Lately, I have noticed some soreness and discomfort in my eyes. They just hurt a bit and have been more sensitive to light than usual. It didn't take long to realize that it is probably related to the amount of screen time I am exposed to each day. As a teacher who has has remote students, I am staring at a screen all day long. On my breaks, I go to my phone and continue staring. At night, I watch whatever game is ESPN. I probably stare at a screen around 8 hours a day. I have had enough of it and I am ready to change. I am not happy about how much time I spend looking at a screen and it is something I have to fix. Below are some key parts of my plan.
Timer on apps. I set a timer in my phone to block certain apps that I spend too much time on. The iPhone makes it easy. If you navigate the settings you will see how much time you spend on each app. You can set timers for any duration. Once I hit my threshold, then I am done. I also set the brightness levels on my phone way down.
Boundaries. No more phones in the bedroom. I am the worst, I will wake up and check things on my phone. The light hurts the most at this time and I know how bad it is for me, yet I keep doing it. I will check scores, stocks, emails, just nonsense stuff. No more. I am going to keep my phone in a completely different room when I sleep.
Read. I need to get back to reading more. This pandemic has really thrown me off my game and not for the better. I need to get my eyes on actual books. The goal is to read about an hour a night before bed.
Back to Normal. This is for school. More of my students are starting to return to the classroom. This means we do not need to rely on technology as much. I will go back to how I used to teach. Using paper and pencil! The technology was ultimately supposed to be used as a supplement, not the main focus. We are finally able to get back to some sense of normalcy.
Get Outside. With the warm weather coming, it is time to get back outside. I am looking forward to some outdoor projects we have on our to do list. We need a new patio, the deck furniture needs to be brought out, we have a fire pit to build, and the lawns will need mowing. I am excited to get back outside and get away from technology!
The thing is, I hate how much I stare at screens, yet they draw me in every time. I just need to get some momentum. After a few days of detox, I will feel a million times better. Once I finish this blog, I am going to grab a book and get going in the right direction.