9 Tips to Help You Waste Less Time on Social Media

Social media can take over much of your time. Whichever screen you choose to consume your daily fix on, the dangers of excessive screen time remain the same. At the very least, you strain your eyes and can trigger headaches. Not to mention, you also tend to waste your time on mindless scrolling.

Now, that doesn't mean the solution is to cut off social media entirely. That aspiration seems a bit far-fetched nowadays. You can still keep your favorite apps, but managing your screen time better is the key. Here are some of the best ways to moderate your screen time.

1. Take the Occasional Day Off

While other ideas on this list will be about finding specific methods to limit social media use, the best tip is often to take a day off of social media. Whether once a week or once a month, putting aside time where you don't even check social media helps keep you from becoming too dependent.

Few strategies work as well as time off, as your need for constant interaction and gratification will wane. And if you're feeling a bit daring, even try daily downtime after a certain time. It turns out, the more time you spend before bed away from a bright screen, the easier it is to sleep. Doing a social media detox can do you wonders.

2. Develop Alternative Hobbies

If you find your eyes are glued to your phone for hours on end, perhaps add a few hobbies to your daily routine.

From books to more social outings, each activity that you add to your metaphorical plate is time away from your phone. There is nothing more exciting than finding a new passion, such as painting, crocheting, bowling, or fishing.

Try to schedule outings with friends or by yourself that don't end up with you staring at a screen. And when out and about with friends, try to stay off your phone as much as possible. Not only will that limit screen time, but your friends will appreciate that they have your full attention.

Many phones nowadays come with features that address screen time. You can check if your phone has a screen time feature and use features like iOS's screen time limit to reduce screen time. With a few simple clicks, you can decrease your social media time dramatically.

Each day (or week), you get notifications that give you an average of the amount of time you've spent on your screen. That's perfect if you aren't looking for a total social media blackout but instead want to see how much time they're wasting and attempt to limit it.

These features are a blessing for those who aren't able to put down social media. Each day you allot how much time you want to spend on social media or other apps. After that time is reached, it's game over.

Tired of seeing everyone around you living a life you wanted? Well, it turns out that most people only show their best selves on social media and it's one way social media is making our society divided. A healthy alternative is to find content that is both enjoyable and uplifting. We see enough chaos in the world around us, wouldn't a few more lighthearted accounts be a better follow?

Great examples of enjoyable content would be funny and cute images, such as cute animals on Instagram. Sometimes the best medicine is a smile that gets you away from the stress of how seemingly perfect everyone looks on social media.

5. Ignore Likes and Follows

It's so easy to get trapped into the snare of likes and follows on social media. From Instagram to Facebook, getting someone to like or comment on your photo releases your brain's reward response. We get excited at the thought of someone else paying attention to us. But you can reduce how much an app prompts you to check for those interactions.

Either turn off notifications or better yet, stop thinking about the numbers. The number of friends or followers on your account should never be more important than your actual life—once you realize this, you're a step closer to better social media usage.

A great way to gamify your social media access is by rewarding positive behavior. For example, if you complete tasks on your to-do list that you're not keen on doing, you can allow yourself more screen time. Like, do the dishes, and add three minutes to your social media time.

That way, each opportunity and social media craving will link back to productivity.

7. Dedicate Phone-Free Zones in Your Home

You can choose certain spaces in your home where phones are not allowed. Like, the bedroom or the dinner table. Or, you can enforce a rule that if a movie or show is playing, you're not allowed to look at your phone.

Enforcing these limitations can be helpful regardless of whether you live alone or with others. Not only does it force you to be present and in the moment, but you get to enjoy the food or flick or simply take the time to wind down and fall asleep.

8. Look for the Right Apps

If you're looking for a more creative way to limit screen time, browse your app store, and you're bound to find an array of options. A fun example is Forest, available for Android and iOS devices.

Forest offers to help you focus on a task and ignore your phone by planting a tree on the app. Once you plant your tree, it will take a certain amount of time to grow, allowing you to work without your phone distracting you.

After the time elapses, you have a tree and can get back to using your phone. But if you leave the app before the tree is fully grown, it dies, giving you an incentive.

9. Engage Your Phone Without Looking at It

If your phone is your only available source of entertainment, it can be hard to stay away. However, though that is a predicament, that doesn't mean you can't find a way around it.

You can still use your phone for entertainment without staring at the screen. For example, you can play a podcast or an audiobook and leave your phone an arm's length away from you. That's the easiest way to still enjoy your phone without facing a screen.

Track and Limit Your Screen Time and See the Difference That Makes

Constant social media consumption is unhealthy, regardless of the person and their lifestyle. If you overdo your screen time, it's more than likely that you'll suffer for it regardless of all the other healthy habits you foster.

So, whether you see a problem with your current screen time or not, give these tips a try and see if they make a difference to your life. Odds are, they will.