<p>Eight? Four? Twenty? One? Here’s the truth: Screen time doesn’t matter.</p><p>1. It’s not about how much. It’s about whether your phone is a needy, attention-sucking vampire.</p><p>2. That’s why the main metric tracked by screen time apps is deceptive: ten minutes of shooting crack cocaine intravenously are still ten minutes of shooting crack cocaine intravenously.</p>

How many hours per day can you stare at your phone?

<p>1. Your phone trying to cop around how much you use your devices is like a booze maker helping you track how much booze you should drink.</p><p>2. Because they want to keep you alive: you are the consumer after all, <strong>and you must be around to consume</strong>.</p>

But That's The Trick To Keep You Inside The Phone

<p>When it helps you to check in on your partner, to get directions, or to edit photos professionally, time doesn’t matter as much—does it?</p>

Is your phone a helpful assistant or a demanding boss?

<ul><li>Does this app do its job and then politely step aside?</li><li>Does it linger in your brain like an awkward party guest at 2:30 A.M. after everyone else already left?</li><li>Did I summon this app, or did it summon me via notifications?</li></ul>

Better Ways To Evaluate Quality, Not Quantity, Of Screen Time

<p>Go on, spend 4 hours on an app. Just make sure you decided to—and that you feel <strong>those 4 hours are life well spent.</strong></p>

Think For Yourself 

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>

<body>
  <header>
    <a href="/">
      <h1>
        
        Sim O.N.E. (Observations, Nonsense, Exaggerations)
      </h1>
    </a>
    <nav>
      <p><a href="/newsletter/">Newsletter</a> <a href="/podcast/">Sim<em>OnAir</em></a> <a href="/archive/">Archive</a> <a href="/feed">RSS</a> <a href="/about/">About</a></p>

    </nav>
  </header>
  <main>
    





<h1>
    How to Stare at Your Phone Without Losing Your Soul
</h1>

<p>
    <i>
        <time>
            23 May, 2023
        </time>
    </i>
</p>


<content>
<p>How many hours per day can you stare at your phone before you qualify for a 12-step program? Eight? Four? Twenty? One? Here’s the truth:</p>
<p><strong>Screen time doesn’t matter.</strong></p>
<p>It’s not about how much you use your phone. It’s about whether your phone is a needy, attention-sucking vampire.</p>
<p>If that’s the case, the only healthy screen time is no screen time. Zero. That’s why the main metric tracked by screen time apps is deceptive: ten minutes of shooting crack cocaine intravenously are still ten minutes of shooting crack cocaine intravenously.</p>
<p>But that’s expected: a tech company trying to cop around how much you use your devices is like a booze maker helping you track how much booze you should drink. Sure, they want to keep you alive: you are the <em>consumer</em> after all, and you must be around to consume.</p>
<p><strong>AA meetings don’t give out badges to members who drink for less than 2 hours per day. Or to those who stop drinking 2 hours before bed.</strong></p>
<p>Improving the relationship with your phone requires conscious decisions. It’s like couples therapy, but for you and your tech. Sometimes you need some <em>me-time</em>, sometimes it’s better to break up. Sometimes, everything is great! It is, right?</p>
<p>Ask yourself: is your phone a helpful assistant or a demanding boss?</p>
<p>When it helps you to check in on your partner, to get directions, or to edit photos professionally, time doesn’t matter as much—does it?</p>
<p>There are better parameters to evaluate <em>quality</em>, not quantity, of the time spent staring at your screens:</p>
<ul>
<li>Does this app do its job and then politely step aside?</li>
<li>Does it linger in your brain like an awkward party guest at 2:30 A.M. after everyone else already left?</li>
<li>Did I summon this app, or did it summon me via notifications?</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Go on, spend 4 hours on an app. Just make sure you decided to—and that you feel those 4 hours are life well spent.</strong></p>
<p>But consider that anything not honoring your time and attention is disrespecting you.</p>
<p>Tracking for how long your attention is disrespected makes little difference.</p>
</content>



    <p>
    
    </p>

    
    <small>
    <form>
        <input/>
        <input/>
        <input/>
        
        <button>
        
            <svg>
                <polyline></polyline>
                <polyline></polyline>
            </svg>
            <small>640</small>
        </button>
        
