Stephany Writes

Categories: Life

My Experience with Covid-19

Welp. It happened. Two years and three months since Covid-19 was declared a pandemic, I finally tested positive for the virus. It was bound to happen! I’ve tested myself for Covid before and every time, I’ve had so much anxiety about the results. When I tested myself this time around, I had no anxiety because I was 99% sure it was Covid and I was resigned to my fate.

How I Got Covid

I don’t know exactly where and when I picked up Covid, but I am pretty sure it was on the plane. We flew home from Buffalo on Tuesday. On all of my flights (to Buffalo and back to Tampa), the mask wearing was pretty minimal. Maybe 10% of people were wearing them? It’s not surprising in Florida because things have been pretty lax around here since, like, May of 2020. I thought I’d see more people wearing masks in the Buffalo airport, but it was about the same amount.

And I hesitate to say this because I worry about the vitriol I may receive, but I’m going to be honest and say neither my mom nor I wore masks. Was it the wrong choice? One of us got Covid, one of us didn’t, so who really knows? I do know I will be masking on planes from here on out because it is just not worth the risk. I feel stupid about not wearing a mask, but at least, if I did get Covid from this stupid decision, I didn’t affect anyone else. I remained pretty isolated from the time I came home on Tuesday until my symptoms appeared, so I feel confident that at the very least I didn’t have to call up a bunch of people and tell them to test and isolate.

The Timeline

I started feeling a little crummy on Thursday afternoon, about 48 hours after my flight home. It basically felt like I had swollen lymph nodes near my throat and I started worrying about Covid. I had a massage scheduled for 10 a.m. on Friday, so I needed to know if it was Covid or not before then, so since I was feeling a bit crummy, I took a test and it was glaringly positive.

I woke up on Friday with a scratchy throat, a headache, and a runny nose. I took another Covid test just to be sure, but it was also very clearly positive, so that’s when I canceled my massage (and was glad they didn’t charge me a cancellation fee; that would not have been a good look for them) as well as the facial I had scheduled for Monday. On Friday, I started to feel myself get progressively sicker as the day went on. I was able to take a nap in the morning, but only for maybe an hour or two. I always struggle with my sleep when I’m sick and no matter how fatigued I was with Covid, it was still so hard for me to sleep. I spent the majority of the day on my couch, mostly watching TV. I think I watched, like, 10 hours of TV on this day.

I barely slept on Friday night. I woke up around 2:30 with chills and took my temp, which is when I realized I had a fever. Nothing major—just slightly over 100°—and a dose of Tylenol took care of that. But I couldn’t fall back asleep so I just watched TV on the couch until I finally felt tired enough to try to get some sleep. I only slept for maybe an hour, though, and was up for the rest of the day. Saturday was tough, for sure. The headache was gone and I had a little more energy than Friday, but the congestion was worse, the scratchy throat was still around, and I was developing the dreaded dry cough.

I ended up dosing myself with Benadryl on Saturday night and whoaaa, I do not think I will ever be taking Benadryl again. I have always reacted poorly to it, but I also know that it can really knock me out and I needed to be able to sleep. And while I did end up sleeping 13 hours that night, it wasn’t a very restful 13 hours. For one, my fever came back, so my body just felt hot and clammy the whole night. I also just felt like all of my senses were super heightened. There was a constant buzzing in my ears, my skin felt super sensitive, and I felt like I was in an entirely different world all night long. It almost felt like I was having an out-of-body experience. It was not great!

Once the Benadryl finally wore off on Sunday, I started feeling more like myself. My sore throat had finally gone away and my fever was gone. Mostly, I was dealing with a dry cough and congestion. My back and sides were so sore from all the coughing! I tried taking a nap on Sunday but I just couldn’t get comfortable, so I gave up on it. But Sunday was the first time in three days that I was able to open my laptop and read blogs, so that’s a positive! I didn’t even attempt it the other days because I was just feeling so miserable.

Thankfully, Sunday night I had a pretty normal night of sleep. I took melatonin to help me fall asleep and aside from a few times I woke up coughing, I slept really well. It felt so good to have a nearly normal night of sleep after so many bad nights in a row. I felt pretty good on Monday, aside from my congestion and dry cough. I still took it very easy: lots of time spent watching TV on the couch, a midday nap, a nice warm bath at the end of the day. It just felt good, though, to be feeling more like myself!

How is Mom Doing?

