Average daily hours, the specific amount of time you’ve spent on apps throughout the week, and even whether or not your screen time hours have changed compared to the week before. 

And once you do look at these stats, you might start to feel something along the lines of ‘This needs to change!’.

And you wouldn’t be the first person to experience that! But when it comes to reducing screen time and phone usage, you’ve got to be careful about how you approach it. 

You can’t just go cold turkey and try to cut out using your phone at all. You’ll be straight back on social media, doom scrolling through your feed, within a week flat. Instead, you need to think your way through your screen time, including where it comes from and what you can do to replace it. 

And with all that in mind, here’s how to lower your screen time numbers without losing any of the fun.

Understand What Screen Time Fulfills for You

It’s a pretty big question to try and answer, but it’s necessary if you want to reduce your screen time. 

What does spending time on your phone do for you? Does it fill the gap when you’re bored? Is it what you resort to when you’re tired and don’t feel like doing anything else? Is it something you can use to distract yourself when there’s too much going on? 

Once you work out what screen time fulfills and means for you, you can take the reason behind your stats and work out what else to do with it.

Set Yourself a Goal

And once you have this reason all laid out, it’s time to set yourself a goal. You need something actionable to work toward here, otherwise you’re just going to lose sight of what you’re trying to achieve. 

Make sure the goal is small yet significant enough to work on as well. ‘Reduce screen time’ isn’t going to fly. ‘Cut an hour off screen time’ is much better. 

With both your underlying reason and a proper goal to focus on, you’ll have so much less hassle to deal with in the process.

Don’t Scroll – Play Something Instead

If you’re always just resorting to scrolling whenever you pick up your phone, you’re doing it a disservice. It’s capable of so much more, and you can get so much more out of it. 

And it’s not even that hard to do either. You just need to find a game you like playing, whether that’s hearts or solitaire, or games like Bejeweled or Fruit Ninja, and get them installed. 

Once they’re there for you to play, you can spend your time on your phone doing something a bit different. Sure, it might not reduce your screen time as much as you want. But it’s actually doing something better for you overall. 

You’re not simply scrolling, taking in the world’s information and everyone’s problems, and feeling like you can’t even close out of the app in case you miss something. Instead, you’re just taking a quick 5 to 10 minutes to play a bit of a game you enjoy. 

Even if you do end up going back to social media, you’ve ended up spending less time on it that day. 

And in the end, you might find your overall screen time does, in fact, start to drop. After all, you’re sating the need to use your phone in other ways, and it’s ultimately preventing that cycle of ‘logging on’ and never leaving.

Be Genuinely Social

Being on social media all the time probably has you ignoring texts from friends. And even if they use the platform too, and are messaging you on there, you still probably take a while to get back to them. 

Even though they’re only a few taps away, it can be hard to convince yourself to head to the messages section. 

If that’s a problem you deal with, cutting down your screen time might be more of a relationship goal than anything else. You want to get back to your loved ones, you just keep getting distracted. 

But, if you use the energy you usually put toward scrolling and turn it toward staying in touch, you can channel screen time usage in a much healthier way. And if need be, try and start having some more fun conversations with friends too.

Use a Desktop PC More Often

Spend an hour or two on your phone before you go to bed? You can lock in for a long gaming session in the same amount of time you would usually spend on Instagram or TikTok in the evening. 

So why not do that instead? It’s going to be more fun, it won’t bombard you with all kinds of doom and gloom, and if you like multiplayer games, you might even make some new friends.

Lower Your Screen Time without the Hassle

A screen time reduction can make you ping pong all over your phone, with the aim of finding something else to do other than scroll. And that’s why you not only need a goal to hit, but you also need to understand what scrolling does for you, and how else you can get that feeling.

So get off social media, and actually be social with your phone contacts. Or if you’d rather, just download some games to play instead, or use your browser to access mobile-friendly online games.

And if the aim of lowering your screen time is to simply reduce the amount of time you spend looking at your phone, pivot your focus towards another screen instead. If you’ve got a computer or laptop that’s capable of running video games, load that up instead!

