3 Tips to Use Your Screen Time More Efficiently

We are surrounded by screens in our life - whether it's our phone, a TV we're watching or the computer we use for work. Screen time, as the name suggests, is the amount of time spent using a device that has a screen. It has become an important aspect of our life that we have to monitor, especially since the smartphones became ubiquitous in the mid 2000's.

According to DataReportal cited by Backlinko, the worldwide average screen time in Q3 of 2023 was 6 hours and 40 minutes. If we only take the United States into consideration, it it slightly higher, at around 7 hours and 3 minutes, with the smartphone being the leading medium for this especially for younger generations. Check out Alwaysonline.life for a lot of stories about screen time on your phone.

This article will explore ways to use your screen time more efficiently so you don't have to spend more hours than needed to get things done.

There is no correct answer for this question. It all depends on what you're using the screen time for and your overall health (physical and mental). When it comes to age, stats say that younger people spend more time in front of a screen.

Often people ask if a certain number of hours is ok: is 3 or 4 or 9 hours screen time good or bad? Again, that's something that is specific to each, but as a general rule, you should try to limit the screen time to a level that will not have any negative effects on you, physically or mentally. Some of these that have been documented include:

• sleep duration and quality
• obesity through lack of physical activity
• mental health issues
• behavior
• academic performance

Tip 1: Get Better Internet

As most of us spend time in front of smartphones, computers or TVs, accessing social media, streaming videos, playing games or just browsing the Internet, we need the best Internet connection we can get. If the Internet is slow and laggy, your screen time will go up with no real added value, since you would just be waiting for the app, video or website to load.

That's why you have to use all the available connections at once - this way if your Wi-Fi, for example, fails or becomes slow, your cellular can pick up the connection without you missing a beat. You can do this easily with Speedify, the only app that combines all of your Internet connections to keep you online when it matters most. Use it on your smartphone or computer for the best Internet connectivity anywhere.

Tip 2: Wear Glasses with Screen Light Filters and Take Breaks

Modern LCD / LED screens emit blue light, that affects eyesight and can cause digital eye strain. If you work in an office, you spend around 8 hours a day in front of a computer. Add your smartphone screen time to that and the TV you watch and you can easily get up to 12 hours a day of screen time.

When possible, wearing special light glasses designed to block that blue light can help protect your eyes. Also - follow the 20-20-20 rule - take a break from the screen every 20 minutes and look at an object at least 20 feet away (approx. 7 meters) for 20 seconds or longer.

Tip 3: Keep Track of Your Screen Time Regularly

Do you know your current screen time? You can try to approximate it by adding the time you sit in front of screens on all devices - computers, TVs, tablets and smarpthones. In the case of mobile devices, you can actually see your screen time:

• on iPhones / iPads - you can view time spent on your devices, but also schedule time away and set time limits for apps use. Here's a guide on using screen time on iOS / iPadOS.
• on Android devices - under Digital Wellbeing - see guide here.

This way, you'll be able to make correlations if you begin to see any signs of fatigue, for example, after using the screen too much in one week, and act on that.

Speedify helps you use your screen time more efficiently by providing the best Internet connection at all times. When using it on your computer or mobile device, it will use all available connections, including the ones from your family or friends nearby, to provide fast, more reliable and secure connectivity.

Slow and laggy Internet causes you to spend more time in front of a screen. The same time can be used by you for other activities - be it in front of a screen or not - and you will be able to accomplish more. Speedify helps you with that when you run it on your smartphone, tablet or computer.