Mom continues to test negative for Covid and hasn’t developed any symptoms! That’s a relief for me. Maybe I got it because I was in the middle seat on the plane and she was in the window seat? Or maybe my immune system was just ready for the attack. A few days before our trip, I developed a sore throat and dry cough and was so worried I had Covid, but I tested myself and was negative. My symptoms had gone away by our travel day, but my immune system just might have been weak enough at that point to fall victim to Covid. It’s hard to know.

How I Coped

There were a few things that got me through those first few rough days with Covid. I spent most of my time on the couch, watching TV and coloring. I got through the entire second season of Cheer (a docu-series about two competitive cheerleading teams in Texas) and most of an older season of MasterChef (season 8). Sometimes I didn’t have the energy to do anything more than lay down and watch TV, but other times, I liked lounging with my coloring book and coloring. I also released any time limits I had placed on my apps like Instagram and Happy Color. Now is not the time to be worried about how much time I was spending on my phone!

Other things that helped me:

  • Popsicles – When my throat was sore or felt raw from coughing, an ice-cold popsicle really did the trick. I forgot how good popsicles are! There was one time when I woke up around 1:30am and couldn’t stop coughing. My throat was feeling so scratchy so I got a popsicle and ate it in my dark bedroom while playing Wordle.
  • Gatorade – I drank so much Gatorade! It’s my go-to when I’m feeling sick because water usually tastes metallic and weird. I get a low-sugar version of Gatorade, and I had bottles everywhere in my apartment. Next to my bed, on my coffee table, on the counters… I needed to be close to Gatorade at all times because it helped me get through bad coughing fits.
  • Ubereats convenience ordering – This was my first time using Ubereats to order stuff from Walgreens! My thermometer stopped working on Friday so I needed a new one, and I decided to try out Ubereats for a quick order. I also got Sprite, chicken noodle soup, Benadryl, and sore throat lozenges.
  • Chicken noodle soup – Speaking of chicken noodle soup, this is usually my favorite sick food to eat. I never lost my appetite during Covid, but I didn’t eat as much as usual. For example, I could usually eat one can of soup and then something small for dinner… but I tried doing that on Tuesday and I was starving within an hour of eating the soup! Campbell’s Chunky chicken noodle soup is my go-to, and it was a lifesaver. I always try to have at least 3-4 cans in my cabinet at all time because you never know when you’re going to need it!
  • My mom – You’re never too old to need your mom, and I definitely leaned on her a lot. She brought me some much-needed medicine and comfort food from Target on Saturday, called me constantly to check on me, and was that extra helping hand for me. It’s weird to get sick with Covid because you can’t necessarily have people waiting on you; my mom would have been over here in a heartbeat to take care of me in person, but we didn’t want her getting sick, too, so she had to take care of me from afar.

How I’m Doing Today

It’s now been seven days since my symptoms first appeared and I’m feeling about 95% back to normal. I still have a dry cough but it only affects me a few times a day. I’m still slightly congested but I can breathe through my nose again. My energy levels aren’t back to normal and I’m finding myself so worn out by the end of the workday. (I’m taking it easy, don’t you worry!) I think the more worrisome symptom that just popped up in the past couple of days is dizziness and a touch of vertigo. It’s not too bad, but I just seem to struggle with sudden movements and need a few moments to regain my equilibrium. We’ll see how long that lingers, but hopefully not too long!

I re-tested myself on Monday night and I was still positive. So I’m going to test again tomorrow and see what happens. I don’t really know how long someone can test positive; from the many Google searching I’ve done, I heard it can sometimes be months! So, I’m trying not to use that as a barometer of whether I can be in public again (since you can test positive but not be contagious). I’m choosing to trust the CDC when it says I am okay to be in public (masked, of course!) if it’s been five days since my symptoms appeared and my symptoms are improving. (Yes and yes.)

Today will be the first day I actually get out of my apartment, breathe some fresh air, drive my car, and be out in public since last Wednesday and I am so damn excited for that! It’s been a long, sometimes quite miserable, week and I’m just glad I’m on the other side of it.

Categories: Life

Stitch Fix | Summer 2022

Hi, friends! Last week, my quarterly Stich Fix box arrived and I was so pleased with it! I’ll cut to the chase now: I kept everything I received. No surprises here! It was a really good box, filled with lots of clothes I’ll be wearing throughout the summer (and fall… and winter… sigh).

