that annoying stereotype about Gen Z being glued to their telephones, bodily incapable of putting all of them the best way right down to work along with the precise world? The declare that we spend further time mindlessly scrolling than really connecting with others, all whereas our consideration spans are dwindling to nothing? As quite a bit as I’d prefer to roll my eyes and snigger it off as yet another “once more in my day” second, according to my show time, it’s—sadly—true in my case.
My phone is so ingrained in my day-after-day routine that I barely perceive how quite a bit time I spend scrolling with no precise perform. I’m on some sort of a show nearly every second of the day. Even after I’m not actively scrolling, I’ve acquired one factor collaborating in inside the background—whether or not or not it’s a YouTube video all through my skincare routine or a podcast whereas I put together dinner dinner. In 2025, I decided this needed to change. So I challenged myself to cut back my show time for per week to see what would happen. Proper right here’s the best way it went.
What variety of hours of show time is healthful?
Do you have to’re learning this, you possibly already know you spend an extreme period of time on screens. Nevertheless how quite a bit is an extreme quantity of? In response to Nicely being, the standard American clocks 28.5 hours of leisure show time per week. Whereas there’s no universally agreed-upon “golden amount,” specialists say overconsumption can lead to digital eye strain, impaired sleep, and psychological properly being factors. It’s not practically how quite a bit show time you’re racking up however moreover how and what you devour.
Mindless scrolling? No benefits. Spending that exact same time learning French on Duolingo? That’s a singular story. Nonetheless, my phone behavior falls fully into the earlier class.
What happens should you occur to cut back show time?
As quite a bit as I actually like a wonderful TikTok scroll, there’s no denying its opposed outcomes. In response to Stanford Lifestyle Medication, excessive show time can harm learning, memory, sleep, and psychological properly being and would possibly even enhance the hazard of early neurodegeneration. It will not actually really feel like an unlimited deal to faucet by Instagram tales, nonetheless it supplies up over time. Reducing show time creates home for extra wholesome habits. You’re going to get exterior, study a information, or be part of with people IRL, all of which have confirmed optimistic impacts. It’s a straightforward concept: with a lot much less scrolling, there’s further doing.
How one can cut back show time
Reducing show time must be easy… Merely put your phone away, correct? However it’s easier talked about than achieved. Clearly, the world saved spinning regardless that I was embarking on a doubtlessly life-changing journey, so I couldn’t totally shut out contact with all screens. I nonetheless have a job to get achieved and need my phone to talk with people in my life. Going into the issue, my show time was six hours and 42 minutes. I aimed to lower this by limiting my phone, TV, and computer use exterior of labor as successfully. Whereas I couldn’t completely disconnect, I tried to steer clear of using any screens for leisure, and let me inform you, it wasn’t easy.
My experience lowering my show time for one week
Day 1
I on a regular basis knew I was chronically on-line, nevertheless day one proved how sturdy my phone’s keep on me was. From the second I woke up, I instinctively reached for my phone every 20 minutes, opening Instagram with out realizing it. It wasn’t even on account of I wanted to scroll; it was merely pure habits.
The hardest part of right this moment was discovering totally different strategies to decompress. My show time has on a regular basis been my “me time,” and I was compelled to hunt out new strategies to realize that exact same leisure with out it. I’ve on a regular basis been an unlimited reader, so whereas I did study rather more than frequent, that’s already part of my day-after-day routine, and a lady can solely study quite a bit sooner than she begins to go stir-crazy. I felt similar to the Kim Kardashian pilgrim meme attempting to entertain myself with out my phone, and my urge to scroll was so extreme that I regretted taking on this downside. By the highest of the day, I’d spent one hour and 46 minutes on my phone. My excessive apps have been TikTok (18 minutes), Instagram (quarter-hour), and Slack (14 minutes). At first, I was dissatisfied that the amount wasn’t even lower, nevertheless I wanted to accept that hitting zero minutes was unrealistic.
Day 2
On Tuesday, I seen how a whole lot of my routine revolves spherical screens. I rise up to my phone alarm, watch a YouTube video whereas getting ready, sip espresso whereas collaborating in Wordle, after which dive into work. By the highest of the day, I’d normally watch TV whereas consuming dinner and scroll myself to sleep. I hated how quite a bit I relied on my phone, nevertheless breaking that routine wasn’t easy. I tried to implement new strategies, listening to podcasts whereas on a stroll after I’d have watched TV and getting out of the house further so there wasn’t as quite a bit time to scroll. Nonetheless, my phone was nonetheless on my ideas all day. Whereas my common show time was 40 minutes elevated than on day one, 53 minutes was on Slack for work, and I nonetheless shaved off 14 minutes of leisure time.
