We all anxiously await summertime in Pittsburgh. The ideal summer is filled with days by the pool, road trips, and adventures. But too easily those warm days can be sucked into the vortex of binge-watching, video games, and social media. Everyone benefits from some time away from screens! Here are some tips for you and your family to enjoy the sunny days of summer.
Designate Screen-Free Zones and Times in Summer
Decide as a family where and when screens are not allowed. For example, no screens during meals or in the dining room. Maybe “no screens before camp” is a smart rule to keep mornings moving. Build in cheat or binge days as an alternative to these rules. A rainy day may be a great day to allow screens without restrictions. Or use them to your advantage and allow unlimited screen time while you are on that road trip to the shore. That makes it special for the kiddos and hopefully a little more peaceful for the rest of the family.
If You Can’t Turn it Off, Make it Turn Off
It’s too easy to get pulled into the next episode of that series on Netflix or the upcoming suggestion from YouTube. In the settings for these apps, you can turn off the automatic playing. This will help you or your family to tear themselves away from “just one more episode”.
From your phone to your video game consoles, utilize settings to automatically shut off at a certain time or after a designated amount of time.
It’s Not that Important
Despite all of our best efforts, it has been proven that we can’t truly multi-task. The push notifications for every email, slack message, news story, or new Instagram post on your phone and computer do not help you stay on top of things. They just distract you. To keep you focused, turn off notifications for all apps except for the most vital. Also, schedule the Do Not Disturb setting to turn on before you go to bed and off after you wake up in the morning. If your aunt comments on your Facebook post, or your colleague emails you at 1 am, you won’t get woken by a ping!
Old-School is the New Black
Everything old is new again. You may pull out your tablet with the best intentions to read an ebook. But it’s too easy to just check Twitter really quickly. Hours later you still haven’t read anything. Sounds familiar? Pick up some paper. Read physical books, get the newspaper in actual print form, or subscribe to magazines. Paper is as portable as your phone. Take it with you and you won’t be tempted to pull your phone out while you are waiting in the doctor’s office or the DMV.
As your Internet service provider, we want you to love using all of your devices, but everyone needs a break. If you need fast and reliable Internet for those times you are using your screens, reach out to us today! Check out our Internet service comparison chart to learn how Green Light Wireless is different from other big Internet companies.