6 Ways to Reduce Screen Time 

Does anyone have contacts within the music & entertainment industry that I can pass along to Brian? I know he'd appreciate it.

Watching Matt’s videos makes me feel like I’m getting my life together

I set a rule for myself at the start of January and that was: No social media until lunch. It allowed me to get through the first 4-6 hours of the day without getting sucked into my phone / distracted and I found I got some of my best, most productive work done. Simple, but effective.

Try this in the morning: DON'T TOUCH YOUR PHONE UNTIL YOU'RE COMPLETELY READY. Starting the morning by giving into a habit just sets the tone for the entire day.

Watching how to reduce screen time by using a screen

B-money needs his own channel. That's a gold mine.

He said "4 hours" and I was like PFFFT

“most people are on their screen for 4 hours a day” laughs in 11 hours “think about leaving your phone at home” laughs in female

On the note of adding friction, for anyone who can't delete the social apps, stuffing them deep into a folder or even a folder in a folder adds a level of friction that may prevent you from habitually clicking it open. Combine that with filling your home screen with apps that you may want to use instead, a meditation app, ebook reader, productivity tools, etc. will do the opposite, by making it easy to do that instead of something harder like digging through folders.

I like the screen-less Saturdays.

*One tip is to have mobile data off, then turn it on when you want to use a specific app. This has helped me save data and use my phone more intentionally, even if it's to intentionally kill time!*

For the minimalists around: 1:25 | 1. Track your time. Mobile: build-in screen time tracker. PC: RescueTime. 2:20 | 2. Turn off notifications. Plan time instead. 3:13 | 3. Turn your phone to black and white. 4:04 | 4. Delete Social Media from your phone. 5:00 | 5. Block distracting websites. 5:28 | 6. Create some distance. Leave the phone at home, then go to a workout.

As strange as it may sound, I haven't realised how much I needed you and your content in my life until I discovored it by accident while looking for ways to get rid off my phone and social media addiction. Your channel has opened my eyes for many things. From now on I've promised myself that I'll be working on my health, my habbits and most importantly taking care of myself more often on daily basis. And it's because of you, so thank you very much fot that. I for sure will pop up here from time to time :)

those biceps tho

Me: Wants to reduce screen time Also me: Watches 7 minute video about reducing screen time on a screen.

you're a minimalist comedian

Hey Matt, I almost gave into the peer pressure to buy AirPods yesterday but as I kept thinking about whether or not they were worth the price, I thought about what you said in regards to unnecessarily upgrading the things you own, as well as, when you said something about “You already have everything that you need.” I’m typing this comment as I just finished watching your new video with my wired earphones.

*I make my social media time the time I'm on the treadmill. This way it's a fair trade off: when I'm being active, I'm allowed to be on my phone!*

Need more people like you in this world.

I have a rule to reduce screen time: there can be no screens in my bedroom. So there's no TV, the laptop doesn't come in, and the phone doesn't come in. I've found that it helps me disconnect, especially at night when I'm preparing to go to sleep.

Congratulations for your 1M+ subs👌😊😉

A clear sign that you do an excellent job is the fact that your growth happens through the screen and yet you are not afraid to advise your viewers to stay a little bit farther away from it.

a tip that really helped me was to find other ways of entertainment (reading books, spending time with friends and family, playing a sport, going to the gym, etc). We usually use our phones because we’re bored or think we have nothing better to do, so doing this is very helpful.

Video: we usually spend 4 hours a day on our mobile devices. Me: pft, amateurs.

At 9:00 AM, I finally became a supporter on Patreon. At 9:09 AM, I caught my Chemex (full of coffee) with 1 hand before it hit the ground, saving all coffee in the process. Moral of the story? SUPPORT MATT ON PATREON!!

I like the black and white trick! 💯

My notifications have been off for a while, but I have found that I end up checking my phone more often now because I don't like to keep people waiting.

1. Track your screen time 2. Turn off notifications 3. Turn your screen to black and white 4. Delete social media from your phone 5. Block distracting websites 6. Create some distance

For android users -> developer options -> hardware accelerated rendering -> simulate color space -> monochromacy! No apps, rooting or adb needed :)

I’ve had notifications turned off on my phone for the past two and a half years and it’s been a game changer. I highly recommend it for anyone trying to reduce their screen time.

"Block distracting sites..." Spends hours on RU-vid...

1 million!! Congrats! Believe it or not, you were the biggest influence on me when I decided to start living with a more minimalistic lifestyle, and i wanna thank you for that. So awesome to see your channel reach that many people, keep up the awesome work matt!

