Know Your Limits

As I've shared already on this platform, I've been examining the role of technology in my life, seeking a balance between creation and consumption. Especially when it comes to social media, I've been asking how much my tech use is really adding to my life and my goals. I've already shared about my Digital Sabbath experiment (which has secured itself as a weekly ritual for me). Something else I've added to my tech repertoire is the time limit feature for apps. 

This is clearly not a new discovery, but it might be new to you. In the screen time settings of your phone -- yes, the same screen settings you ignore because they tell you how much time you spend (waste?) on your phone each day -- there is an option to set time limits for individual apps. This has honestly been a game changer for me. 

I start off innocently enough, as we all do. I log into Facebook, for example, to check in on my friends and family. Oh, wow! That former co-worker is expecting a baby! That's amazing, I think. Then before I know it, I'm down a rabbit hole. Maybe I do need to start doing Wall Pilates and start making my own cheese. 

I know I'm not alone in this. The Almighty Algorithm is designed for just this moment. So I don't waste time beating myself up over being human. I am acutely aware of my limits and limitations as a human being. Instead, I just use the phone to help me beat well, the phone, at its own game. 

I've started with Facebook (and you're next, Instagram), and my daily time limit is 15 minutes. When the time is up, a little message pops up like this:


Full transparency here: sometimes, I extend that limit. For example, if I've spent most of those 15 minutes posting for my school's Facebook page, then I give myself a few more minutes to scroll on my own profile. Sometimes, I ignore the limit entirely, though that doesn't happen that often. 

Now you might be thinking, "Wow, she's so pathetic; she can't even monitor her own time on a social media app." And you'd be right. Here's the thing, though -- you can't monitor your own time on it either. The apps are quite literally designed for you to lose track of time. That's the impact of the continuous scroll. Remember those days, when you'd have to click "load more" and have a few seconds to think about how much time you were spending? Yeah, that was like 25 updates ago, at least. We are absolutely meant to lose track of time on our phones. 

I want a better balance, and the screen time limit function helps me achieve that. If you are also seeking more balance in your tech use, give it a try. You might be surprised by how quickly your allotted time for the day goes by! 

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