I decreased my screen time. Here’s what happened.

5 min readOct 21, 2023

Now the hazards of excess screen time is no brainier!

There is already so much written and said about it yet it is one of the leading problems afflicting people across age groups.

I too have been a culprit of this crime or should I say victim ? The lines r quite blur.

Saying I was addicted to my phone would be an understatement. I literally lived in my phone. From mindless scrolling to binging on random content as late as 3am had become a daily agony! I decreased my screen time. Here’s what happened.

It resulted in sabotaging various aspects of my life . When it came to my mental health, it compromised my concentration and focus. My anxiety touched a new height. I turned into a chronic insomniac. My panda eyes grew darker and darker!

I was cranky all the time . I was helpless .

It wasn’t long before it affected my academics and physical health that I finally decided to do something about it. Initially I would just keep my phone away from my sight but it would just create an irresistible urge to grab my phone asap. My pledge would just crumble into pieces!

After numerous failed attempts I decided to be realistic with my problem. Instead of chasing perfection I chose to take it one step at a time.

First and foremost,I kinda did a survey of what all I consume mainly from all the digital media.

Then, I uninstalled apps that I felt weren’t absolutely necessary like fb,twitter and Instagram. I needed what’s app for messaging and YouTube for studies.

For YouTube I gauged my subscription lists and unsubscribed from all the channels that really didn’t add much to my well being ,instead aggravated the binging addiction. Basically i restructured my online diaspora.

Besides, I fixed a limit to my number of hours I spent on my phone overall.

Soon my time on phone decreased with time. The algorithm turned into something I didn’t binge on.

I eventually starting seeing positive impacts on my overall well being . Here is what all happened

1.Mental calmness:

I could feel very vividly the mental clutter and anxious thoughts fading away. My concentration has become better . There is a sense of Clarity in my thought process.

2.Improvement of my Sleep cycle:

The single most effect I really cherish and am grateful about owing to decreasing my screen time is that I can sleep better now. Insomnia had really taken the best out of me. And guess what ,my dark circles have also significant reduced. Yeaaah!

3.Academics : Having a lot of time at my hand now, I reclaimed my studies 😁

With better focus and attention and less Brain Fog I could grasp better ,retain more and perform well in my exams. This was a big win.

4.Social skills: Being addicted to my phone deprived me of socialising. I had become a loner. I was nowhere yet everywhere online. Decreasing screen time enabled me to reconnect socially and have a genuinely good time.

5.Working on my hobbies and skills:

Getting a digital detox gave more room to dwell in my long forgotten hobbies. I read more . I wrote more. I started learning new hobbies like baking, cooking, yoga,homemaking,etc.

All this made me feel more fulfilled and a “living being “ rather than a zombie sleepwalking through life.

Decreasing my screen time has been the best decision I have made in years and it is only getting better . I can visibly see more in store for my productivity and well being and it is definitely not inside the phone!