Here at Myrth, we talk a lot about digital wellness and building a healthy relationship with your phone and your tech. Our founder breaks it down in her life here and we talk about what it is here. One of the tools we have discussed is Screentime (on Apple OS). Below is our founder Emma’s Ode to the Screentime App. 

Screen Time App, I love you--but you don’t know me.

You do some things really well! And I’m thankful for that, really. I’m glad you help me control my urge to trawl social media without engaging. I appreciate you helping me quantify my phone use and monitor it over time.

It’s just, yanno, I wish you were a little more… nuanced.

You don’t know that some days, when it says I spent 5 hours on my phone, that 2 of those hours were connecting with my long-distance friends and family. You don’t know that that is part of filling my bucket, not draining me. You don’t know that’s different from mindlessly scrolling through Facebook. That time on my phone is actual connection and deepening my bonds with those I can’t be with physically.

You don’t know that those 3 hours on Evernote and Asana were part of building my business and channeling my creative energy. They are my tools to share my ideas with the world, but they’re also my tools for sharing with myself. Limiting unnecessary screentime is important, but you know what’s just as important? Writing down long blog posts on my phone and making sure tasks are recorded right away (before I forget them). 

You don’t know that when Aaptiv and Strava are on my screen, that is also part of my self-care. They help me resist the other, less-productive, tempting phone uses. They keep me in a good headspace. The meditation I do every day with Aaptiv reduces my anxiety, and my runs keep my mind and body in shape. You track time spent on those apps the same way you track time spent on Instagram and Twitter, but they serve completely different purposes. 

Screen Time, I love you, but you don’t know me. You are basic. You are rudimentary. You lump productive time in with the unproductive. You don’t distinguish between self-care and self-sabotage. You tell me how much time I’m on my phone, and I love that, but you do not differentiate between good phone time and bad phone time.

Screen Time, I love you... but. 

Do you track your phone usage over time? How do you differentiate between good phone use and bad? Drop us a comment below and let’s share ideas.

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