Day 3
By Wednesday, I seen that my go-to excuse that I “don’t have time” to do (insert irrespective of goal or course of I’m procrastinating proper right here) is B.S. I’ve a great deal of time. I merely wasted a whole lot of it on my phone. After I took away the hours I spent procrastinating starting dinner or doing laundry by scrolling on social media, out of the blue, my days freed up slightly bit. With a lot much less time on my phone, I is perhaps rather more intentional about how I wanted to spend my time. I lastly found the time to call my grandma, opened the high-yield monetary financial savings account I discussed I’d do for months, and accomplished a information on my TBR guidelines I’ve wished to start out out. My most used apps have been Safari for 26 minutes, The Reduce site for 25 minutes, and Messages for 22. It was the first time TikTok didn’t sneak into the very best three, which is a win in my information.
Day 4
Thursday was after I really hit my stride on this experiment. I not craved my phone and wasn’t counting down the time left on this experiment by the hour. Scrolling felt a lot much less like a habits and additional like a range. I’m not wonderful, and I nonetheless spent 20 minutes on Instagram and 12 on TikTok, nevertheless I wasn’t all the time selecting up my phone anymore, which felt like an unlimited shift. I moreover didn’t consider my life to those I on a regular basis see on social media. I didn’t actually really feel liable for my morning routine not starting at 5 a.m. and being filled with journaling, workout routines, and meditation like these I see day-after-day on TikTok. I wasn’t even fascinated with them, quite a bit a lot much less holding myself to that commonplace—one factor I didn’t perceive I did until I ended.
Day 5
Merely having a look at Friday, you will assume it was a greater show time day, nonetheless it was really one among my biggest days should you occur to don’t rely the 43 minutes spent directing me on maps. I indicate, I’m driving, not having a look at my phone, so it undoubtedly shouldn’t be thought-about show time. My totally different top-used apps along with Maps have been the New York Situations video video games and Spotify. By day 5, I moreover felt like I could focus deeply on one course of in a method I couldn’t with my earlier show time habits. Actually, it takes longer than 5 days to see long-term properly being benefits, nevertheless I was already seeing enhancements in my consideration span.
Day 6
By Saturday, I nonetheless didn’t crave my phone like I did on Monday, nevertheless with out work, there was rather more free time the place I was tempted to scroll. I remained sturdy, nevertheless I did spend half-hour on TikTok and 15 on Instagram, which wasn’t pretty just about nearly as good as Thursday and Friday. Nonetheless, sooner than this week, my Saturdays have been nearly seen as a time to rot in mattress on my phone fully. Factoring that in, and the reality that this was the week of the TikTok “ban,” and all of us thought it was disappearing endlessly that evening time, half-hour is pretty good.
Day 7
After I started lowering my show time, I believed I is perhaps throwing a literal celebration on Sunday to have a very good time it being over, nevertheless I could have merely saved it going. I preferred that my mornings began slowly with none distractions from social media. I could study and enjoy my espresso peacefully in its place of being immediately bombarded with information on Instagram and TikTok. After work, I didn’t merely sit on the couch scrolling. I made plans with associates to grab a drink, strolled throughout the neighborhood, and browse or listened to podcasts after I wanted to relax out at dwelling alone. I moreover not felt the guilt of realizing I solely meant to be on my phone for a few minutes and by chance letting an hour cross totally derailed my schedule for the evening. On the ultimate day of the issue, I spent 27 minutes on Instagram, 23 minutes on Substack, and 10 minutes on Safari.
What was the outcomes of lowering show time?
My weekly frequent sooner than lowering my show time was six hours and 42 minutes (which, ideas you, was down 11 % from the week sooner than), and thru the issue, it was two hours (a 71 % low cost!). Beforehand, my excessive three apps have been TikTok, which had 20 hours and 18 minutes all by way of the week; YouTube, which had 10 hours; and Instagram, which had 4 hours and 26 minutes. Now, they’re Instagram with two hours and one minute, TikTok with one hour and 58 minutes, and Slack with one hour and 21 minutes.
In our digital world, know-how is such a giant part of our lives it would actually really feel unattainable to disconnect, nevertheless I seen such a serious change in my life merely lowering the time frame I spend with it. Even supposing this experiment is over, I am far more aware about how quite a bit time I spend scrolling. I nonetheless love the net and social media, nevertheless I not likely really feel like I’ve to spend hours on-line to stay inside the well-liked tradition loop. Do you have to’re even considering lowering your show time, attempting this experiment is a ought to.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lauren Blue, Assistant Editor
As an Assistant Editor for The Everygirl, Lauren ideates and writes content material materials for both sides of our readers’ lives. Her articles span the topics of must-read books, movement photos, dwelling excursions, journey itineraries—and each half in between. When she isn’t testing the newest TikTok sample, she is perhaps found scouring Goodreads for model new releases to perform on the placement.