8 Tactics to Reduce Screen Time & Save On Your Prepaid Mobile Plan

Let’s all just admit that we could stand to spend a little less time on our phones. Unfortunately, every year we watch as the number of hours we spend on our phones increases, so we want to focus on how you can reduce your screen time and how it saves you money on your prepaid mobile plan. So let’s take a look at all the ways that are sure to get the hours you spend on a screen down.

Before Checking Your Phone, Ask Yourself If It’s Necessary

A phone is like a habit. We do it sometimes, even if we don’t want to or need to. Maybe you grab your phone because you think you’re hearing it make a noise that’s like an important notification, but it’s not. So what do you do? Do you put the phone down and go about your day? No, you head to your favourite apps and waste precious time scrolling through the feeds.

So next time you’re considering grabbing your phone, question if it’s really necessary. The likely answer is ‘no, it’s not worth it at all.’

Leave Your Phone Out of Reach When You’re In Bed

We’ve all been there, going to bed early only to wind up on our phones till all hours of the night and sometimes morning. Treat your bed as a sanctuary, and keep your phone away from you when you go to bed. Don’t keep it on the side table next to you. It’s clearly too tempting. Instead, keep it on the dresser, and if you use it as an alarm clock, get an actual alarm clock. The fewer interactions you have with your phone, the better your sleep can be.

Screen-free Zones

This is an agreement you’ll need to make with your partner or roommates, which is great if you’re both in the same boat. A screen-free zone in your home can do wonders for you. It means there is a designated space, or spaces, where you cannot bring in a phone to distract you. Maybe it’s the dining room table, which is perfect if you’re looking for full attention when you have conversations. Whatever your reasons are, it’s great to have if you’re looking for a break from technology for even just a few minutes.

Set Reasonable Limitations on Your Screen Time

This is a difficult one because it requires the discipline of the highest order. Setting reasonable screen times means treating your phone like a job. When you have a 9 to 5 job, you cannot leave until it’s time to leave. So, what if instead of it being treated as a case of leaving, you treat it as hours in which you’re allowed on your phone and when you’re not. Let’s say from 9am until 12pm, you’re not allowed to touch your phone. That means you’re getting work done and keeping on top of your daily schedule.

Delete Apps That You Spend Too Much Time On

We’ve all got apps that are like kryptonite to us. Think of social media apps in particular. How many hours have we all wasted on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok? Too many hours, that’s how many. We need to change how we interact with these apps, and that might mean cutting them off entirely. We realise it’s a tall order, because why should you be punished all the time when you’re just wanting to be less attached to your screens. However, what you could do is keep the apps installed on your tablet or iPad if you’ve got one. That way, when you want to use them during recreational times, it’s there when you need them.

Calls Instead of Texts

A major reason why we get sucked into our phones is that someone messages us. It’s not the interaction with messengers that gets us. It’s almost like a gateway drug where we end up checking other apps after the messages. As a result, we end up in places we shouldn’t, and the best way to avoid this is to have people call you instead of messaging you. So stick up status and let people know that the best way to reach you is to call instead of messaging you. It might not be something people want to do, but they'll do it if they desperately need to reach you!

Grayscale

We get drawn to our phones because there are a lot of exciting colours drawing us in. While it sounds ridiculous, it’s 100% true. Grayscale takes the life out of our phones and, thus, the excitement. We can’t be drawn in by colours when there aren’t any at all. It’s not a difficult process and just requires a visit to your phone's settings. This concept might not work for you, but it’s definitely worth a try.

Turn Off Unnecessary Notifications

The final thing that can help you avoid touching your phone is turning off unnecessary notifications from apps you don’t use or don’t need notifications from. That little ping of something happening draws us in, and it causes us to start exploring the apps. We don’t care about these notifications, but they take us out of what we’re doing and draw us into the phone, where we end up sticking around for a while. So either delete the apps or end their notifications once and for all.

Conclusion

The more time you spend off your phone, the better it is for you and your data. We only have so long, so why would you want to live through a screen instead of living in the real world

If the main reason you want to reduce your screen time is to conserve data, then maybe you need a plan that supplies your needs better and cheaper. Catch Connect is all about great deals, so check out what we’ve got to offer on our website!