I ended up doing this assignment longer than 15 minutes to see how long I could go without my phone. But for the 15 minutes, I was very calm and not worried about social media or who was texting me. I wasn’t stressing about what homework was due later today or tomorrow, which was the most surprising thing. Instead, I was very open-minded to my current situation with being back at Delaware after eight weeks of being on break. Although I sometimes do miss home and not having crazy amounts of homework, I decided I am going to make the best out of it. I made a goal to cut down my Screen Time and get better grades in my classes by not procrastinating.

I realized a big waste of my time is spent on social media apps such as Instagram, Tik Tok and SnapChat. I try to stay connected to my hometown friends every day by keeping up with their new lifestyles and how they’re doing and adapting to their new environments. I also always keep in touch with my family to make sure everyone is okay. I tend to call my mom and dad two to three times a day, which can seem excessive. 

Getting away from my screens and focusing on enjoying the college experience seems like a realistic goal to me. I don’t necessarily “crave” my phone, but I make a lot of phone calls throughout the day while walking to class or when I feel lonely. I started to think about things I could do in my free time instead of being on my phone. I would want to be able to write, draw, and work out more. Drawing and sketching have been a hobby of mine since I was younger. It seems like I never have enough time for it anymore, but if I cut out some hours of my phone use, I could make time for drawing again and feel more a part of Delaware’s community.