However, even though this Stitch Fix was so successful (and most of my SF boxes have been very successful), I am going to take a break from SF for a while. I’ve never been someone who needed an overflowing wardrobe; I like having a pared-down closet so it’s easy to select what I want to wear. And since I work from home, having a robust wardrobe is much less needed. I’ve had fun doing Stitch Fix and getting some new items for my closet, especially clothes that fit me well and make me feel good. That was the main reason I started doing Stitch Fix. I wasn’t feeling good in what I was wearing. I’ve gained significant weight during this pandemic and it was time to start dressing for the body I have now (and may continue to have well into the future). I deserve to feel good in my clothes, even if I am plus-size, even if I have a fat body. And Stitch Fix (and doing these posts where I show my whooooole body) has really helped me figure out my style, love my body as it is now, and feel good in my clothes. My wardrobe is in a good place now, and I want to take a break from my quarterly fixes to reassess my closet and only buy things when there’s a need.

Well, that was a tangent, wasn’t it? Ha! Let’s get into what I received in this Fix:

Market & Spruce Mid-Rise Shorts

I liked these shorts, but they felt a bit tight and a little on the shorty-short side. They fit me well in the waist, but just seemed to be a little tight in the thigh area. I like my shorts to feel a little looser than these do. And I’m going to be a little honest and vulnerable here, and recognize that this may be a bit fatphobic, but I feel like you can really just see all of my stomach fat in these shorts. They don’t make me feel good, is what I’m saying, and I found myself thinking mean things about myself as I took the pictures of me in these shorts. I’m saying all of this just as a reminder that being fat positive can be very, very hard some days. On other days, like the day I’m writing this post and editing the photos, I think, “You look good in those shorts, Steph!” So what if you can see my stomach fat? You can always see my stomach fat because I have it and that’s okay! While I don’t know how often I’ll end up wearing these shorts, I am glad I kept them. (It was cheaper to keep them than return them, considering I liked everything else in my box.)

Market & Spruce Pocket Short-Sleeve Tee

I was iffy on whether or not I wanted to keep this shirt. It was a little longer than I like and just seems to hang down a few inches past my hips. But it felt great on me. It was so comfortable and I love the way it fit in my shoulders and chest. I guess I could try the tucked-in look that everyone is doing these days? (I have not mastered the tucked-in look at all.) Anyway, I decided to keep it and I’m crossing my fingers it will shrink a bit in the wash.

Market & Spruce Henly Sleeveless Top

This is one of the shirts I picked in my preview and I’m so happy I loved it when I put it on. It’s nice and light, perfect for the summertime. I love a sleeveless top that doesn’t cut off my arms in a weird way and this one is exactly my style. I can tell it has a tendency to easily get wrinkled and it’s a little see-through, but otherwise, I love this shirt and it was an easy one to keep.

Market & Spruce Henly Top

This was another shirt that was in my preview that I just had to get. Isn’t the pattern so fun and summery? I love shirts in this style and I don’t have enough of them. I just feel like they really flatter my body and they are lightweight so they’re perfect for those humid Florida summers. This one will be in popular rotation in my wardrobe, I’m sure of it!

Kaileigh Knit Dress

You guysssss. I love this dress so, so much. I have no idea how often I’ll wear it. I’d probably wear it more often if I worked in an office, but I just couldn’t return this dress. It fits me perfectly. It’s such a bright color in a fun pattern. It makes me FEEL good. And the sleeves give me heart-eyes. I had to keep this dress, and I know I’m going to be happy I did.

Tell me about your wardrobe: do you love having lots of options or do you prefer the minimalist style?

Categories: Life

My Shoe Collection

A few weeks ago, NGS wrote a fascinating post detailing her shoe collection. I thought it was really fun to learn all about her collection and what she wears during different seasons. I couldn’t help copying her!

Obviously, my shoe collection is going to look very different than NGS who lives in the Midwest and must have weather-appropriate shoes for those Midwest winters. I live in Florida and, as you’ll see, I have exactly one pair of shoes to wear in the “winter” and last winter, I didn’t wear them a single time.

Another thing to know about my shoe collection is that I have very high-maintenance feet, although my collection doesn’t necessarily reflect that fact. I have high arches (so high that when I do those feet analyses to figure out your arch style, it looks like the heels of my feet and the balls of my feet are on two separate islands with nothing connecting them). I have very weak ankles so I never wear flip-flops or sandals if I’m going to be walking a lot. I have a plantar fibroma under the arch of my left foot (a benign mass that can sometimes hurt when I press on it). And sometimes, if I walk too much in a certain kind of shoe (often sandals or flip-flops), I get this weird stinging pain on the balls of my feet. (I have not been able to figure out why!) In any event, walking isn’t always a fun activity for me, especially if I’m not wearing the right kind of footwear.

