In 2017, Americans spent an average of 6 hours per day on their smartphones. There’s no denying it anymore, we’re addicted to our devices and we won’t stop until we take action… or until our phones do. iOS 12 for iPhone was released on September 17, 2018, and offers a way to limit how much time one spends on his phone. This nifty tool is called Screen Time and it can be found in Settings – the icon is an hourglass. Let’s take a look at how Screen Time can help cut back on phone usage, especially in business when employees should be hard at work and not distracted by notifications from friends and apps:
Audit Your Phone Usage
With Screen Time, you can audit how much time you spend on your device. It even breaks it into categories, such as social networking, entertainment, and productivity – yes, you can be productive on your phone! Screen Time tracks the time spent on each app it has access to, which can be very eye-opening when you see the results. When setting up Screen Time, it asks you if it’s your iPhone or your child’s… are you paying attention, parents?!
Setting Time Limits
If you are like the thousands of Americans who find themselves on social media for far too long, Screen Time allows you to limit your app usage to a certain number of hours per day. This can come in handy if you’re regularly on your phone at work, or if you’re an employer and you want to increase productivity among your employees by limiting the amount of time they spend on their phones at work. Once you’ve reached the time limit on an app, Screen Time “locks” the app so you can’t access it for the rest of the day. This will get your employees off their phones at work so they can use their apps at home on their own time.
Set Downtime
With Screen Time, you can take even more control of your phone by muting notifications from apps and messages during a specific time frame. If you work normal business hours, you can set downtime during your workday to really limit how much you use your phone at work. When we get a notification, we instinctively reach for our phones, but downtime mutes notifications so you can stay focused at work with no distractions.
If you’re looking for an effective way to limit your phone and app usage, or that of your employees, or even of your child, then setting up Screen Time is your answer. Phones are addictive and can inhibit productivity, so setting limits is your first step toward taking back control of your phone. For more tips on how to use technology to stay productive at work, contact M&H Consulting by phone at 1-(866)-964-8324.
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