What Could You do With an Extra 28 Hours a Week?
If only there were a few more hours in the day.
How many times have you said this as you collapsed at the end of the day -- thinking about the unfinished things on your to-do list.
Life has become a state of perpetual motion. And because we’re always doing something, we think we’re squeezing every last drop out of each day.
But are we?
Or do our tech habits make us feel like we’re always being productive? And get in the way of ... whatever it is we would do if we had more hours in the day?
And not only from a time perspective, but from a brainpower perspective?
How Our Phones Zap Productivity
What got me thinking about this was an article I read called How to Break Free of Tech Addiction by Mo Perry. He says smartphones are our generation’s cigarettes.
Which still freaks me out, just thinking about it.
He goes on to say that because of our smartphone addiction, our brain is constantly on and active and doesn’t get the rest and space it needs to generate creative thought.
Which is probably why one former Facebook exec shared on the Netflix documentary, The Social Dilemma, that he doesn’t let his own kids have any screen time.
Surely, I give my brain plenty of free space for creative thinking, right? I’m not on my phone all that much, am I?
So I dug deeper.
And I’m not so sure I was ready for what I found.
This article said that in 2020, Americans spent about 4 hours per day on their phones.
What? That’s 28 hours per week!
That sounds like a lot, but then I thought -- we all work on our phones, too. It’s not just all TikTok and Snapchat.
Well, then I found out that of those 4 hours, 2 hours and 24 minutes are spent on social media.
Oof. Okay.
Things were starting to make sense. It’s not just the time, and it’s not just the creative thinking time. It’s the combo of the two that could be keeping us from propelling ourselves forward in our businesses.
And, honestly, I wondered how much of my work time on my phone segued into scrolling through my social feeds.
Were my own habits detrimental to my productivity?
My Productivity Eye-Opener
All of a sudden, I started paying closer attention to my iPhone Screen Time reports. I admit I kind of ignored them before. So, I started checking them daily.
After the first few days, I was averaging around about 3 hours a day. Which I felt pretty good about since I was flying in below the national average of 4.
Then, I got my first weekly total. My not-so-bad 3 hours per day translated to about 21 hours a week!
I honestly didn’t think I had that kind of time to waste every week. So then all I could think about was how can I better spend that time?
Breaking Bad Phone Habits
Breaking a phone addiction is not an easy thing to do. And we have to rewire our brains not to be constantly searching for something to scroll. Thankfully -- and ironically -- we can recruit some help from our phones to help with this.
Here are some of the things I did to break some of my habits and build new ones -- and a few you might be interested in trying.
Turn off all your notifications. It’s crazy how notifications for the most benign things can create a dopamine rush. But they do. And as soon as we pick up our phones to check it, one thing leads to another -- and the next thing you know, 2 hours and 24 minutes have flown by.
Delete the apps you don’t need -- and some you (think) you do. Give each app a critical eye. Think about the no-brainer ones you never ever use. But then also look at the ones that are most likely to suck you out of the here-and-now. Do you even really like them? Or do you just dive in out of boredom? Try deleting the ones you use the most and see if you even miss them.
Change the location of your apps. If nothing else, this trick is interesting. If you move your apps around, you’ll notice how conditioned your thumbs are to go to a specific location on your screen.
Start your day with no-phone times. Many of us check our phones first thing in the morning. What if we used our fresh-out-of-bed brains to think creatively? Maybe have a cup of coffee first, but then just let your mind go!
Leave the house without your phone. This will feel weird at first. But try going for a walk without your phone -- and notice how many times you reach for what isn’t even there. After a while, it feels quite freeing, and you may love having this untethered time. I do.
Give yourself permission to be on your phone. Like building a “cheat day” into your nutrition plan, giving yourself permission to be on your phone is an intentional choice. Plus, when you designate your scrolling time, your work time can be more focused. Instead of checking your phone intermittently throughout the day.
Set up Downtime. You can use this app to turn off any apps you want throughout the day. I keep only my phone and text messages on from 8 pm to 7 am, and it’s a game-changer.
Set a time limit on social media. I use the feature on my iPhone to limit myself to 30 minutes on Instagram per day. It’s super handy and will give me a reminder five minutes before my limit is reached.
By making just a few changes, I’ve shaved my time down to about 14 hours per week to free up more of my mind and time.
Building Productive Habits
I often ask my clients to envision what they could do with an extra ten hours per week. It’s an exercise that helps them visualize their goals.
But what if you actually had 28 more hours in a week?
And remember, these are more than just 28 extra hours to fill your time. The idea is that by disconnecting from your phone, your brain will also have the space it needs to think creatively.
What if you used these 28 hours -- or even half of that! -- for brainstorming new business ideas, strategic planning, making new connections, nurturing your existing clients, or planning for next quarter?
For entrepreneurs and online business owners, we need that thinking time. In fact, it’s been said that Warren Buffet has spent 80% of his career thinking. Obviously, we’re not all Warren Buffet, nor do we all have that kind of time.
But the point is that taking the time for critical thinking keeps our businesses fresh, relevant, and growing. And if you’re side-hustling, with the dream of making your business your full-time gig, creative thinking and strategic planning time is critically important.
So, what else could you be doing with that time?
Here’s a challenge for you. Pay attention to your Screen Time reports and see how much time you spend scrolling your social feeds. If you’re shocked by the results, as I was, try some of my tips to break the habit.
And consider this: how could you become more protective and intentional with each hour of your day?
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