7 Essential Tips to Limit Your Screen Time and Stay Productive At Work

With the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic and more people working from home than ever before, naturally we’ve seen a huge increase in people checking their devices. Whether you work from home or you’re back in the office, it’s far too easy to get lost in your phone or computer for periods throughout the day, especially if most of what you do for work requires staring at a screen.

But it’s never a bad idea to want to get that screen time down, and focus on being more productive at work. The team here at Carter Recruiting and Associates understands how easy it is to fall into the trap of aimlessly scrolling through social media, especially when you’re in the middle of a long work day. But it’s critical that you know how to pull yourself out of that and get back to business, and also take breaks just for your own health.

Whether you’re wanting to limit your screen time for the sake of your eyes or for being productive, these 7 tips will help.

1. Figure out where most of your screen time is being spent. If you want to get detailed analytics of the apps that you’re mostly using throughout the day, you can download apps such as Timely, Clockify, or Rescue Time. Once you’ve identified the apps that you use the most, consider moving those apps a different page on your phone so that they’re more difficult to access.

2. Turn off all notifications. We’ve all had those times when we’re focusing and our phone starts vibrating, and immediately takes us out of what we were doing. The best way to avoid that is to turn off all notifications while you’re in the zone. If you have an iPhone, for example, you can switch it to “do not disturb.”

3. Schedule breaks from all screens. It’s crucial that you get into the habit of taking breaks from your phone and computer screen. It’s recommended that you take an extended break every 40 minutes to an hour for the best results.

4. Take a walk outside. If you spend the majority of your work day looking at a screen, you’ll start to notice a dip in your mood and your energy. Every hour or so, you should take some time to walk around outside — even if it’s just for 5 or 10 minutes. Stepping away from the two-dimensional world that’s inside our screens and absorbing natural light and air will immediately improve your mood.

5. Use technology to get away from technology. If you’re finding it difficult to stay regimented about taking breaks, schedule alarms or reminders for every hour throughout the day. This way you won’t have to even think about taking a break, and you’ll be able to stay more focused on the task at hand during that hour of work.

6. Stretch, stretch, stretch. When we’re on our phones or computer, our bodies tend to get tighter, so it’s crucial to stand up and walk around every hour or so, to get blood flow back into our limbs.

7. Switch to grayscale. Did you know that you can turn your phone’s screen gray? The reason why this works is because if all the colors are gone, then it loses its visual appeal. If you have an iPhone and want to give this a try, go to Settings, then select Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Color Filters.

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Carter Recruiting and Associates is one of the largest independent recruiting and outplacement companies in Arkansas. Our headquarters, located in Little Rock and our satellite office in Conway, both service accounts nationwide. We have satisfied clients and references from some of the largest companies in the state. With over 50 collective years of experience in the recruiting business, we have a vast amount of resources and knowledge to ensure a job well done.