I keep my shoes in different areas of my home. I live in an apartment so I don’t have any sort of mudroom or anything like that. (And mudrooms aren’t that common in Florida anyway.) Instead, I have a basket of shoes by the door, a bin in one of my cube bookshelves, a pair of boots in my closet, and house slippers next to my desk.

Let’s first discuss the basket of shoes by the door:

This basket holds all of the shoes I wear most regularly and I like being able to easily find what I need when I’m running out the door.

This first set are all of my flip-flops and sandals, and this is probably a sad collection for most Floridians! I just don’t need to have multiple flip-flops, honestly.

  • Fake Birkenstocks – I bought these at Target sometime in 2019 and I very rarely wear them. The problem with these sandals is that the back of the sandal is very, very hard. So, if my foot slips out of the sandal and my heel presses into the back of the sandal, it feels like a thousand knives are stabbing my heel. UNPLEASANT. Would this happen with real Birks? You tell me, you Birkenstocks fanatics.
  • Target flip-flops – Y’all, I bought these flip-flops in 2018. !!! And they are still going strong today. They are starting to fray at the edges, but are otherwise in solid condition. While these flip-flops have been good to me, they also don’t have any support so I don’t wear them if I’m going to be walking a lot.
  • Target sandals – Can you tell where I do all of my shoe shopping? Ha. I bought these gladiator sandals from Target years ago and again, still holding strong! I only wear these sandals if I’m not going to be walking much. They have zero support and they sometimes make the bottoms of my feet sting if I walk too much in them.

Next up, we have the closed-toe shoe collection!

  • Black ballet flats – I can’t remember the last time I wore these flats. They’re from Target (are you surprised?) and they are as comfortable as flats can be for someone with high-maintenance feet. I probably should give them away.
  • Leopard-print TOMs – I got these leopard-print TOMs for my birthday last year and I love them! I still haven’t quite broken them in, but I always get lots of compliments when I wear them.
  • Dark gray TOMs – My older pair of TOMs that are fully broken in and incredibly comfortable. TOMs are one of the few pairs of shoes that my high-maintenance feet can handle. I can walk for miles and miles in them! However, I don’t wear my TOMs if I’m going to be walking a ton because once my feet swell up from all the walking, my TOMs start to feel tight and the lack of airflow makes my feet start to sweat, and things just get real stinky from there.
  • Sneakers – These sneakers are my go-to when I know I’m going to be walking a ton. I also wear them for all of my workouts—spin, long walks, and strength classes. I should probably have them replaced soon, but I’ll do that after my Canada trip since I’m going to need a comfortable, broken-in pair of sneaks to carry me through that trip! This pair is the Asics Gel-Nimbus (with added specialty insoles for high arches), and I think I’ll go for the same brand/type when I replace them because these shoes have been so good to me!

Now, let’s move on to the shoes in one of the bins on my cube bookshelf. These are more “fashion” shoes (I say that with an eyeroll because I am not fashionable, especially about shoes) that I wear infrequently.

First, we have the closed-toe collection:

  • White adidas sneakers – I got these sneakers for Christmas and I’ve only worn them twice since then, but I really love them. They’re a great option when I need to wear something more supportive because I’ll be walking a lot, but still want to look a little fashionable.
  • Skechers sneakers – I bought these sneakers to wear during a mud race I did in early 2020. I didn’t want to wear my usual sneakers just in case I got too muddy. But I was able to wash off the mud so they look nearly unworn. However, I haven’t worn them once since that race. I should probably add them to my Goodwill bag to donate.
  • Sperry’s boat shoes – I got these shoes in a recent Stitch Fix order and liked them enough to keep them. I’ve only worn them once in the five months I’ve had them, so they haven’t gotten a lot of wear. I can’t see myself wearing them during the summer months (which, in Florida, lasts until November) so I’m not sure how much use these shoes will get. I’ll keep them around for now.

Next, there are my fancy shoes!

