Tips for spending less time on your smartphone or PC

Do you find out at the end of the day that you have spent quite a few hours behind the screen unnoticed? Then it’s time to take control of your screen time. How do you gain insight and what options are there for responsible computer use? In short: if you want to spend less time on your smartphone or PC, we will give you some tips.

More control over the amount of time you work with a device starts with insight. The built-in functions in Windows, Android, iOS and iPadOS therefore offer relatively extensive reports and the possibility to determine how much time you spend on it at the app level.

Set Windows Screen Time Limit

Windows has a number of built-in tools that you can use to limit computer use. Most options are part of Family Safety†

Open the Windows settings window (Windows+I) and choose Accounts / Family and other users† In the section Add a family member click on Add Account† Enter the person’s email address. Then click on Manage family settings online †Windows 10) or the icon next to Manage parental controls online or delete an account †Windows 11† You can now determine the screen time per user.

In the dashboard you can see all users and the devices they are logged in to. Click the device of the user you want to set screen time for. In the left part of the window, choose screen time† Press the button Enable limits† A weekly schedule appears. In the column Time limit you can read how many hours you can work with the device in a day. In the column Available times you can see at what times the device may be used.

Click on a day to edit it. First, use the slider to set the maximum amount of time the device can be used. In the section below you indicate the times at which the device is available. click on Add schedule to define an additional time block. For example, you can take a lunch break, during which the devices may not be used.

You can set a screen time limit per device. For example, you can distinguish between a Laptop and an Xbox. Instead, you can also create a single schedule that applies to all devices. Turn on the slider On at the option Use one schedule on all devices†

Activity overview

Click on a user to see details of how to use Windows. In the left part of the window, choose Overview† in the box screen time you will find an overview of daily use. For more details, open the section via the menu on the left screen time† The details appear on the right.

It’s nice that you can keep track of screen time for different devices. For example, Family Safety not only supports Windows computers, but you can also track screen time from an Xbox, Android phone and iPhone. In the section screen time click to do so Pair a device† Select the device you want to track usage and follow the pairing instructions.

Working in a concentrated manner

Are you using Windows 11? The new Windows version features Focus sessions, a new feature that should help you focus on a task. You set a number of minutes in advance and indicate how many intermediate breaks you want to take. in the box Daily Progress you see to what extent your daily goal has been achieved and you can compare the ‘score’ with the day before.

The feature is part of the app Clock† open it Start menu and type Clock† On the left side of the window you will find the Focus sessions section. Indicate how many minutes you want to continue working undisturbed in the right-hand corner of the window. click on Start focus session† The clock starts counting down and indicates when the next break will take place.

Focus sessions offers a link with Spotify, so you can play your own music while working. Click on the bottom left of the window Institutions and move the slider Spotify on On† There is a similar link with the Microsoft To Do app. You can also activate this via the settings window (set the slider at To Do on On† Via To Do you can select a to-do list that you can work on during the focus session.

You can also display computer usage statistics in a widget. Press the button Widgets† You’ll find it to the right of the start button in the taskbar. click on Widgets add and select Family Safety† The widget is added to the list of existing widgets.

Screen Time in iOS

Through the part screen time in iOS and iPadOS, you get more control over how the devices are used. Open the part Institutions and tap screen time† Choose Turn on screen time and tap Continue† Choose This is my iPhone/iPad or – if the device is set up for a child – for This is my child’s iPhone/iPad†

Screen Time creates a report detailing device usage. Choose View all activity† You can switch between a week and day view. In the section screen time see how much time the iPhone (or iPad) has been used. In addition, the usage is divided into different categories such as entertainment† games and Information and reading† The section is interesting Most commonly used† Click on an app to see the details of how to use the app.

In the section Number of times arrested you can read how often the device was picked up and which app you used first. Finally, there is the section notificationswhich maps which apps are responsible for showing a notification.

Device Free Time

Through the function Device Free Time specify a time frame during which you can only receive calls and use preset apps. Tap in the window of screen time on Device Free Time† Add the slider Planned on On† Then choose whether the new schedule applies to all days (Every day) or for specific days (Adjust days† After this you decide by the rules From and Until the duration.

At least as interesting is the option to switch on the device-free time immediately. Do you conclude after a long day that it is time for real relaxation? Tap on Enable device-free time until tomorrow† The iPhone or iPad will then be put into device-free mode until midnight. If you have previously set a schedule, the device-free time is enabled until the next moment of the schedule.

For Device Free Time to work properly, it is important to go through the list of allowed apps. In the main window of screen time do you choose Always allowed† An overview appears of apps that are always allowed and therefore also available during the device free time. For example, here you will find the app Telephone† Remove the apps you don’t want to allow and add any specific apps from the list Choose apps†

At the app level

For even more control, you can set time limits for specific apps, for example to restrict the use of social media. In the settings window of screen time tap App Limits† Tap on Add limit† Choose a category, for example Social† The list expands to show the apps that belong to the category. Tap on Next one and indicate how long the app can be used.

Is the iPad (or iPhone) used by others in the family? You can also apply the screen time settings to the other family members. Tap on Configure screen time for family† Follow the wizard steps to apply the limit.

Screen time in Android

Do you have a android device† Here too, a lot of attention has been paid to functions to handle the device responsibly. The steps depend on the Android device used and version. If you can’t find an option mentioned, check if a similar function is available.

Open the Android settings window and choose Digital Wellbeing and Parental Controls† Tap in the section Your tools for digital wellbeing on View your data† At the top of the window you can read how long you have used the device and which apps you have used during that time. In addition, you can read how often the device has been unlocked and which notifications have appeared.

Choose Dashboard† In this section you can set timers: once the allotted time is up, you will not be able to use the app for the rest of the day. Tap on Show all apps† Then tap the hourglass next to the app for which you want to set a timer. Enter the desired length of time and tap OK† The timers are reset every midnight.

Focus mode

Android also has a mode that blocks distracting apps and hides notifications. You can find this focus mode via the previously mentioned section Digital Wellbeing and Parental Controls† Tap on Focus mode† First, choose the apps you want to suppress during focus mode: tap Show all apps and place a check next to the apps you want to block. Is the list complete? Then tap Turn on now to activate focus mode directly.

Instead, you can also set up a schedule, which automatically activates focus mode at set times. Tap on Set a schedule† Then choose the focus mode start and end time. Finally, select the days on which the mode should be activated. Enjoy the tranquility!

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