Screen Time Management: Creating a Balance Between Work and Health

The world today has advanced greatly in terms of technology. We are in a digital era now that our phones and laptops have become an integral part of our everyday lives. Our phones, in particular, have offered us a lot of opportunities, from entertainment, marketing, and business promotions to professional obligations, to mention but a few. These opportunities, when misused, could affect our health adversely.


As someone who has always suffered from eye problems, I am shortsighted, and my eyes are quite sensitive to light; hence, I try as much as possible to limit the hours I spend on screen time in order to maintain good eyesight.


However, recently I found out I had to spend so much time on my phone and laptop due to one reason or another. I've signed up for online classes, which require me to spend more time than usual on my phone. Coupled with the demands from my workplace, I have significantly increased my screen exposure.


I work as a teacher, and recently there has been an advent of additional tasks to my teaching role, particularly the responsibility of typing and printing test and exam questions for multiple subjects as a class teacher. The fact that the school could not employ the services of a typist and printer has led to a serious increase in my screen time. Without a school typist, I was given the task of printing instructional materials, tests, and exam questions for both primary and secondary levels.


This additional work has significantly impacted my daily routine, forcing me to spend hours in front of screens, often without adequate breaks or protective eyewear (my eyeglasses got broken and I didn't have the money to fix or replace them immediately).


The excessive long hours on screen time, especially without my eyeglasses, became evident when I began experiencing symptoms such as redness, itchiness, and blurred vision in one of my eyes. These alarming signs made me reassess the time I spend on screen and also find better ways to regulate and minimise screen time without affecting my job.

Taking my 60-second break😊


I was able to adopt several measures to address the adverse effects of excessive screen exposure. I was gifted an anti-blue light ray that filters out harmful blue light emitted by screens to use until I am able to book an appointment with a doctor. Also, a friend told me about trying out the 20-20-20 rule of taking a 20-second break every 20 minutes to focus on an object 20 feet away. I decided to make mine the 60-20-20 rule 😂. 60-second break every 20 minutes, and I had to set a timer to help me achieve that.


I've also taken a step to religiously track and limit my screen time both at work and at home, and to take a two-week break from any course I'm taking online. One has to prioritise, commit, and also have self discipline to be able to limit spending so much time on screen. This is important for preserving our eye health.

Thank you for coming to my blog, I look forward to your comments😊🤗.
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