Midterms. They happened. A week of stressful studying, a weekend of stressful cramming, and another week of stressful test-taking. Notice a pattern? Despite attempts at taming the stress—like taking deep breaths or reading inspirational quotes (shout out to whoever set up the post-it notes)—exams were exhausting, and I know I’m not the only one who feels that way. Now that they’re done and we’re getting grades back, I find myself reflecting on the ideas of motivation and productivity. I can’t shake the feeling that I should have/could have been more productive, thinking back to all the times I got sucked into my phone or a movie. That being said, if you’re someone who can relate, I want you to know that you’re not alone and it’s important to focus on the positives while acknowledging improvements you may want to make.
Obviously, there are many factors to consider, but today I’m going to focus on the topic of screen time: the bane of my existence. As a disclaimer—I am not an expert, just sharing my experiences in hopes that they can be helpful. I know many people can relate to the frustration of finishing a week, feeling totally tired, and then looking at your screen time to realize you somehow spent 7+ hours on your phone per day. Like, where did all the time go? And if you had all that free time, why do you feel even more drained? Why are you still struggling to meet deadlines or get work done?
The first step here is to recognize that, obviously, not all of that time spent on your phone is time that could have been spent working; it just isn’t feasible to work every spare minute. Also, time to rest is just as important as time to work. Think of it in terms of technology—if you don’t let your phone/laptop charge overnight, it’s not going to be able to work properly the next day. And yeah, ‘charging’ is usually a metaphor for sleep, but in this context, I’ll use it as a metaphor for breaks. The point is, breaks are important.
The problem then becomes—what counts as a break? I mean, according to my screen time, I spend a few hours every day taking a break. So why am I still so tired? Well, what I’ve figured out based on my own experiences is that the biggest problem with using your scroll time as a “break” is that it drains your metaphorical battery, leaving you more exhausted than you were when you started. And yes, a little empty-minded scroll time can be needed sometimes, but there are so many other “breaks” that can recharge you as well. Think back to the hobbies you had when you were a little kid—making slime, drawing, or building with Legos. Even though they may feel like more effort to think about, I’ve found that coloring, for example, can be more restful than scrolling. And if I do use my phone or computer, I use them to watch things with a set time limit, like watching a movie or an episode of a TV show. This helps avoid getting sucked into the scrolling vortex while still feeling restful.
With that in mind, I’ve compiled a list of 10 things you can do instead of scrolling:
- Read
- Color in a coloring book
- Build with Legos
- Take a walk
- Listen to music
- Nap
- Journal
- Organize your room
- Cook or bake
- Practice a musical instrument/play a sport or game
There are a million other options, so have fun exploring!