The post Reducing Screen Time Without Losing The Fun: 4 Top Tips appeared first on Armchair Arcade.

AP English language essays are an easy way to earn free college credits, but they come at a price. They tend to be more challenging than regular essays, and one has to possess decent writing skills to be successful. However, aside from any college credit you receive from an AP Lang essay, the good news is that you also become a more proficient writer, which should help you through college.

We have compiled some useful guidelines to help students get through these essays. We aim to better their understanding of this form of writing and prepare them for the argument essay they will write at the end of the AP course. So let’s get to it!

What Is the AP Language Argument Essay?

There are different types of essays in an AP English language exam. Some of these essays are closely related to an AP Lang argumentative essay, and it’s important to understand the differences.

The first is a synthesis essay requiring you to read several sources, often 6-7, and construct an argument using at least 3 of these sources. View it as a discussion, where the writer will gather information from the chosen sources and create a valid idea. Next, they’ll have to identify how the different sources relate to each other and use them to build a single argument.

The second is a rhetorical analysis essay which looks at a piece of work as rhetoric. Unlike the argumentative essay, it is less concerned with what the author is trying to say and more with how they are saying it; their technique, goals, and ability to appeal to an audience.

The last is the synthesis paper. The main distinction between a synthesis essay and an argumentative paper is that in the former, you rely on different sources to make your case, whereas, in the latter, you need logic, research, and facts.

Thus, an argumentative essay is not as complicated as other essays. However, if you find yourself stuck writing it, a paper writing service can be of help.

An argumentative essay is a composition that requires you to investigate a topic, collect, generate, and evaluate evidence and concisely establish a position. It is a type of essay where the writer has to explore both sides of an issue.

Depending on the writer, one can choose whether to support both sides of the thesis statement equally or to lean more towards one side. The writer has to use strong evidence from their research and powerful logic to construct arguments that get their points across.

In a good argument essay, the writer doesn’t have to try and persuade the reader to support a particular side; the points you make will help them choose their stance. However, the writer needs to declare their position and elaborate on their stance.

The main aspects of an AP Lang argumentative essay include the following.

Defensible Thesis

You have to choose a thesis to defend or challenge in your AP Lang argumentative essay. The thesis statement also needs to state your position on an issue clearly.

Supporting Evidence

Any claim you make in the AP Lang argumentative essay has to be supported by evidence coupled with your line of reasoning. The evidence can be in the form of statistics or facts you gathered from various credible sources. So, even if you order an essay online, ensure it has sufficient supporting evidence.

Complete Understanding of Your Subject Matter

As mentioned, a writer has to dive deep into both sides of the argument, playing devil’s advocate. A writer first needs to explore the thesis statement, explain their views, and even show the limitations of their stance. They’ll also have to explore the counterarguments and find ways to refute them.

Persuasion

Is your AP Lang argument essay engaging? Try to view it from a reader’s perspective and determine how convincing the work is to your audience. A writer’s skill in persuasion will determine whether a reader will still have doubts after reading the entire essay.

Tips for Writing the AP Language Argument Essay

Want to take your argumentative AP Lang essay to a higher level? Here’re some crucial guidelines for composing a great argument essay for your AP English language and composition exam. 

Have a Strong Stance

Establish a firm stance on the subject; it is the most critical element that should be clear in your entire AP Lang argumentative essay. Unlike AP Lang expository essays, the reader needs to know your stance from the start. You can’t keep your reader guessing about the point you’ve chosen to support.

Because of these stakes, we encourage students to choose a powerful thesis statement they can easily support or refute. The reader will know when you’re unsure, so you need to believe in what you’re writing if you expect them to see the validity of your claims. So you should have a well developed essay with a strong stance.

Choosing a stance for an argumentative AP English language essay is not always easy. Many students get stuck here and waste time they could spend writing. An easier way to do this is to explore the different sides of your thesis statement and note down the points you can raise. From there, choose the position you’ll be better at defending.

