Screen Time is aMacOSapplication that allows you to monitor your overall system usage, subsequently providing a detailed overview of your activity on a Mac. Apple’s feature, also available on iOS, includes certain measures that can control the amount of time you spend on your system.
If you want to keep track of how much screen time is being occupied by a specific program and want to take the necessary actions to regulate that usage, here’s how to use Screen Time on a Mac.
Difficulty
What You Need
A Mac or MacBook
Turning on Screen Time
Step 1:ClickSystem preferences, selectScreen time, and then choose theOptionsbutton on the bottom-left of the window.
Step 2:Click theTurn onbutton.
Tracking app usage
Moving on to the main functionality that Screen Time provides, theApp usagetab provides a general overview of allMac appactivity, related to every app that was used for a specific period of time.
By default, the screen time statistics for the current day will be displayed. Click theDateto open a drop-down list that allows you to select the option to view activity for the entire week. Moreover, click on theArrowbuttons to bring up activity for previous days.
Usage time is broken down with additional information via theAppsandCategoriestabs. The latter is broken down into fields like social networking, productivity, and entertainment.
It’s important to remember that leaving an app open, even though you haven’t necessarily used it, will contribute to your screen time stats. For example, I forgot to properly close VLC Media Player and wasn’t playing any active media files within it, but it still shows up as a part of the apps that contributed to my screen time.
Notifications
At first sight, this may appear to be a redundant feature, but it can actually prove to be fairly useful. It shows which apps send you notifications, and these constant pop-ups may distract you when conducting certain activities such as when working. you’re able to then decide to turn off these notifications for an associated application.
At face value, thePickupstab may make more sense for Screen Time on portable iOS devices like the iPhone, but it can still provide you with insight into what app you open first after switching on your Mac.
Now that you’ve gained some insight into the apps that take up your screen time, Apple has provided a Downtime feature that allows you to schedule periods where a specific program cannot be accessed. For example, if you’re a student, you can use Downtime to limit the ability to use apps that are a distraction from your projects like video games and media players. Similarly, if you’re working from home, you could find your attention being diverted to certain apps, so using Downtime is a convenient way to remind yourself to stay focused.
Step 1:Click theDowntimetab and then select theTurn onbutton.
Step 2:Specify a time whenDowntimewill be enabled with theEvery dayorCustombuttons.
Step 3:Select theAlways allowedtab on the sidebar and then choose which apps you don’t want to be affected by Downtime.
Once enabled, a notification will pop up five minutes before downtime starts. When downtime commences, any app not ticked within theAlways allowedlist will show a message stating a limit has been reached.
When the notification does show up, clicking theOKbutton will close the app in question. Alternatively, you can opt to select theIgnore limitoption, which will then allow you to select the following:One more minute,Remind me in 15 minutes, orIgnore limit for today. Anyone who uses the alarm clock on their phones will be familiar with the snooze concept, so be sure to be firm in your desire to decrease screen time for certain apps or the feature will ultimately become redundant.
App Limits
App Limitsallows you to only use an application for a certain period of time.
Step 1:Select theApp Limitstab and then click thePlusbutton.
Step 2:Set a limit for individual applications or a category of programs.
After you’ve set the limits, a notification will appear on your screen 5 minutes before a limit for an app will finish. Once expired, you can clickOKto close the app you’ve chosen to regulate usage of. But, like with Downtime, you can also select from the following on-screen options:One more minute,Remind me in 15 minutes, orIgnore limit for today.
Any app included in theAlways allowedlist will be immune from being affected byApp limits.
Content and Privacy
The final component of Screen Time isContent & Privacy. Here, you may disable access to content, purchases, downloads, and privacy settings. When you access any category you’ve restricted access to, a corresponding warning message will appear on the screen.
Keen to use your computer more efficiently? Try theseMac apps for power users.