  • “Nude” ballet flats – I used to wear these ballet flats to work all the time, but I don’t think I’ve worn them once in the last few years. I probably should give them away. I like them, but they are a little loose on me so they aren’t super comfortable. Plus, they have a shiny look to them that makes them feel a little too fancy to wear in everyday life.
  • “Nude” heels – I bought these for some event years and years ago. Maybe it was my brother’s wedding in 2012?! If so, that’s crazy I’ve had these heels for a decade now. They’re my go-to when I need something fancy to wear, but they aren’t very comfortable for me since I’m not used to wearing heels.
  • Brown wedges – I bought these wedges last summer for my cousin’s wedding. I’ve wanted a pair of wedges for a long time because I’ve always heard they’re more comfortable than heels. I’ve only worn them once (to the wedding) and they were fine. Nothing I’d wear regularly, but good enough if I need something dressy.

NOTE: “Nude” is the best term I can come up with for the flats and heels, but I know it’s not the best language because the color nude is different for everyone based on their skin tone.

In a high shelf in my walk-in closet, I have my one pair of “winter” shoes, which are my brown boots. My boots always have to have a wide calf because otherwise, they won’t fit. I bought these boots a few years ago and I try to only wear them if the weather dips below 50 degrees (it’s okay, you can laugh at that). I love these boots, though. They’re comfortable, I can walk around in them for miles, and they make me feel snazzy.

Lastly, there are my house slippers! These are the most recent addition to my shoe collection, as I just got them last week. I bought them to wear when I’m standing at my desk since standing barefoot on a hardwood floor does not feel good. Some of you suggested Birkenstocks for this purpose, but I went with a simple house slipper because I think it will be more comfortable for me. I didn’t want something too fuzzy/cozy, since it can get warm in my apartment during the day, and these slippers have great support (including arch support!)

So that’s my shoe collection! There are a few additions/substitutions I want to make to it; namely, it’s time to throw away those Target flip-flops and sandals and invest money into something that offers better support. In NGS’ post, she talked about her Vionic flip-flops, saying that they are the “Best flip flops I’ve ever owned. If you have bad feet, Vionic is the way to go for your flip flop needs.” SIGN ME UP. I have a few Vionic flip-flops/sandals in my Zappos cart; I just need to bite the bullet and order them! (And if you have any other suggestions for good flip-flop/sandal brands that offer good support for someone with weak ankles and high arches, I’m all ears.)

Do you have high-maintenance feet or are you one of those people that can walk for miles in flip-flops?

Categories: Life

Quarterly Budget Review | Q1 of 2022

Hi, friends! It’s time for my first quarterly budget review of 2022! This year is shaping up to be a spendier year than I expected between some home purchases, travel expenses, and everything just being overall more expensive than usual with inflation. But I can still be better about sticking to my budget in certain areas and saving money.

One of the things I always get asked when I write these budget posts: does this include health insurance, retirement accounts, etc? The answer is no. I only include the money I am spending (or saving). Money that is being taken out of my paycheck for my health insurance, health savings account, and 401k are not included in this total simply because it’s money I don’t see. It’s taken out before my paycheck hits my bank account.

Here’s what my spending looked like in Q1 of 2022:

Bills (43.3%; +10% from Q1 of 2021) – Well, this category has certainly increased from 2021! My rent increased, obviously, and I added in a car payment. This category includes:

  • Rent ($1,118 per month)
  • Electric (averaging $86 per month, which was the same as last year’s Q1)
  • Phone bill ($112 per month, which is a few dollars extra from last year’s Q1)
  • Water ($48 per month, which is a few dollars less from last year’s Q1)
  • Internet ($80 per month, which hasn’t changed)
  • Student loan ($105 per month, which hasn’t changed)
  • Car payment ($361 per month)

Food (13.5%; +.9% from Q1 of 2021) – The good news is, I stayed within my budget for food this quarter (I budget $600 per month and averaged $596 per month). Here is how my food budget broke down:

  • 62% in groceries ($368 per month)
  • 28% in Ubereats orders ($168 per month)
  • 6% in fast food ($27 per month)
  • 4% in Starbucks ($25 per month)
  • 2% in restaurants ($9 per month)

Shopping (9.2%; +5.7% from Q1 of 2021) – Oof. Lots of shopping happened in Q1. Here’s the breakdown:

