# How much of your life do you spend in front of a screen?



## either/or (Apr 27, 2020)

The majority of my life is spent in front of a screen. 

The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is check my phone. I am a knowledge-worker so I spend 8-12 hours a day working on a PC. I check my phone often throughout the work day and then when I finally log off I'm back to my phone for a bit. Then I go eat dinner but once I'm done it's back to the PC. Then once I'm done with the PC I hit the couch and it's a combo of TV and my phone until bed. I don't use my phone in bed because the blue light supposedly makes it hard to fall asleep so I usually try to read a book. 

So basically during the work week I spend almost the entire day in front of one screen or another. 

On the weekend I spend less time on my PC and phone but I still spend a significant amount of the day in front of one screen or another. Usually more hours in front of screens than not.

I feel like I'm wasting my life away in front of screens. I want to do something more meaningful but I don't know what or how.

Anyone relate?


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## zonebox (Oct 22, 2012)

either/or said:


> Anyone relate?


Yes, I can relate to that. I spend a lot of time in front of my computer, and have a harder time finding something else to do outside of walking or doing yard work. I do try to get up every few hours to get on my treadmill, or tidy up the house a bit. A lot of time is playing around on my computer though.

Even before the Internet I would often be sitting though, not to the extent that I do now. In the before times, I would sit around and play pen and paper rpgs for hours at a time.


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## aqwsderf (Aug 16, 2013)

Yeah I'm on my phone and watch TV. Use laptop at work. What would you replace screen time with?


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## EmotionlessThug (Oct 4, 2011)

I was spending 12-14 hours a day in front of a screen for my college.


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## pillbugger (Dec 9, 2021)

Way too much. It is partly for this reason that if I ever get a job, I would like for it to not involve a screen - only thing is, I feel like I am at my best behind a computer.

Everything revolves around screens now, so we shouldn't feel so bad. Want to make music? Screen. Want to talk to a relative? Screen. Read a book? Screen. Find a date? Screen. Look at old pictures? Screen. Play games? Screen. Work? Screen.


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## Orb (Nov 5, 2012)

Pretty much the same - wake up, on my phone. Then on my PC for a bit. Then work on my laptop, look at my phone a lot. TV at lunch. After work, Youtube on TV/PC. PC Gaming. Programming training videos for a random amount of time. Lots of Reddit browsing during the day. Then finally ipad before I go to bed. 

Better at the weekend but still a good chunk of time.


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## Blue Dino (Aug 17, 2013)

Probably 1/3 of my waking moment in my teens when I first have my very own personal computer. When laptops became a stable, probably 1/2 of my waking moment. When smartphones became a societal stable.. the bigger question then becomes:
*"How much of my waking moment do I not spend in front of a screen?" *


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## JH1983 (Nov 14, 2013)

Not too much during the week because work takes up most of my waking hours. I do browse the internet while I'm having breakfast and drinking coffee. After that it's just quick glances here and there when I have a second while I'm working out or when I'm stopped at work. When I get home I take a shower and get to bed as soon as possible.

Weekends though most of my time I'm either on my phone browsing the internet, playing video games, or watching TV. Some days 12-14 hours easily and in the winter especially. Although now that the weather is getting nicer we are getting out a little more at least.

I kinda have mixed feelings about spending my weekends on screens. On one hand I'm working long hours through the week and feel like I have the right to relax however I want. But I also feel like I should get out more sometimes or at least do more productive stuff at home.


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## WillYouStopDave (Jul 14, 2013)

I guess I really do look at issues like this differently. To me, spending most of my life doing something I hate would be much worse than spending most of it in front of a screen (which I love)


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## Canadian Brotha (Jan 23, 2009)

I’m addicted to my phone, binge TV series, & use my laptop for music projects…I don’t work on screens, however, I use my phone to listen to podcasts & text at work


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## mollychopps22 (9 mo ago)

a lot of time


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## mt moyt (Jul 29, 2015)

12 hours a day easily. i sleep for maybe 6 so thats 75% of my waking hours. A little less on weekends when i go to the gym or go shopping. I can't think of what else i would do. Reading is an option but it's not resting my eyes either.


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## floyd the barber (10 mo ago)

quite a lot but when i'm online alot i'm listening to/ finding new music


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## Paul (Sep 26, 2005)

I spend 86.2% of my waking life at my PC screen (and some of the rest with my phone), and I'm very happy with that. That's how it's always been, at least this century, and that's how it's going to stay if I have anything to say about it. It's not an addiction and I do enjoy getting out for long hikes or grocery shopping or occasional other events too, and from time to time I read books, but if I'm home there's no better place to be than here.

If I lived with humans or animals I could be interacting with, then I'd probably de-prioritize screen time a bit -- but my peace lily just isn't as entertaining as the internet.


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## zork20001 (Aug 8, 2016)

Ya I also spend 86.2 in front of my desktop screen as well. I am not really a phone guy, the phone has always just been a poor substitute for the desktop to me. Like others have said I don't mind going out to do other things, It is just that when you are living alone most other things are less stimulating so the PC it is; I can watch shows, youtube, check for the seasonal anime. check stocks and bitcoin, download games, Play VR, download music for my mp3 player for jogging, I want to collect every single 3d VR porn scene created. I have a MAME project so I downloaded every Arcade game and built out a whole front end with a video preview for each game. I dabble in video editing and photoshop. There is facebook but beyond that not really into the social apps. 

