As a student, you’ve likely heard about how it’s important to be more mindful to see mental health benefits. Whereas dedicating time each week (or even every day) to practise mindfulness is certainly helpful, you won’t see the full benefits if you’re constantly turning to technology in your free time. Being mindful about your technology use will improve your productivity, your sleep quality, and your relationships with the people around you.
- Turn Off Notifications
Virtually all apps can notify you about something — but you may only need notifications from a select few. Go through your settings to turn off the notifications you don’t need. In addition, consider what kinds of notifications you need. In some cases, you may want the banner to appear on your home screen, whereas in other cases it may be enough to have just the badge on the app. - Set Limits on Social Media
Once you’ve opened a social media app, it may be hard to turn it off due to endless scrolling. If you find you often fall into this trap, try setting limits. Use the screen time limit in your phone settings to decide on a reasonable amount of time to give yourself for each social media app each day. - Put Away Devices Before Bedtime
All screens emit some blue light, even if you apply a blue light filter. This light activates your brain and makes it more difficult for you to fall asleep. To improve your sleep quality, you need to put away all electronic devices at least an hour (it’s even better if it’s two hours) before bedtime. Use these hours for activities that don’t involve screens, such as reading a book or working on an art project. - Have Screen-Free Time
Make other points in your day screen free as well. You may like to do this when you’re spending time with friends, but it’s especially important while studying — otherwise, you won’t be able to fully focus on the task at hand, meaning the quality of your work will suffer.
You’ll likely find you need to put your phone out of reach. If it’s nearby, you may be tempted to look at it — just in case there’s a notification you missed, you think of something you need to check (which often won’t actually be important), or you want to turn to it for comfort if you feel stuck with your homework. - Set Up “Do Not Disturb”
Turn on “Do Not Disturb” mode on your phone when you need to eliminate distractions. As well as doing this while studying, make sure it’s on while you’re asleep to avoid your phone waking you up if you receive a notification. Set up sleep mode to match your bedtime and wake-up time.
An easy way to reduce unnecessary tech use is to spend more time with other students. This is easy when you live at Severn Court. Our Fleming College off-campus housing gives you a room in a six-bedroom unit. The fully-furnished living room is perfect for socializing with friends and roommates. Plus, you’ll be able to choose if you want to live in a gender-inclusive suite or just with roommates of the same gender. Apply for your lease now.
