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Every Little Thing by April Jeppson

Let’s do a little time-traveling experiment. Picture yourself 100 years ago. It’s 1925. There’s no Netflix, no texting, no doom-scrolling through social media. Instead, you’re probably doing something that requires a fair amount of movement — hauling firewood, washing clothes with an actual washboard or walking half a mile just to send a letter. Fast forward to today, and we’ve swapped out much of that physical effort for the glorious convenience of technology. (No complaints about not having to scrub my laundry by hand, I assure you.)

But here’s the thing — on average, adults in the U.S. spend seven hours per day on an internet-connected screen. That’s per day. Half of it on a computer, the other half on our phones. Meanwhile, 60% of adults spend five hours or less outside per week. Yes, you read that correctly. We spend more time looking at a screen every single day than many of us spend outside in an entire week.

I’m not here to shame anyone — after all, I too enjoy unwinding with a good show, texting a friend or staring blankly at my phone, pretending I have something important to check. But when I think about this shift over the last century, I wonder: Are we actually spending our time the way we want to?

A hundred years ago, people didn’t have a choice. Physical activity was simply part of life. Cooking took longer. Cleaning was an ordeal. If you wanted to visit a friend, you got up and walked there. Now, many of those tasks have been automated, freeing up hours upon hours in our day. But instead of using that time to, say, take a long walk, read a book in the sun or learn a new skill, we often default to the easiest option — screen time.

And it’s not just about movement. There’s something about being outside, about physically engaging with the world, that resets us in a way no app or website ever will. Studies show that time in nature reduces stress, improves mood and even helps with focus. Meanwhile, excessive screen time has been linked to increased anxiety, poor sleep and a general feeling of being blah. (Yes, that’s the scientific term.)

So, what’s the solution? Do we all need to quit technology and live off the grid? No, thank you. But we can be more intentional. Maybe that means setting a timer to remind yourself to take breaks from the screen. Maybe it’s replacing one episode of TV with a short walk outside. Maybe it’s choosing to meet up with a friend instead of texting back and forth for two hours.

The point is, we have choices. Unlike our great-grandparents, we get to decide how we use our time. Let’s make sure we’re spending it in ways that actually make us feel alive — not just entertained.

Albert Lean April Jeppson is a wife, mom, coach and encourager of dreams. Her column appears every Saturday.