Have Enough Strong Evidence to Support Your Points

Your AP Lang argument essay needs a solid support system to support your stance. The strength of the proof determines how well your AP English language essay turns out. Writers rely on the proof to back up their thesis statement because they can’t just present their opinions and hope to score high marks. The proof will have to be factual to make your assertion valid.

The quality of your validation relies on the research you undertake. So, spend enough time researching and gathering sufficient concrete examples from reputable sources. Examples of evidence to incorporate in the argumentative AP Lang paper include:

• Statistics
• Research studies
• Laws
• Real-life examples

Use Proper Language

By default, argument essays are assertive, and thus you should portray confidence with your words. However, you also need to display a passion for showing you are not simply putting forth an opinion but a solid argument. So, be direct and showcase your proof as facts.

There’s no place for impartiality, as is common with a synthesis essay, since you have a clear stance, so you don’t need qualifiers that propose it. Remember, your assertions aren’t based on your feelings or thoughts but cold hard facts, so you should show confidence in expressing them.

However, draw the line in confidence; don’t try to appear like an expert because it’ll make you lose your readers’ trust. Use present tense for most of your argumentative AP Lang paper except when you’re stating historical data. It should work well even when constructing a chronological argument.

Have Good Counter Arguments

In the argumentative AP Lang paper, have at least one of the body paragraphs exploring the counterarguments, just like those written by experts at essayusa review. It allows you to paint the whole picture for the reviewer and show them you comprehend the subject matter.

Raising counterarguments also gives you a chance to knock down the ideas that oppose your assertion, thus strengthening your arguments. If the whole AP Lang essay supports the points you agree with, then it’s not really a well-composed argumentative essay.

Handling Argumentative Essay Prompts

The assignment prompt is what dictates the AP English language essay you should craft. However, examiners don’t outright communicate the essay they want. Therefore, it’s up to you to properly interpret the given argument essay question.

To properly analyze a prompt, first read it multiple times. Pay attention to every detail to be certain of what they’re asking you to deliver. It’ll make the free response questions easier to handle.

Also, identify the key terms that dictate the type of paper you should write. For example, for an AP Lang argument essay, look for words like ‘argue’ or ‘claim’ on the prompt. Then choose to support or refute the thesis statement in your answer.

AP English Language Argument Essay Outline

A good outline acts as the foundation for your entire essay. The outline lists all the different sections of the argumentative AP Lang paper; all the main points are organized in the way they’ll appear in the draft. It saves you time when writing because your body paragraphs will just be you fleshing out what you have highlighted.

You can use an outline for any type of writing, from a rhetorical analysis essay to a research paper. An outline prevents you from straying from the main points and ensures you meet the requirements of your rubric. When making your argumentative AP Lang essay outline, ensure it has three key segments:

• Intro
• Body
• Outro

How Will AP Scores Impact My College Chances?

College admissions are competitive nowadays, and the finest margins determine rejection or acceptance. Students now have to worry about grades, test scores, and extracurriculars, but what about AP English language scores?

College admissions boards rarely factor in AP scores when you apply because they are outside your GPA and are not considered part of your transcripts. However, some institutes allow students to ‘self-report’ any extra standardized scores on an optional application section.

So how much weight does your AP Lang rhetorical analysis essay and the rest of the exam hold? It depends. Since AP scores aren’t a requirement, they’ll usually not affect applications too much. However, don’t write off that AP Lang argument essay just yet. At top schools with tough competition for slots, AP scores can help you distinguish yourself from the rest, especially if they are perfect. On the other hand, if your scores on the AP Lang essays are anything short of impressive, we don’t recommend including them because they can work against you.

Summing Up

Composing a great AP Lang argument essay is not as challenging as it may seem. With the right attitude and commitment, any student can compose stunning AP Lang argumentative and rhetorical analysis papers. With the above advice, you should be able to approach this task confidently and with minimum hitches.

The post How to Write an Argumentative Essay AP Lang| Winning Tips appeared first on Armchair Arcade.