Between both the Air Force and my contracting job I can now VMWare into my work network, which by the way I think is one of the coolest things you can do in IT right now; Log into a virtual workstation and have your web browser become an entirely different working windows desktop with all its apps of that workstation installed, that is just nuts to me. I have a wide screen monitor as well. I can remote into work on one side, open my work outlook and skype check email while doing whatever else on the other side of my gaming desktop.


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## m4m8 (12 mo ago)

All day, every day.


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## harrison (Apr 14, 2012)

Quite a lot - laptop, tablet or even just the TV. Plus of course the phone. A lot anyway.


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## anurag1212 (Apr 7, 2021)

Get a hobby is such a cliche, but really, it helps so much to get out of this screen rut. Here are mine:
1. Motorcycle
2. Microscope
3. Telescope
All bought used, so pretty cost efficient too. I've found that I need to literally lock away the easy pleasures that Youtube/Netflix/Reddit give me, so I used Opal, a free VPN-sorta thing that completely locks out my internet.
After 10 minutes of moping around (every time, funny, sometimes 20 minutes), my brains realizes there's nothing to do but to put in the mental effort required to extract pleasure from these activities. And man once the juices start flowing, it's great, I feel energized afterwards. I don't even feel guilty watching some junk for a while later. It builds my self esteem too, I'm more capable of talking on the phone after this. Something to do with self esteem surely. Good luck dude, message me if you need something.
Edit : oh yeah, I'm a software engineer too, so I vibe with the whole 'screens taking over my life' feel.


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## PurplePeopleEater (May 10, 2017)

Not as much as I did 4 months ago but I still use it some. Certain jobs require screen time all day anyways. 

Partially why I like buying albums cause I can look at the booklets to read the lyrics as the song goes so I don't have to look at a screen. So, it's like a hobby of mine. That is if the album comes with lyrics in it. Its weird. It's kind of like reading but with music. Lol...Sometimes, I read books with music playing in the background too. 

On Saturdays and Sundays I work a 9 hour shift with an hour break in between, so I might only use my phone for like 2 hours sometimes or 3 or 4. Depends on other things I have to or want to get done when I'm home, too. On days where I work an 8 hour shift, which is 3 times a week, I use my phone for maybe 5 hours. Off days can go either way. I use my phone a lot on off days and sometimes I don't as much.


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## Cascades (Jan 16, 2013)

Most of my life was spent in front of a screen. Since 11, I've been online almost everyday but now it's gotten to the point where I'm just utterly bored of it. 
I try now to make sure I have a few hours offline - reading, cooking, sitting outside, trying out gardening or even just going for a drive. It's been really refreshing.


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## christacat (Aug 6, 2010)

All the time when I am at home (in front of the laptop, tablet, phone and TV), have nothing else to do


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## lunacat (9 mo ago)

I've picked up a habit of reading before bed time but other than that i spend pretty much all my free time in front of my laptop


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## lunacat (9 mo ago)

christacat said:


> All the time when I am at home (in front of the laptop, tablet, phone and TV), have nothing else to do


we have similar names lmao


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## Citrine79 (Dec 14, 2016)

Way too much....especially since much of the time is when I am supposed to be working.


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## crystaltears (Mar 10, 2011)

Almost everyday, been on the internet since 2001 - the first site I played on was Neopets but nowadays I'm always on Myanimelist.net or Mydramalist.com since I like these old forums than Discord


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## Starcut83 (Feb 13, 2021)

About 25% of most days. Some days are closer to 50%.


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## RSxo (Apr 19, 2018)

Yeah, I found I spend a lot of my time in front of a screen, either due to work or downtime. I'm trying to spend more time offline with friends or exercising, especially with the warmer weather coming


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## Zatch (Apr 28, 2013)

My life is the screen. I was born in it. Molded by it. I didn't see the light until I was already a man(child).


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## nightsbyfrankocean (Aug 21, 2014)

thankfully ever since i started working, i spend less time on my phone but on my days off and before and after work im glued to my screen scrolling on tiktok and twitter mostly. and if im feeling sad that's the only thing ill be doing. just constant tiktok while avoiding literally everything else and to distract me so i cant immediately feel bad about avoiding. a lot of the time ill stay on my phone until i cant keep my eyes open and fall asleep that way so that cant have a single thought of my own before i fall asleep :|


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## valina (Nov 23, 2020)

My job requires me to sit in front of a PC. In my free time I probably spend 2-3 additional hours on my phone or laptop.


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## WillYouStopDave (Jul 14, 2013)

valina said:


> My job requires me to sit in front of a PC. In my free time I probably spend 2-3 additional hours on my phone or laptop.


I notice people never react badly when someone says they spend all day in front of a screen for work. It's only if you're enjoying your time in front of a screen that people go haywire and want to act like you're doing something wrong. 

A person could spend 50 years out of an 80 year lifespan in front of a screen for a job and nobody would have a problem with it even if they were miserable the whole time.


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## Fever Dream (Aug 18, 2015)

Probably too much.


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## valina (Nov 23, 2020)

WillYouStopDave said:


> I notice people never react badly when someone says they spend all day in front of a screen for work. It's only if you're enjoying your time in front of a screen that people go haywire and want to act like you're doing something wrong.
> 
> A person could spend 50 years out of an 80 year lifespan in front of a screen for a job and nobody would have a problem with it even if they were miserable the whole time.


I don't know how people can stand staring at a PC sitting on their butts in uncomfy positions all day long for their bosses.😕 I hate it plus my eyes are bad enough. At least at home I derive some kind of entertainment from the screen, can move around as often and much as I want to and sit however I want to.


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## SilentLyric (Aug 20, 2012)

24/7...since birth...


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