It’s Time to Look Up: Reclaiming Life Beyond the Screen

I recently read something that made me say, “Oh no.” It said the average person will spend 45 years of their life looking at a screen.

Forty. Five. Years.

That’s more than half of a typical lifetime spent staring into phones, TVs, laptops, tablets, Kindles, smartwatches, you name it. Whether it’s work emails, doom scrolling on social media, binging our favorite show  or falling into yet another Google or YouTube spiral (guilty), screens have taken over nearly every moment of our day.

If you have an iPhone, you’ve probably felt the sting of that weekly screen time notification: “Your screen time was up 17% last week.”

It’s like a little slap on the wrist from your phone, and every time it pops up, I think: Wait, how much time did I actually spend on this thing?

It’s easy to shrug it off, but then I read another stat: the average person scrolls the height of the Eiffel Tower in content every single day.

Every. Day.

That’s over 1,000 feet of memes, news, tweets, reels and rabbit holes. We’re not just passing time—we’re scaling digital skyscrapers one scroll at a time.

What a wake-up call.

Why We Scroll and Why It’s So Hard to Stop

Screens aren't evil. They're convenient and they keep us connected. They help us work, learn, relax and feel a little less alone in the world. Sometimes, they're our lifeline on a chaotic day.

But the problem shows up when the screen stops being a tool and starts being a reflex.

You open your phone to check the weather, and somehow, 45 minutes later, you're watching a video on how to survive in the wilderness with only a paperclip and a granola bar.

I already spend so much time on screens for work and school—Zoom calls, emails, research, papers, and yes, even more emails. So when I finally get a break, the last thing I need is to keep staring at another screen.

My free time shouldn't feel like an extension of my workday. It should feel like a reset.

The line between intentional and automatic disappears quickly.

You stop noticing the silence in the room. You stop noticing the sunset outside. You even stop noticing your own thoughts.

How I Started Reclaiming My Time

Once the 45-year stat really sank in, I decided it was time to reclaim a little more of my day and my headspace. Here's how I started:

1. I set app limits.

Social media was the biggest culprit for me. I set daily time limits—not to be restrictive, but to give myself a gentle nudge to log off. When that "You've hit your limit" message pops up, it's a reminder that I can stop. I don't have to keep scrolling.

2. I created screen-free moments.

I'm not talking about giant life overhauls. Just little things: no phone during meals, no screen first thing in the morning or late at night. Small changes, but they add up.

3. I replaced scrolling with something real.

Instead of doom scrolling, I made a goal to read more. As a marketing and communications professional, I believe one of the best things you can do for your brain and your craft is read.

Want to write better? Read.

Want to present with more clarity? Read.

Want to think more critically? You guessed it—read.

So I picked up a book instead of my phone.

I go for walks, ride my bike, play with my dog, go out on little adventures and actually talk to friends instead of just reacting to their posts.

You’d be amazed how much time you suddenly find when you put the phone down.

What started as boredom turned into space—space to breathe, to think and to really live.

 

Not a Parent? You Still Need Digital Boundaries

Most screen time advice is aimed at families and kids. But even if you don't have little ones watching your every move, you still need balance. You're still a whole person deserving of peace, presence, and mental clarity.

Here are a few ways to build that into your life:

Schedule offline time like you would a meeting.

Block out a 30-minute walk, a phone-free lunch break, or an hour to do something analog—like painting, organizing or reading.

Make it social.

Challenge a friend or spouse to a "screen-free hour" or plan hangouts where you both agree to leave phones in a basket. Real talk beats silent scrolling every day, and twice on Sunday.

Ask yourself: Am I consuming or connecting?

Sometimes I scroll to kill time. Sometimes I scroll because I'm bored or overstimulated. Recognizing why I'm reaching for my phone helps me figure out what I actually need in that moment.

Let's Not Spend 45 Years on Autopilot

Screens aren't going anywhere. And honestly, I don't want them to. I love a good meme as much as anyone. But I don't want to look back and realize I spent decades watching life happen through a screen.

I want to feel more than I scroll.

I want to live a life I'm present for.