Wildway wants you to live a better, fuller life. That's why we're exploring the issue of screen time and attempting to reduce that problem in our lives and yours. Check out the other articles in this series and join our mission. We want you to reduce your screen time and use that time for something else... something better. Less screen time means more time to Live Wild.
Here's the next step to doing that:
Close Your Laptop
While the rise of smartphones has decreased the ownership of laptops, they aren't going anywhere. 74% of Americans are still in possession of a laptop and the average US citizen spends over 2 hours a day on that device. That doesn't include the new generation of professionals who work from their laptop, which would add another 8-9 hours to that number. Whether we are utilizing them for work or play, our laptops are a large contributor to the 42% of our lives spent looking at a screen. Follow these steps to reduce that number:
1. Put yourself out there
2018 stats showed that 60% of the average US citizen laptop use was for entertainment (gaming, streaming, etc.). This data reveals that the majority of our laptop screen time is spent binge-watching Netflix in our bedrooms or playing a video game with virtual characters from another world. So, first step to closing your laptop? Put yourself out there. Get out of your dark room and get outside. Stop isolating yourself in seclusion with a screen and go do something with your friends. Watching The Office for the 7th time won't make you any memories. Close your laptop, get out there, and Live Wild.
2. Don't use it anymore than you have to
While a large part of laptop use is for play, the other reason we're staring at those screens is for work. Whether for school or jobs, people are now utilizing laptops as their primary tool for research, email, creating, designing, writing, etc. Additionally, the rise of remote jobs and "work-from-home" professionals has created a whole new level of laptop usage. This is an irreversible shift in our society and an unavoidable digital phenomenon in our lives. However, we must still make sure we aren't looking at these screens any longer than we have to. If you have to be on your laptop from 9 am to 5 pm for your job, then don't be on it from 9 pm to 12 am. When work is done, put it away and "play" a different way.
3. Leave your laptop at home
In this digital age, we can't go anywhere without our devices. Whether it's coffee shops, public parks, or vacation resorts, we still feel the need to take our screens with us. Here's an idea... Don't. Leave your laptop at home. Laptops and beach chairs don't go together. Nor do laptops and park benches. And I promise you won't need it while your grabbing an espresso with an old friend. Next time you go somewhere to enjoy yourself, leave it behind. Sure, you'll probably still take your phone (it's 2019, let's be real), but you don't have to take the other screen. It'll just weigh you down... In more ways than one.
Less screen time = more time to Live Wild. Close your laptop, put yourself out there, don't use it anymore than you have to, and leave it at home. Read other ways to reduce your screen time in our Break Up With Your Phone and Turn Off the TV articles.
