In a world where we all carry a portal to endless distraction in our pockets, reducing screen time has become a modern-day side quest. Opal has become my favourite weapon to battle the never-ending doomscrolling, endless distractions and drain on my mental health.
The Wake-Up Call: Doomscrolling ≠ Grinding
The reason I (finally!) started this quest to reduce my screen time? The numbers. The burnout. The poison-like damage inflicting all kinds of unwanted status effects and slowly, but surely reducing my (mental) health. Yes, spending around 4 (!) hours a day on your phone makes you feel busy, but it’s not like you’re actually grinding XP or completing any quests.
New Quest Item: Opal
Let’s be real: not all screen time is created equal. That’s what I love about Opal – it doesn’t just track how much time you spend on your phone, but how you spend it. There’s nothing wrong with using technology to stay in touch with friends and family, but those never-ending doomscrolling sessions? That’s a different story. And that’s where Opal comes in. You can set up focus sessions to automatically block the apps on your block list, like mindful mornings and work sessions. No more social media before that first cup of coffee. The best part? You can actually customise which apps are productive apps for you, turning the focus score into a meaningful metric instead of it being just another stat.
Mindfulness, Magic and More Meaningful Moments
This shift hasn’t just improved my productivity – it’s been a total game-changer for my mental health and relationships. Let’s keep it real: social media isn’t all bad, but it’s easy to get caught up comparing your everyday life to someone else’s carefully curated highlight reel. And it’s even easier to lose track of time when you’re on a never-ending scrolling session. Less screen time means more time for the moments that matter. I’ll always be a tech-lovin’ fangirl, but there’s magic in mindfulness. Reducing my screen time didn’t just help me recover and recharge – it gave me my spark back.
How It Started versus How It’s Going
After little over two months with Opal – and without TikTok – I have reduced my screen time by more than two hours a day, while keeping my focus score around 95% every single day. A perfect combo that made me discover new productivity apps, rediscover my love for blogging (thank you Voicepal) and still left me with time for creativity, learning new skills, drawing, and more time for my favourite games.
Eorzea, here I come!
