How much time do you spend online? I am going to be honest with you and say I spend way too much time online sometimes. Sometimes I make time to read a book, but before I am aware of it, I am already on my phone scrolling through on TikTok. TikTok is definitely one of my weaknesses. I think I am going to spend a few minutes on the app and before I know it, it is 1 hour later.
But there are tons of benefits of spending more time offline. I’ve been trying to reduce my screen time. Some days it is easier than others. When I am offline, I definitely notice a few benefits and today I am sharing them with you.
Benefits of spending more time offline
More time for other things
Let’s say you spend 3 to 4 hours on your phone every single day, but when you decide to spend more time offline, you suddenly have more time for other things. Suddenly you have time to deep clean your whole house, for your hobbies and friends. When I decided to spend more time offline, I got bored so easily and I realized I did not have any hobbies besides spending time online (watching Netflix, scrolling on social media and playing games). It definitely feels like I have more time in my day, which is great because I was always complaining I did not have enough hours in a day. I started reading more things.
More relaxed
When you’re on your phone, you constantly get those messages and notifications. Apps want you to spend more time online. That’s why you get those notifications non-stop. But receiving those messages and notifications can give you more stress. I always had the feeling I had to reply instantly and take action.
But spending too much time can also directly cause stress. Imagine you have 5 hours to yourself every day, but you spend 4 hours on your phone. Then there is only 1 hour left to do the things you have to do, like making dinner, dishes, cleaning and more. It can give you the feeling you don’t have enough hours in a day which will cause stress. Spending time offline will give you more time to do certain things, which means less stress.
You sleep better
There is one thing I have noticed and that is when I spend too much time on my phone in the evening, I don’t sleep amazingly. I’ve had a lot of sleeping problems, so I literally tried everything to find out the reason why. But when I spend my evenings offline, my sleep quality is really good. And now I just know if I am going to watch a movie before bed or scroll on TikTok, I will not sleep amazing. So if you wake up feeling tired in the morning, try to find out if you need to stop spending time on your phone in the evenings. Find something else you can do. Maybe you could write, read a book, meditate or have a meaningful conversation with someone.
Being more present
When I go outside, I always see people spending time on their phones. Even when they are riding a bike or walking their dogs. But when you look at your phone, you have no idea what is going on around you. First of all, it can be dangerous. Especially when you are driving or riding a bike. Second, you are missing the beauty the world has to offer. When I am outside, I am not looking at my phone, but I am looking around me. Suddenly you start noticing little beautiful things.
I even see people sitting on their phones while they are spending time together. Instead of having fun together, they are looking at their phones. I am not saying spending time on your phones is a bad thing, because it is not. But sometimes when I look around me, I see so many people who can’t stop looking at their phones. They are not using their phones anymore, they have become slaves and robots and find it hard to find the will to stop looking at their phones.
More productive
This is an obvious one, but when you spend more time offline you have less distractions. That means you get more things done. I remember when I was a student and I was also pretty addicted to my phone. Then there was suddenly a moment when I decided to stay offline for a whole week. It was not easy, but I was definitely more productive. I had made a list of things I had to do. I thought it was going to take me forever to do those things. But before I knew it, I crossed everything off my to-do list. Suddenly I realized how much I can get done if I don’t spend so much time on my phone.