Screens have become such a big part of our lives in one way or another. We watch television, have game consoles, laptops, desktop pc’s, tablets, phones and even smart watches. We’ve welcomed these changes with open arms as we were initially led to believe that these wonderful inventions would make our lives easier. After all, being able to access emails from anywhere or talking to people in real time that are on the other side of the world sounds amazing, instant and ultimately time saving. Although ironically, instead of making life more efficient, we actually end up wasting more time now that screens are so readily available.

In fact, screens don’t just waste our time, they affect our health too. Overuse of screentime can result in obesity, sleep disturbances and can impact on our relationships. Unfortunately for children studies have been done to show that use of screentime also relates to anxiety, depression and even a reduction in their attention span.

Cutting out screentime altogether may not be realistic but by following a few simple tips you can successfully cut down your screentime and make great changes to benefit the physical and mental health of you and your family.

1/ Be realistic about how much you can cut down and only commit to changes that you can stick to.

2/ Silence the notifications to any social media or games on your phone so that you don’t feel obligated to respond immediately.

3/ Move your social media icons to a different screen so that they are not as easy to click on.

4/ Don’t watch meaningless tv. Only put the television on when there is something in particular that you want to watch. If it doesn’t interest you turn it off.

5/ Make meal times screen free and enjoy time together instead.

6/ Spend time outdoors – without your phone or tablet. Outdoor activity increases endorphins and boosts your mind, increasing your happiness and improving your physical health at the same time.

7/ Try to keep screens out of your bedroom. Charging them overnight in an alternative room can help you to sleep easier.

8/ Think about the reasons personal to you for reducing screentime. Is it to be spend more time in the present with the people in your life, increasing your connections? Maybe you want to model good screen behaviour to help your teen to manage their anxiety. Perhaps you want to sleep better or just have more time to do the things you need to in life. Either way, be aware of which reasons are important to you. Write them down and put them somewhere you can see them.

9/ Don’t take screens into the bathroom. This is an easy way to cut down on a few minutes of extra screentime.

10/ And of course, take part in Make Me A Plan’s Screen Free Sunday. Each weekend our Screenfree Superplanners; Maya Mcplanmaker, Milly Shiner, Alfie Planalot and Peter Plan show up on our social media to talk about the benefits of a Screen Free Sunday and encourage us to get out and enjoy the fresh air.

However you choose to embark on your screenfree journey I hope these tips help and you are able to use the time you gain back to enrich your life and give you some peace from the crazy, instant world that is the internet.