Healthy Hoopie Habits - Day 28: Limit Mindless Phone Usage
45 Days a Year
The average American spends 7 to 10 hours a day on a screen.
That adds up to 1 to 2 full days every week—or around 45 full days every year.
Forty-five days.
Imagine what you could do with that time.
That’s not meant to shame or guilt you—it’s simply a pause and a reminder to reset.
Because our culture today is built around being constantly accessible—always available, always in the know, always connected. And while that’s not all bad… it’s definitely something that requires boundaries.
Grateful, But Grounded
I love that we have technology.
I live far from people I care about, and I’m so grateful I can stay in touch with them at the tap of a button. I love that I can work from home. I love that I can run a business from anywhere. And I genuinely enjoy knowing what’s going on in the world around me.
But I also don’t think we were meant to be this accessible, this plugged in, or this constantly connected. We weren’t designed to carry the weight of the world in our pockets.
That Delicate Dance
Technology is an amazing tool—but it’s a slippery slope.
I love thinking back to simpler times—when I had to memorize a few phone numbers and dial them into a wall-mounted phone. When catching up with a friend meant seeing them in person, not watching their highlight reel online. When you'd chat on AIM for a few precious minutes on the big family desktop before your sibling needed their turn.
Those slower, simpler moments were honestly the best.
Check Your Reflex
Now, we finish a task and reach for our phones without even thinking.
We stand in line, and the reflex is to scroll.
We feel a flicker of boredom—and fill it with noise.
But here’s the encouragement:
Next time you reach for your phone, pause and bring some awareness into that moment.
Ask yourself:
Am I opening this out of habit or intention?
Will this moment bring me closer to the kind of person I want to be—or just distract me from it?
More often than not, it’s getting in the way.
So try something else:
📖 Reach for a book
🗣 Strike up a conversation
🍳 Cook a real meal
🎲 Play a game
🌳 Go outside
🙏 Sit still and be present
Use the Tool—Don’t Be Used by It
Social media and smartphones aren’t the enemy. They’re incredible tools.
But like any tool, they’re meant to be used with purpose.
Let them support your life—not distract you from it.
Let them help you stay connected—but not consumed.
If you're a business owner, a student, a creator, or someone who simply enjoys staying in the loop—that's okay.
But notice when connection becomes consumption.
Be mindful of when “staying informed” becomes feeling like you’re falling behind.
Technology is a gift., ut presence is too.
Let’s be people who build habits that support our minds, protect our peace, and keep us rooted in what matters.
