usage is to set app usage time limits based on the information you get from the Screen Time settings.
Pick an app or two that you spend most of your time browsing and want to use less. Then set a specific usage time limit, for example: if your screen time stats show that you use Instagram 1 hour per day, you can set a 30-minute limit. With this approach, you can gradually reduce screen time without feeling bored or deprived.
To set a time limit for using certain apps, do the following:
- Go to Settings and tap on Screen Time.
- Scroll down to App Restrictions and tap on it.
- Click Add restrictions and select a category. Then select the apps whose use you want to restrict.
- Click Next and set a time limit.
- If you want to apply the restriction to specific dates, click Custom dates.
- When finished, click Add.
When you use an app of your choice and reach the maximum usage time, a notification appears and prevents you from viewing the app. You can ignore this limit entirely or ignore it for another 15 minutes.
3- Reduction notice:
Reducing the number of notifications you receive is an easy way to avoid some distractions. For many of us, notifications increase the urge to continue using our phones. But without notifications, we could use our phones less.
View screen time stats to see which apps spend the most time browsing. Then, you can turn off notifications for specific apps by following these steps:
- Go to (Settings) Settings and click on (Notifications).
- Scroll down and tap the app for which you want to stop notifications.
- Set or turn off notification settings to allow notifications.
4- Set the time you want to stop using the phone:
iPhone offers a mode called Down Time in the Screen Time section to help you relax and step away from your phone. When enabled, this mode restricts all the apps you can use and the notifications that come to your phone. This is a good option if you don't want to turn off notifications or limit the apps you can use.
To activate standby mode, do the following:
- Go to Settings and tap on Screen Time.
- Scroll down to Downtime and tap on it.
- If you need to enable this mode immediately and continue until tomorrow, tap Enable downtime until tomorrow.
- Or enable the scheduling options to specify when unavailable mode is enabled.
- Select the days you want to activate the shutdown mode, and then select the working hours.