You’re doomscrolling and before you know it, a few hours have passed. It’s an all too familiar story for many people.
“Our phones are like tractor beams,” says Paul Leonardi, who is the author of “Digital Exhaustion: Simple Rules for Reclaiming Your Life” and department chair and professor of technology management at UC Santa Barbara. “They’re designed to pull us in.”
If you’re trying to reduce your screen time at home and have healthier habits with your digital devices, Leonardi shares a few tips you can try.
There’s no problem with “picking up your phone if you need to,” Leonardi says. The bigger issue for many people is mindlessly whiling away the hours. Leonardi says it can help to “set a quick intention for yourself” when you reach for your phone.
“Creating that intention is really key in helping us have a stopping point for our interactions with our tools,” Leonardi says. Maybe you may need to check your email for a certain message. Keep that reason top of mind.
