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1 Screen Time 2 ----------- 3 Tue Nov 30 23:42:47 EST 2021 4 5 When I was a kid, my parents had the concept of "screen time". 6 The rules were simple: 7 8 1. No "screen time" before sundown 9 2. Limited total screen time for the day (maybe a couple hrs) 10 11 We didn't have TV, so this really just meant no time on the 12 computer or watching movies. 13 14 I was reminiscing about this recently, and thinking about the 15 great irony that is screen time in my adult life as a paid 16 programmer. I would wager I spend upwards of 10-12 hours looking 17 at screens every day on an average work day. A bit of time 18 scrolling the news on my phone before work, a 8-9hr workday 19 (fully remote -> meetings are screens), and then "couch time" 20 hobby coding and watching shows if Jennie and I don't otherwise 21 have a social commitment (most work nights). 22 23 Sometimes we give our eyes a break and play a board game, do 24 a puzzle, or read a book; but even if I spent no time on screens 25 outside of work, it'd be a shocking number of hours at a screen 26 each week. 27 28 When did I transition from such limited computer-time to such 29 a screen-full day? It probably started with high school, when 30 we started having homework on computers. Limiting screen time 31 became "limited video game time" and less-so about screens. 32 33 Regardless of when it happened, I've been wanting to get back 34 some of that offline time recently. I definitely find it 35 improves my mood and outlook on work and life. 36 37 I need to get outside more :)