Sometimes, staging an intervention is the only way to get someone to confront their unhealthy behavior and make necessary change. So I’ve decided it’s time to stage an intervention … with myself. I am spending a ridiculous amount of time each day on my smart phone.

Today I caught a notification out of the corner of my eye that horrified me – tonight, at 7:30, I had already spent 8 hours and 52 minutes on my phone. 8 hours and 52 minutes. On. My. Phone.

My initial reaction was to reason it away with common excuses:

• But I use it for work. Legitimate point … but 8 hours and 52 minutes of work on my phone? No.
• I have 3 kids that I need to stay connected to. Again, legitimate. But 8 hours and 52 minutes worth? No.

It’s time to face facts. I am wasting extremely precious time doing extremely mindless things. 8 hours and 52 minutes worth.

I know what you’re thinking. “I don’t spend that much time on my phone.” Um, think again. You’re online more than you think you are. According to CNN, Americans spend at least eight hours a day staring at a screen. And more than one-third of smartphone users get online before they get out of bed.

We’re in the same boat. So read on.

Why It’s Bad

Why is it bad? The reasons are many. Too much screen time damages your eyes, damages your sleep, is bad for your neck, makes driving more dangerous, makes walking more dangerous (yes, we are all guilty of walking and texting). It causes more stress, it increases anxiousness, it decreases focus…I mean, need I go on?

Any one of those reasons is enough to make a change. But the more damaging, very real problem that smartphone addictions create is that we are hurting our relationships. We aren’t really connecting with the people in our life. Ironic, yes?

Our glut of connectivity is making us less connected. We aren’t connecting because we aren’t talking. It’s hurting our interpersonal skills. As one very astute high school student said, “We’re the most connected generation in history, “but we suck at intimacy.”

And don’t get me started on what it does to kids. Children’s excessive technology use has the potential to cause attention, brain and behavioral problems that last.

It’s time to cut it back. Way back.

How Do We Cut Back?

I’m doing it so I did some reading. Here are some of the things that I found that can help:

• Turn off your notifications. Nobody needs to look at the phone everytime someone likes our instagram post.
• Instead of constantly checking your texts or emails, put your phone down and set an alarm (5 minutes, an hour, whatever works). When the alarm goes off, check and respond to them all at once. And repeat.
• Instead of having a full blown text conversation, pick up the phone and actually talk.
• Turn it off during meals. Turn it off during family time. And definitely turn it off while you’re sleeping.
• Hold yourself accountable. Set a goal and at the end of every day, take a look at the numbers. They don’t lie.

Listen, I love my smartphone as much as anyone. But I can tell you first hand, putting it down feels good. Not just to you, but to those around you. Your people deserve your full attention.

All it takes is a little intervention.