There’s no question that overall, we as a society spend way too much time on our phones. All you need to do is visit any public place and take a look around you to see the trend. There’s no question that smart-phone technology has made our lives easier and we have access to more information more than ever. But, at what cost?
Several studies have been done to analyze the amount of time people spent on their phones in 2017. Not surprisingly, data varied depending on age group… but the quick answer is that on average, over four hours was spent on phones. You can read more about it here.
I am, without question, one of those guilty parties. So much, in fact, that I’ve signed up for a 30 day “Break up with your Phone” challenge… which I will likely be writing about when it’s all said and done. I also wrote about the challenge earlier this week here.
Today’s Appy Friday is all about gaining awareness of how much time YOU spend on your phone and how often you check it during the day. The first step of any change is to figure out where you’re starting. For iOS, there is an app called “Moment”. You simply install it, and then run the app, and leave it running in the background (don’t worry if you accidentally force close it… which I’ve done several times because I like to keep my apps closed). Moment will record how much you’re using your phone, and provide you with some real data you can build from.
For you Android users, there is an app called “Quality Time” which is the same concept. I haven’t specifically used Quality Time myself, but it is supposed to work in the same way Moment does; simply install and then let it run in the background. With both apps, around Day 2 it will have you take screenshots of your phone usage time (under settings… it tells you how to get there), and with that information you will see which apps you spend the most time on. (For me, it was Facebook. Ironically my second most used was the lock/home screen… due to closing windows).
If you track your usage, and find yourself in the red (if your app shows green, phone use is good… yellow is borderline needing a change, and red is definite change needed), consider signing up for the 30 Day Break up with your Phone challenge. As of writing this blog, I’m on Day 5 and it’s been great!
Have you installed one of these apps? What do you think about your phone time? We’d love to hear from you!
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay