How to Find Extra Time

How often do you say to yourself, “I wish there were more hours in the day?”  Well, I can show you where to find them.

Open your phone settings.  Go to “screen time.”  Turn it on if it isn’t on already.  Come back to the same spot in a week to find the answer.

Your phone tracks exactly how much time you spend looking at it each day.  It’ll even break it down between apps, so you can see what necessary things you’re looking at (emails, news, communicating with others) and what you might be wasting your time on (Facebook, Instagram, the stuff that does more harm than good).

If you have four hours of screen time, that’s half a business day you could spend doing something you actually enjoy.  Not all screen time is bad, but I’d venture to guess that most of those four hours were spent doom scrolling.  And I know what you’re thinking: four hours?  That could never be me!  It could.  Those short, habitual glances add up.

I’m not anti-phone, but I am a chronic complainer about where all the time goes.  About two weeks ago, I put time limits on my apps.  For apps like Instagram and TikTok, I’ll get locked out for the day once I reach my time limit.  I’ll find myself grabbing for my phone when I’m watching TV (because apparently one screen isn’t enough), and having my phone stop me from mindlessly scrolling has really helped.  I can feel the habit slowly fading, and suddenly my days feel longer in a good way. Something to think about.  Now put your phone down, and have a good week!