Ways to Limit Your Time Spent on Social Media

Posted on 5th August 2021

It’s not a secret that we spend most of our free time on our phones. In a lot of the cases, it’s inevitable, as we tend to use our phones for maps, time, weather forecast, communication with friends and family – those are understandable and, in fact, promoted. ‘Cause why would you have a smartphone if you’re not going to use its functions? What is bad, however, is the time we spend on social media, just browsing mindlessly through Facebook or Instagram. There’s no harm in checking it once or twice a day but it becomes an addiction when we constantly find ourselves reaching for our phone just to check what is happening in other people’s lives. So, how do we limit our time spent on social media?

First of all, we need to learn picking up something else than our phone when we’re bored. How often do you just “check” what’s new on Instagram because you have nothing else going on? Either you’re waiting for your friend to arrive or commuting, you need something to make your time pass quicker. Here is an idea – try carrying a book with you everywhere you go. It’s a perfect opportunity to broaden your horizons and learn something new. With a good book you definitely won’t be bored and what’s even better, you won’t have to rely on your phone to entertain you. That’s a win-win situation!

Most of the time, however, we need our phone to check the time. But oh, how tempted we usually get to unlock that screen and check Facebook or any other social media. The fear of missing out is just too real! But how did people live before these gadgets were invented? Just one word – clocks. Nowadays there is so much new technology on the market – you can choose a smart watch that connects to your phone, or you can go old-school and choose a simple wrist watch that will still be fully functional. Just one glance at your wrist and it will tell you time all while keeping you away from those social media apps. That’s a great solution if you are really trying to limit the time you spent browsing the web.

Another very important feature our phones have is a camera. Personally, I can’t imagine a life without the ability to take pictures almost everywhere I go. I’m sure that at least half of the people I know face the same problem. And it’s understandable – we just want to capture that moment! How amazing it is to later look through those photos and instantly remember the day filled with fun and joy. But to capture the moment, we don’t need to use our phones. In almost every friend group there is always a person with an actual camera, so we recommend to invest in exactly that. It doesn’t have to be anything crazy expensive – just something simple, so that you can carry it around and snap those shots. Or, even better, consider the nowadays so popular polaroid cameras! This way your pictures will be not only original but also memorable. Everybody loves a nice polaroid photo!

"Distracted from distraction by distraction".

- T. S. Eliot

Lastly, it is clear that some of us are fiddlers. We just simply need to have something in our hand, something to play with. Now, this is probably the easiest solution out of all of these and I highly recommend you try and incorporate it into your life. Simply get another object to play with. That’s right, it’s that easy. And whether it is a small toy, or a pen, or maybe your music player, the important thing is – this will serve as a substitute for your phone, so you won’t catch yourself reaching for it yet again.

And that is how you limit your time on social media. Remember, the most important thing is to have something else to do – whether it’s reading a book or listening to music (but not on your phone!), that is up to you. You have to substitute to run away from the temptation to check Facebook or any other app. We hope you can manage to spend less time on your phone.

Stay tuned for more useful and varied Gear Geek resources in the coming weeks and months, including guides on our new and exciting products.

Thank you!