The other day, I found myself guilty of looking up from my phone with a jolt of shame washing over me as I realized how much time had passed. What had started as just checking my email, turned into (insert what went wrong here). For Pete’s sake!
I should have known better than to fall into what I like to call, the “doomscrolling trap!” It left me feeling unproductive and disappointed in myself.
Although I’ve put steps into practice that make doomscrolling a rare occurrence, there was a time in my life where this was an everyday struggle for me. Since the first step to solving any problem is awareness, I’ve developed a list of 15 questions to help you get a handle on just how much of a problem you have with your phone.
So Just How Big is Your Phone Problem?
Tally up the number of questions that describe your phone usage to get some more awareness of your own phone usage.
15 Questions to find out if your phone owns you:
1. Do you find yourself spending more time on your phone than you realize?
2. Do you mindlessly pass time on a regular basis by staring at your phone?
3. Do you lose track of time on your phone?
4. Do you text, tweet, or email as opposed to talking to people in person?
5. Is the amount of time spent on your phone increasing?
6. Do you wish you could be less involved with your phone?
7. Do you sleep with your phone turned on under your pillow or next to your bed?
8. Do you answer texts, etc. at all hours of the day and night, interrupting other things?
9. Do you text while driving?
10. Do you feel use of your phone decreases productivity at times?
11. Do you feel reluctant to be without your phone, even for a short while?
12. Do you feel uncomfortable when you accidentally leave your phone at home?
13. Is your phone on the table next to you when you eat?
14. If your phone beeps do you feel an intense urge to check it?
15. Do you mindlessly check your phone even when you know there is likely nothing new to see?
Scoring:
1-2 Your behavior is normal but doesn’t mean you should live on your phone
3-4 Your behavior is leaning towards problematic or compulsive
5-7 It is likely you have a problematic phone use problem
8+ You might consider consulting professional help to manage your phone use
So where do you go from here?
What types of solutions would help level out your phone use? Many of us aren’t aware of the time as we scroll, and scroll, and scroll. In coaching, I can help you with small, simple steps to free yourself from your phone owning you, to you owning your phone!
These changes can bring a sense of relief and freedom that you feel as you go through your day! We know things we can do to help ourselves (For crying out loud, just google ANYTHING), but implementing them into life is often where we fail.
I am no different than everyone else with my phone but I’ve learned how to create limits for myself. Together we can make small steps that lead to big changes in how you handle your screen time.