Congratulations on 1 million subscribers Matt

Oh man I can't focus in his words I'm looking at his arm muscles 💪 😂

"They often get lost on saturdays"😂

I'm currently on my 11th day of social media detox because of you, Matt. Not yet close to the 30th day but I'm already getting the benefits, such as preoccupying my time with the things I love to do (e. g. working out, jogging, meditation, reading books and bible everyday, more time with my family, going to church every Sunday and of course, watching your videos lol). It really helped in improving my life, I compare myself less to other people, I build real connections and I'm starting to feel better about myself. Keep doing quality content, Matt. You inspire so many people.

matt i think you should start monetizing your youtube videos and then reducing your patreon price cause $12 is kind of a lot. I dont think any of us are going to mind ads :)

I got an app timer. I'm spending 6+ hrs a day on 2 apps essentailly. Twitter and RU-vid. Usually 4 to 5 on RU-vid and 1 to 2 on Twitter. On my off days from work it usually spans from 9 to 14. This is a real problem. I'm at a point that the only way to kick this habit is to buy a flip phone as I never use my laptops and computers. 98% of all my online time is spent on the phone.

Over the past couple of months, ever since I found your chanel, I started following some of your advice and I must admit I have found myself procrastinating less, enjoying the little things much more and my level of happiness has overall increased. All your videos are so professional and I really enjoy them. You are so talented at film making and it's clear to see how much work you put into all your content.

Man, Your videos are so smooth, audio is so soft, calm til the end; i can't describe! But i can watch your videos all day long... Your channel is one of my top 5 favorite RU-vid Channel

I just turned my phone in black and white and I instantly put it down because it looks awful... I love this!! Such a great tip! I'm really glad I found your channel, your content is great!

I switched to a flip phone. Sounds extreme but I still have my iPhone that I will turn on after my kid’s go to bed (single mom of 2).

Im all for screen-less time for most of my days. My boyfriend and I deleted social media due to many relationships being compared to on Twitter with high expectations ;which ultimately harms other relationships. Not only relationships, but we found we spend so much time watching other peoples lives, comparing ourselves to others and neglecting our own time on earth. We stay with RU-vid to obviously entertain with videos but Im glad more and more people are realizing how harmful screen-time is. For him, he spends an hour on his phone, 30 minutes in the morning after breakfast, and 30 minutes before bed, and occasional texts messages throughout the day. And throughout the course of us doing this the past year it has widened our perspective dramatically and helped us appreciate not only life, but time, friendships, and family. Love your videos, I'm glad people on here can agree on these types of subjects.

Your videos are absolutely awesome man. Almost every one of them feels like the most necessary messages I’ve gotten in a while, keep at it man. You’re a game changer.

Congrats to 1 Mil, watching this video while skiing!

People think 4 hours is bad....I often spend over 10 hours on my phone every day. Some days up to 12 hours

Just a BIG thank you for not filling your channel with ads, i hope it works well for you!

Hey Matt, you already have 1M subscribers. Congratulations for that!!! Keep going on this and thank you for letting us be part of it

My biggest issue is not even screen time in my leisure time, but work. I am a social media strategist and manager, I usually work contract work at agencies and previously it was a full time salary job, and in a general day, im on the computer 8-9 hours for work. But, if shit hits the fan with a crisis (and depending on the client/job, it def happens) then forget it, im working on the laptop late night and early next morning. I can literally feel my eyes wanting to crawl out of my head. I feel like i can't minimize my time because its my livelihood (and ill get fired) but i also know it is NOT helping my mental and physical health.

Congrats on 1Million Subs Matt. your content is Amazing

All very good points. I try to manage but still have days where my screen time is way higher than I wanted it to be. Unconscious phone and social media time is a big reason why I started my podcast about how to intentionally spend your time, its the most valuable asset we have.

One tip: Have a shortcut that automatically plays a "Chilling out music" playlist and a "Study time" playlist both added to your homescreen. That way all u have to do it click the app icon and the music plays. This reduces screen time and also the temptation to use ur phone for something unnecessary. It works pretty great for me. But make sure to have music you like on the study playlist so you are more likely to be excited to listen to those music hence allowing u to be more excited to study.

One millionnnnnn! You deserve it all and more Matt. Keep up the quality content!

For my fellow students out here : use the app flora (apple) / forest (android) to keep you from looking at your phone while you study 📖🙃

Watched your videos for the last few months. Love your view on life and tips for a productive self-managing one. Really appreciate the things you teach. Cheers from New Jersey!

Congrats on 1 million! Wish you 10 times more! Keep the creativity and passion up!

Smashing advice Matt - all useful tips!

-My phone is always on mute -Notifications are always off -I don't have any social media (except reddit, I think of it more as a forum for discussion) - I do watch RU-vid ( can't miss your content, it's precious) _I still don't think I'm studying :( hard_ _enough_ [Please include Brain in next video as well]

Congrats! 1M Subs! Been following you when you only had 100k+ subs. And I can day, the content just gets better and better. Thank you!

Just a recommendation: "The Social Dilemma", the documentary on Netflix. My life has changed after this movie.

I have set 5 minutes max on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram on my phone and then the apps are blocked- I can still go for longer if I actually need to look at something (I have a couple of school groups on Facebook but that’s about it). That way I am a lot more deliberate about the way I spend my time on screen. It’s not always easy - I find that once I start my day on my phone, I tend to allow myself to spend a lot more time on it throughout the day. What works best to start the day without it is to leave my phone on really low battery at night so it’s kind of useless in the mornings and that way I need to charge it while I do other stuff - have breakfast, exercise, shower. It’s crazy how once I start the day without it, I feel like I don’t need it at all. But getting over that initial friction in the mornings tends to be the hardest.

