And crazy is exactly what studies are indicating we become. They say it damages our immune system, causes high blood pressure, causes us to lose sleep, makes us moodier, lonelier & obsessed. And if the majority is spent on social media—forget it. Add in the degradation of white matter in your brain. Look it up.
It’s time for a digital detox. Now that January’s over and we’re not obsessively tracking (insert self-improvement app here), it’s time to get real. And by real, we mean real life. In person. Time to carpe that diem, instead of just watching it happen on other people’s feeds. Let’s designate February as FebruWARY—and be wary of time spent online this month (trying too hard, aren’t we?).
Time to carpe that diem, instead of just watching it happen on other people’s feeds.
To help, we’ve broken down the average time spent on different online activities. And provided offline alternatives that are just as—if not more so—rewarding. Hey, even if you cut back a few hours per week, that’s a huge win for your real social life (not to mention your white matter).
- Americans spend an average of 4.5 hours per day on shows & movies.
We get it: Streaming media (a la Netflix) is the jam. It’s easy, it’s immediately gratifying and it’s really good entertainment. You can watch it in sweatpants (or no pants). And you don’t have to wait an entire week for another episode (remember that?).
ALTERNATIVE: You know what else fits that bill? Books. No, seriously. Good ol’ fashioned, page-turning, paperback books. Even better, find your nearest library with this handy tool, then pick up a genre you’ve never read (Nordic Noir, flash fiction?). Hey, maybe even walk there. You’ve just saved 31 hours per week, after all.
You know what else fits that bill? Books. No, seriously. Good ol’ fashioned, page-turning, paperback books.
- Men spend an average of 3 hours per week shopping online.
Ha, and you thought women shopped more. Turns out you’re spending more time searching for shoes (and gadgets and day-to-day items) than your female counterparts. But why? Seriously. WHY?
ALTERNATIVE: Don’t want to toot our own horn here too much, but you literally don’t have to shop for clothing—at all—with Stitch Fix. Get this: an expert personal stylist (read: someone who likes to shop & who’s really good at it) will do it for you. No strings attached. Just pick a delivery date, and enjoy those three hours back. Boom.
- The average person spends 1 hour, 40 minutes on social media every day.
The average person has five social media accounts. Is it bad that we can only name 3? (Just kidding, we wish.) That equates to a whopping 11.6 (repeating) hours each week peeking into the lives of high school friends you never liked in the first place. What a time to be alive!
Like books (above), friends existed before Tom on MySpace. It’s true.
ALTERNATIVE: Like books (above), friends existed before Tom on MySpace. It’s true. And they’re still around—except they too are spending too much time on social networks in their own bedrooms. Instead of liking their posts, like their stories (and company) in person. All it takes is a call (or, alright, text) to meet in person. An hour-and-40-minutes sounds like a perfect amount of time for a bite out.
Stay in style for all of your newfound time. Take your style quiz, schedule a Fix and let your expert stylist know if there’s anything specific you want to add to your closet. Your Fix will arrive before you know it. Give your new clothes a try and don’t forget that shipping, returns and exchanges are free.
