HACKER Q&A
📣 Matte97

Do you limit your screen time off work?


How do you manage your time behind a screen after the regular working hours? I like to read blogs, watch youtube and I spend nearly 2+ more hours at my phone after work, conscious that's unhealthy. Do you have adopted strategies to prevent reaching the limit and go to sleep with headache or eye discomfort?


  👤 Kalis Accepted Answer ✓
I don't have strict constrains regarding screen time, but I try to use ereader as much as possible. For some reason e ink is much easier on my eyes, I can comfortable read even after a full day of work. No sore eyes or headaches whatsoever.

👤 GekkePrutser
No I don't. I spend most of my time at the computer anyway (my phone is mainly for outdoor use). And the line between work and private time is very fuzzy for me anyway. I like it like that. And I don't have a partner or kids to frown on that :)

I do use dark mode and orange light at night. Even the light in my house turns orange over time through home automation.

But anyway your mileage will vary. Considering your question, unlike me you do consider it a problem so you should deal with it.


👤 JohnFen
I don't limit my screen time, although I do plenty of things away from the screen. I guess I'm fortunate -- I've never had any headache or discomfort from looking at a screen, even for 18 hours per day.

I have gotten discomfort from sitting too long, but I resolved that by setting a timer and taking a short (<5 minute) walk every hour.


👤 avinassh
Hey OP, I am also trying to limit my screen time:

- Reading more on Kindle. You can use pocket integration or things like ktool [0] to read articles on Kindle

- For research papers, PDFs etc I am getting them printed and reading

- Reading paperbacks

- Listening to podcasts

[0] - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32637996


👤 pull_my_finger
I use a combination of pomodoro sessions and 20/20/20 rule. So at least twice an hour I'll get up and stretch my legs and get the blood flowing and rest my eyes while I look out the window. It's too easy to get in the zone and not move at all from your chair with your eyes trained to the same distance on the screen.

👤 cosmodisk
I don't, but I think I'm close to starting doing so. I just spend hours browsing a few websites. Yes, I'm totally on top of what's going on in the world, but I don't use the information in any meaningful way.

👤 8n4vidtmkvmk
My eyes don't hurt until about 1am. That's when i quit