“Like Amazon prime, always on time” 😂😂😂

Ahh your videos are just great!! You always inspire me to be a better, more productive person. I just loved this one, thanks so much 💖

Downtime has really helped me reduce my screen time. Nice video Matt! Always following your content here from Puerto Rico 😊

Sir,ur videos are so good ....i changed myself into a minimalist.... motivates me a lotttt...huge respect ❤️❤️👍🎉👌👌🙏🙏

1:27 track your screentime 2:22 turnoff all notifications 3:12 turn your screen to black and white 4:05 delete social media from your phone 5:01 block distracting websites 5:26 create distance

(Switching to black and white screen) Screen-less Saturdays sounds cool. Doing that starting this week! Videos are always awesome Matt!

CONGRATS ON 1M MATT!

Due to corona i’m having online schooling. So basically im on my ipad all day

Great video. 1Million . Congrats from Brazil.

Hi Matt. During these hard times, with broken heart and broken bank account, it was so healthy take distance from social media. I think that is a really impactful first step and also, reorganize the apps that we'll really need in our screen. I deleted Facebook and Instagram, and i keep my work out playlist and blocknote for my writing, to do list and groceries list to shop, because as visual beings, our eyes can focus on what we stand as our priorities to see in our devices. This was a really great video. Cheers from Chile!

Love this dudes channel! Very formal & simple.

Dude, sincere question: is it really worth not monetizing your YT channel? I would happily watch ads around here to get more content from you on youtube.

I'm gonna watch this again and again in my computer, on my phone and my tablet in order to learn how to reduce screen time.

Gave up social media before I saw this video. I'm on my 3rd week and it has been great. Helps you realize what's in front of you when your heads up and not down staring at a screen all day.

Your videos are so thoughtful and I love your sense of humor! My husband and I got rid of our smartphones 2 years ago and have been using flip phones ever since. We can't even access the internet on our phones (they do have a cool walkie-talkie feature)! Two years removed from a smart phone and I still don't miss it!

I struggle with this so much! The best way I've found is to switch my phone off at least an hour before bed and also keeping my phone in another room whenever I can.

How ironical that i am binge watching your videos on "reducing screen-on-time" and "be more productive"!

Congrats on 1 mil 🤘🤘🤘

Hey Matt. Just finished listening to your latest podcast episode! Congrats on a 100!!!👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Just want to let you know that you got listeners not only in Europe or Australia ) But from Siberia, Russia too! They are just too frozen and shy to send you a question 😅 You're an inspiration, thank you for putting your heart and soul to your work, for keeping it cool and spreading the knowledge to the world.

Two things I’ve started doing is first off i made a list on how I use my phone/how I need to use my phone/how I want to use my phone. That has really help me be mindful with my usage. Even if I have a long way to go. The goal is max 1-2 hours per day. The other thing I do is to put the phone in another room, I do have sound turned on so I can hear if someone calls or texts. Texts I usually see on my Garmin so no need to fetch my phone for that. Oh and i also sort of try to find my trapholes, for example I track food and I used to do that on my phone. Now I do that on paper instead because every time i pick the phone up to do one thing I end up doing 10 more things. During this video I also turned the screen to bw, didn’t know that was possible!

One more way to reduce screen time is by keeping minimum battery charge in your phone. Say 30-40% which won’t let you use your phone for more than an hour or two.

Congrats on 1million Matt!!!

1 million subs! Congrats 🎊

Well said Matt! Whenever I leave my phone behind I feel naked at first but after an hour or so I feel great! Technology is an addiction we shouldn’t take lightly

Hey Matt, what I specifically do to reduce screen time is - I have set automated turn on and off setup on my phone, so that my phone (Android) turns on at 5.30pm and turns off by 8.30am (only during lecture day) so that I can concentrate on my studies, also I have hid social media instead of uninstalling them so that I don't frequently use social media. I am figuring out how to turn my screen into grayscale hope I'll succeed in it. Thanks Matt.

Awesome content as always Matt.

Congratulations on 1 million subscribers 🐐🙌🏽

I'm first! *insert bot-approved inspirational quote* haha

When i leave my phone at home, i just thinkin about critical moment when you got some problem and the first time crossing in my mind just my phone. To calling someone or get some information.

Congrats on 1 Million Subs, Matt!!!

Congrats on 1 mil subs!

Turning my phone onto the black and white filter really helped reduce my screen time, I weirdly fell less obligated to open most apps :)

Seeing this video in black and white is the weirdest thing ever 😂

the black and white thing really helps so much!!!

1 MILLION SUBSCRIBERS!!! I've been watching since the beginning - well done Matt! Can't wait for your vid with GaryV.

Wow you hit 1M subs. Didn't realise that !! Congrats Matt.

thanks for helping me getting my life together :)

oh god, matt, your videos are so pleasing to watch!

I LOVE your videos on phones and technology! So insightful and important in this day and age.