  • 33% on clothing (my Stitch Fix box, a new bookish tee from Bookshelf Tees, and underwear)
  • 12% on nail polish (5 bottles of nail polish and a buffing tool—this should greatly decrease in Q2)
  • 11% on office supplies (some pens, a stapler, a new planner, a stand for my laptop, a cable management tray, cord holders, and adhesive cable zip-ties—should also greatly decrease in Q2 as the majority of this was acquired when I got a new desk)
  • 11% on makeup (concealer, finishing powder, mascara, foundation, a makeup brush, and a makeup bag)
  • 9% on skincare (two bottles of cleanser and one bottle of moisturizer)
  • 9% on books (3 e-books, 3 Book of the Month add-ons, and 4 print books)
  • 8% on hobbies (a coloring book, a lap desk for said coloring, and an Etsy purchase for a secret project)
  • 3% on tech (a laptop case and a Kindle charger) Discover functional and stylish laptop cases at Vintage Leather Sydney, designed to safeguard your device with a touch of sophistication.
  • 3% on accessories (two headbands and a pair of earrings)
  • 1% on kitchen tools (a grater)

Home (6.2%; -3.9% from Q1 of 2021) – Even though I bought a new coffee table and sit/stand desk this quarter, I still spent less than Q1 since that quarter comprised a brand-new sectional. This category also includes some things I bought for the coffee table, like a tray, fake flowers, and coasters, as well as a new floor lamp and throw blanket. I included the money spent on TaskRabbit in this category, too.

Travel (5.7%; +5.7% from Q1 of 2021) – Last year, I didn’t spend any money on travel expenses in Q1. This year, I bought our flights for our trip to Niagara Falls in June and had to pay $157 to renew my passport (curses!).

Auto (4.8%; -7.2% from Q1 of 2021) – This quarter, I spent $43 on gas, $552 on car insurance, and $40 on car washes.

Savings (3.6%; -8.6% from Q1 of 2021) – I have to set up automatic deposits into my savings. Otherwise, I just think I have all of this extra money lying around that should be going into savings. I did not meet my savings goals at all this quarter, ugh.

Supplies/Toiletries (2.6%; +.9% from Q1 of 2021) – I try to stick to a budget of $100 a month for my supplies/toiletries category but I went a little overbudget in January and February as I was building up a closet of backup supplies (so I had to buy two of everything). March was on the normal side (under $100) so I should be back to normal for this category.

Spa (2.5%; -2.4% from Q1 of 2021) – This quarter, I spent $99 on pedicures, $200 on my massage membership/massage tips, and $31 on a haircut.

Subscriptions (2.2%; +.8% from Q1 of 2021) – I’m averaging about $97 per month on subscriptions, which includes lots of streaming services (Netflix, Paramount+, and Peacock), Patreon subscriptions, Spotify, Book of the Month, Befunky (photo editing), and Second Nature (bimonthly air filters).

Pets (2.1%; +.2% from Q1 of 2021) – Lila had her yearly checkup ($141) and I also bought food ($31), treats ($48), litter ($37), and some fun extras like a new water fountain ($37).

Gifts (1.5%; +1% from Q1 of 2021) – There were a few birthdays to buy presents for (the dogs, a cousin’s daughter, and my youngest nephew) as well as gifts for my friend who just had a baby.

Entertainment (1.2%; -.3% from Q1 of 2021) – I bought a premium subscription for an app (Sleep Cycle) as well as spent money on Candy Crush. And then there were some adventures such as book club, a reading date, and Galentine’s Day.

Health (.7%; -2.4% from Q1 of 2021) – In Q1 of 2021, I bought a spin bike so that made this category a lot spendier than usual. This quarter, this category included my monthly Peloton subscription ($15) along with some medication (some OTC, some prescribed).

Charity (.6%; +.1% from Q1 of 2021) – Every month, I donate $25 to an organization I care about. In January, I donated to my local humane society. In February, to a Ukranian relief organization. And in March, to the Florida Democrats fund (because god willing, we will kick DeSantis out of office this November).

Categories: Life

My Phone Habits

For the month of March, I tracked my phone usage. I wanted to see exactly where I was spending most of my time on my phone because my daily usage is on the high side when compared with others (like Elisabeth, who regularly spends just 1-1.5 hours on her phone daily, which is astonishing to me!) Even if my phone usage is high, does that really matter if I’m spending it doing things that bring me joy, like listening to podcasts and playing Happy Color? How does my phone usage really break down when I take an entire month into account? These were the questions I wanted to answer.