    </form>
    
</small>
<style>
.upvote-button {
    padding: 0;
    margin: 0;
    border: 0;
    background-color: inherit;
    color: inherit;
    display: flex;
    flex-direction: column;
    align-items: center;
}
.upvote-button.upvoted {
    color: salmon;
}
.upvote-count {
    margin-top: -3px;
}
</style>
<script>
    document.querySelector('#upvote-form').addEventListener('submit', (e) => {
        e.preventDefault();
        const form = e.target;
        fetch(form.action, {
            method: form.method,
            body: new FormData(form),
        });
        const button = form.querySelector('button')
        button.disabled = true
        button.style.color = "salmon"
        const upvoteCount = document.querySelector('.upvote-count')
        upvoteCount.innerHTML = `${(parseInt(upvoteCount.innerHTML.split(" ")[0]) + 1)}`
    });
</script>
    



  </main>
  <footer>
    

<span>
<p><em><strong>Ready to do more by doing less?</strong> Unlearn everything you thought you knew, find tools that won’t turn you into their tool, and discover why being too efficient is just inefficient.</em></p>
<script src="https://eocampaign1.com/form/482982e5-48e1-11ed-afd1-0607cdff6e39.js"></script>
<p>© 2023 Simone</p>
<p><a href="https://1mb.club/">1MB Club</a> <a href="https://bearblog.dev/discover/">ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ Bear</a>
<a href="https://fediring.net/previous?host=simone.org">←</a><a href="https://fediring.net/random">Fediring</a><a href="https://fediring.net/next?host=simone.org">→</a></p>

</span>

<span>
    Made with <a href="https://bearblog.dev">Bear ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ</a>
</span>

    <style>
      body:hover {
        border-image: url("/hit/38024");
        border-width: 0;
      }
    </style>
  </footer>

</body></html>

Simple tips to help you get out of the digital rabbit hole to explore life around you!

productivity

Productivity

mindfulness

Mindfulness

technologyandthefuture

Technology & The Future

mentalhealth

Mental Health

timemanagement

Time Management

Sim O.N.E. (Observations, Nonsense, Exaggerations)

<p><a href="/newsletter/">Newsletter </a><a href="/podcast/">Sim<em>OnAir </em> </a><a href="/archive/">Archive </a><a href="/feed">RSS </a><a href="/about/">About </a> </p>

How to Stare at Your Phone Without Losing Your Soul

<p>How many hours per day can you stare at your phone before you qualify for a 12-step program? Eight? Four? Twenty? One? Here’s the truth: </p>

<p><strong>Screen time doesn’t matter. </strong> </p>

<p>It’s not about how much you use your phone. It’s about whether your phone is a needy, attention-sucking vampire. </p>

<p>If that’s the case, the only healthy screen time is no screen time. Zero. That’s why the main metric tracked by screen time apps is deceptive: ten minutes of shooting crack cocaine intravenously are still ten minutes of shooting crack cocaine intravenously. </p>

<p>But that’s expected: a tech company trying to cop around how much you use your devices is like a booze maker helping you track how much booze you should drink. Sure, they want to keep you alive: you are the <em>consumer </em>after all, and you must be around to consume. </p>

<p><strong>AA meetings don’t give out badges to members who drink for less than 2 hours per day. Or to those who stop drinking 2 hours before bed. </strong> </p>

<p>Improving the relationship with your phone requires conscious decisions. It’s like couples therapy, but for you and your tech. Sometimes you need some <em>me-time </em>, sometimes it’s better to break up. Sometimes, everything is great! It is, right? </p>

<p>Ask yourself: is your phone a helpful assistant or a demanding boss? </p>

<p>When it helps you to check in on your partner, to get directions, or to edit photos professionally, time doesn’t matter as much—does it? </p>

<p>There are better parameters to evaluate <em>quality </em>, not quantity, of the time spent staring at your screens: </p>

<ul><li>Does this app do its job and then politely step aside? </li><li>Does it linger in your brain like an awkward party guest at 2:30 A.M. after everyone else already left? </li><li>Did I summon this app, or did it summon me via notifications? </li> </ul>

<p><strong>Go on, spend 4 hours on an app. Just make sure you decided to—and that you feel those 4 hours are life well spent. </strong> </p>

<p>But consider that anything not honoring your time and attention is disrespecting you. </p>

<p>Tracking for how long your attention is disrespected makes little difference. </p>

<p><em><strong>Ready to do more by doing less? </strong>Unlearn everything you thought you knew, find tools that won’t turn you into their tool, and discover why being too efficient is just inefficient. </em> </p>

<p><a href="https://1mb.club/">1MB Club </a><a href="https://bearblog.dev/discover/">ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ Bear </a><a href="https://fediring.net/previous?host=simone.org">← </a><a href="https://fediring.net/random">Fediring </a><a href="https://fediring.net/next?host=simone.org">→ </a> </p>