With a mini-sized world always in our pockets, providing easy access to anything and anyone, mobile phones have been growing addictive, to no one’s surprise. But Arnold Schwarzenegger wanted to address this as a problem and help find a middle ground between staying informed and not getting lost in the information overload.
In his recent newsletter, he talked about how one could solve the issue of doomscrolling and being on the phone all the time. With the help of some simple steps, it’s easy to let go of that habit and develop better technology practices.
A study on the efficacy of greyscale on devices suggests that the lack of color on the screen could do the trick. Since users are often accustomed to having applications in the same place, rearranging those could also do the trick.
The idea is to reduce the amount of hours naturally, which changes one’s behavior without any additional intervention. The greyscale screen approach helps since it appears to be less gratifying than the normal color screen.
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“Studies have found that it can reduce your daily phone usage by up to 50 minutes per day, help decrease anxiety, and increase overall well-being.”
And if turning the screen grey alone doesn’t work, Schwarzenegger suggested another technique that involved self-nudging. This essentially involves eliminating the reasons to check one’s phone to, ultimately, break the habit.
“Removing notifications, turning off face unlock, shifting apps away from your home screen, hiding or deleting social media apps…and setting screen time reminders are all effective methods of self-nudging.”
Doomscrolling generally occurs late at night or early in the morning upon waking up. So Schwarzenegger feels that the best way to avoid either of those sessions is to charge up the phone in a different room. In the end, among several techniques to reduce screen time and phone usage, it is crucial to remember that moderation is the key.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Talks About Screen Time Among Kids
While curbing phone usage is a necessary step for adults, screen time for toddlers is a complicated subject. In today’s era when a lot of information is available at the drop of a hat, keeping children engaged is temptingly simple due to gadgets.
To combat an overdose, Schwarzenegger recommended limiting the screen time for 3-5-year-olds to two hours a day. During this time, parents are encouraged to expose them to educational content to enrich their minds and make those hours count. That’s how one can combat excessive screen time in children while also harnessing its advantages.
