This means more than a whole day per week! We often underestimate how much time we spend staring at our phone screens. Although this data is recorded, it is difficult to notice and even easier to overlook.

If you're tired of scrolling and want to avoid regretting in a few years because you chose your phone over your life, here are some tips to save time. This doesn't mean that phones are bad, but losing control over the time spent on them is not beneficial.

How to reduce time spent on the phone - measures to consider

After discussing the reasons why you should spend less time on your phone, let's see how you can do this. These suggestions will help you make your phone less attractive and be more aware of its use. They will help you to truly think about how you want to spend your time. I recommend trying these suggestions one by one. See what works for you and adapt the suggestions that are not entirely suitable.

There's nothing to lose if you try a few of these ideas, especially when compared to what you can gain.

Give up email access on your phone

If you notice that you check your email on the phone, but don't take important actions, leave your emails for moments when you're at your desk or computer, or when you set aside special time to manage them instead of dealing with it throughout the day. If you're not sure if this method is right for you, at least give it a try. Try going 30 days without email access on your phone and see how you feel.

Turn off all notifications except for phone calls or messages

Stop receiving social notifications, breaking news updates, unnecessary reminders sent by apps to keep you engaged, and any other distractions from your daily life. If calendar notifications serve a purpose for you, keep them active. Otherwise, deactivate these too.

Be honest about the time spent on your phone

If you're worried about phone usage, notice when, how and why you use the phone and certain apps. For a quick look at the time spent on mobile and the apps that occupy most of your time:

• Go to Settings > Battery

• see "Battery usage"

• Tap on the small clock icon on the right

You can see the hours/minutes spent on each app in the last 24 hours or 7 days.

Use the "Do Not Disturb" mode

There's a reason this option exists on your phone. Airplane mode or turning off the phone works as well, but when you use the "Do Not Disturb" feature, you can set it so that only "favorites" can still contact you.

Choose grayscale tones

Make your phone a less attractive presence by changing the settings to grayscale tones. Here's how to configure and easily switch back to colors.

iPhones: Go to: Settings > General > Accessibility > Display accommodations > Color filters. Turn on Color filters and select Grayscale. To quickly switch between colors and grayscale tones, go to Settings > General > Accessibility > Accessibility shortcut > Color filters. Now, you just need to press the home button three times to activate grayscale tones. Press it three times again to return to colors.

Android: This process may vary depending on the model.

Leave the phone behind when going outside

The best way to eliminate phone distraction is to leave it at home. Go out without it and schedule regular digital breaks.

If you want real connections and honest answers, check your heart more often than you check your phone. Less phone, more heart.

If you want to spend less time on your phone, embrace boredom

One of the biggest problems with spending time on your phone is that we don't get bored anymore. The phone seems to have all the answers. Instead, consult your inner "Google". Take the time to get bored and connect with yourself. Look around for other sources of wisdom in your life, especially the internal ones.

Identify phone-free zones

Consider areas, such as the dining table, bathroom and car, and time frames, like the times when you'd prefer to sleep or early mornings. Wouldn't it be nice to enjoy your morning coffee or take a walk before getting lost in your emails? Allocate phone-free areas and times to help you spend less time on your phone and more time doing what you really want.

Follow fewer people to spend less time on your phone

If you spend most of your time on social networks, stop following as many people as possible.

Together without screens

Even though it seems like you're spending time with the people you love, look around. Everyone is spending time on their phones. You're all alone, but together. Plan outings, activities and opportunities to be together, without screens, according to Bemorewithless.com.

Find something that matters more

Put a photo on your lock screen of something or someone that matters more than what you find on the other side. Sometimes we just need that thing that tells us what's happening around us is better than what we think we'll find on our phones.

The "ideal" time to spend on your phone in a day

It's time to ask ourselves: "What is the ideal screen time?". Let's find out how much average screen time per day should be for children and adults.

Children under 2 years should not be exposed to any type of screen, except for occasional video calls with relatives.

Children aged 2 to 5 should have strictly limited screen time. They are extremely sensitive and may need to use screens for educational purposes, but not as a leisure option.

Playtime is important at this stage and should take priority. Parents should be careful not to use screen time as entertainment for their children. WHO recommends 1 hour or less of screen time for children under 5.

Children over 5 can spend more time in front of the screen. However, there should always be a limitation. You, as a parent, should set a specific time when children can be exposed to screens outside of educational purposes. Remember that this should not interfere with learning, relationships, family time, physical activity, playtime or sleep. Excessive screen time can affect both physical and mental health. 2 hours of screen time are acceptable on school days and can be extended to 3 hours on weekends.

Adults tend to use screens for entertainment and interaction. They are at a higher risk level regarding screen addiction. Therefore, it is important to limit their screen time outside of work hours.

It should be less than two hours per day, and any additional time is considered harmful. Outside of work hours, you should not spend more than 2 hours on social media or watching movies/TV shows on TV or OTT platforms, according to Pharmeasy.ro.

Apps that can help you

Here are some apps you can turn to if you want to shorten the time spent on your phone, according to everydayyeyecandy.com.

1. Space

Space helps you set goals to be more aware of the time spent on the screen. When you start the app, you answer a series of questions about your smartphone habits. Customized for you now, Space sets goals for you to unlock the screen and use your time. The application even sends you notifications and offers various achievement badges when you reach your goals.

2. Flipd

If you feel like you need ENORMOUS pressure to reduce screen time, Flipd might be the right app for you. Once you block an application on your phone for a certain period of time, you can NO longer go back. You CANNOT deactivate the app by restarting your phone! It's hardcore!

3. Forest

The Forest app works by allowing you to plant a seed and watch it grow into a tree. BUT when you start using social networks on your phone, your trees die. The app is practically a reward system. I believe this is suitable for people motivated by virtual rewards.

4. Lilspace

Lilspace shows you how much you use your phone and has community support within the app. There are benefits from participating businesses that offer incentives to help you give up your devices. Some will even reward your achievements by donating money to charity organizations.

5. Offtime

This app allows you to block not only social networks, but also games and even text messages. You can also set what you can and cannot access for specific periods, such as Family Time, Work Time and Me Time.