Each day, I wrote down the overall time spent on my phone as well as the number of pickups I did and notifications I received. And then I broke down every app and how much time I spent on them that day. Here’s what March 1st looked like:

Then, I started another tab in my spreadsheet where I listed out my apps in specific categories and would input the total number (in minutes) per day. Yes, it was a very intensive process and I was very happy when April 1st rolled around and I didn’t have to worry about continuing detailing my phone usage in this way!

At the end of the month, I tallied up all of my numbers and it gave me this breakdown:

Here is what all of these categories entail:

  • Phone Games (41%) – Happy Color, Candy Crush Soda, Match 3D, 1010!, and Wordscapes. (These are my favorite phone games to play!)
  • Listening Apps (24%) – Overcast (podcast app), Libby (audiobooks), YouTube (ASMR videos to fall asleep), and Spotify.
  • Social Media (12%) – Instagram, Facebook, Feedly, Goodreads, Messenger, and Patreon.
  • Reading (8%) – Serial Reader, CNN, and Chrome (which I use as my web browser).
  • Social (8%) – Marco Polo (video app I use to keep in touch with friends), Messages, Mail, Phone, and Maps. (Funnily enough, FaceTime is not counted as “screen time” by Apple.)
  • Productivity (3.5%) – Apps that I only really use for a purpose, like Notes, Clock, Calculator, Settings, and Todoist.
  • Photos (2%) – Lightroom (how I edit photos), Camera, and Photos.
  • Shopping (1%) – Starbucks, Ubereats, and Target.
  • Health (1%) – My Wahoo app, which is what I use to track my cadence on my spin bike, and Sleep Cycle, my alarm clock app.
  • Work (>1%) – Just some work-related apps I have on my phone that I will use throughout the day if needed.

After looking over my data from March, it became clear to me that I spent a lot of time on very few apps. It also became clear that my phone was counting my time as double if I had a podcast playing on Overcast (or an audiobook on Libby) while also doing something on my phone like playing a game. And I spend a lot of time playing games while listening to a podcast. So that can skew my overall screen time.

There are five apps that I spend my most time on:

It’s not surprising that Happy Color is where I spend the most time. Most days, I spent over 2 hours on that app! (Happy Color is a coloring app and it brings me immense joy and comfort, lol.) It’s also not surprising that Overcast was my second-most-used app. I love listening to podcasts and listen for hours every day.

Want some other maybe-fun stats? I gotchu:

  • On average, I pick up my phone 86 times a day.
  • On average, I get 43 notifications a day.
  • My highest phone usage day was Saturday, March 19th—8 hours, 58 minutes (!!!)
  • My lowest phone usage day was Monday, March 14th—4 hours, 22 minutes

All in all, detailing my phone usage throughout the month was a good exercise and it helped me to better understand my phone habits. (For example, as much as I love Happy Color, I sometimes use it as a crutch to not do the things I need to do.) After seeing my phone stats, there are a few changes I made:

  • I put time limits on Instagram (30 minutes) and Happy Color (90 minutes). These are two of the apps that I can sometimes spend too much time on, and it’s been so, so helpful to give myself this time limit.
  • I limited notifications. I used to get push notifications for so many things, especially things I didn’t need. Now, I only get notified for CNN/ESPN breaking news alerts, my dating apps, phone/messages, and Ubereats.
  • I changed my Do Not Disturb parameters to turn on from 9:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m., dim my lock screen, and hide all notifications. When it turns on at night, it’s a signal to my brain to get to bed and in the morning, it’s a signal to not use my phone first thing.

I also want to get better about putting my phone in my bedroom to charge at night. It’s so easy for me to get sucked into coloring a page on Happy Color or scrolling through Instagram when I should be getting ready for bed.

What I learned most from looking at my phone usage throughout the month is to not beat myself up too much for how much time I spend on my phone. I spend a lot of time alone, and it makes sense that I would be on my phone during that time. When I get lonely, it helps to scroll through Instagram (sometimes) or to listen to a podcast and play Happy Color. If I had a partner or kids, I’d (hopefully) be on my phone a whole lot less. When I’m with friends or my family, my phone is always in my purse. One of my pet peeves is people who are on their phones (especially people who are texting on their phones!) around me, so I try my best not to do the same. If my phone is out, it’s usually because I’m taking pictures.

I’m glad I did this exercise and I’ve now turned off the Screen Time alerts that tell me how much phone usage has increased or decreased from week to week. I’m doing just fine.

Do you feel like you spend a lot of time on your phone? What is your most-used app?