The speaker presents a narrative that revolves around the number 28,800, which is significant as it represents the number of days one lives if they reach the age of 80. The speaker reflects on their initial reaction to this number and contemplates how much time is used on essential activities like sleeping and schooling, leaving limited time for personal pursuits. This revelation prompts a reevaluation of how they spend time.

They conduct an experiment by tracking their daily screen time, particularly on their phone. Discovering they spent eight hours a day on their phone, primarily on social media apps like Instagram and TikTok, the speaker attempts to curb their usage through timers but finds it difficult to control. This leads to the decision to delete the apps altogether for a period of detox, resulting in increased mindfulness and focus.

Main takeaways from the video:

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Key Vocabularies and Common Phrases:

1. overwhelmed [ˌoʊvərˈwɛlmd] - (adj.) - Feeling sudden, strong, or uncontrollable emotions. - Synonyms: (overcome, inundated, beset)

I was pretty overwhelmed because, you know, 80 years old, that's a pretty respectable age.

2. impulsive [ɪmˈpʌlsɪv] - (adj.) - Acting or done without forethought. - Synonyms: (impetuous, hasty, rash)

Because I didn't notice how much I have this impulsive behavior of immediately taking out my phone and going to Instagram.

3. detox [ˈdiːˌtɑːks] - (n.) - A process or period of time in which one abstains from or rids the body of toxic or unhealthy substances. - Synonyms: (cleanse, purify, purge)

I'm just going to do myself a little detox, little clean.

4. fomo [ˈfoʊmoʊ] - (n.) - Fear Of Missing Out, the anxiety that an exciting or interesting event may currently be happening elsewhere. - Synonyms: (anxiety, unease, insecurity)

But the bigger thing came, which was fomo, the fear of missing out.

5. self-control [ˈsɛlf kənˈtroʊl] - (n.) - The ability to control oneself, in particular one's emotions and desires. - Synonyms: (restraint, discipline, willpower)

Okay, so I have no self control.

6. concentrated [ˈkɒnsəntreɪtɪd] - (adj.) - Being focused or centralized in one area or subject. - Synonyms: (focused, riveted, attentive)

I was able to feel more concentrated.

7. beneficial [ˌbɛnəˈfɪʃl] - (adj.) - Producing good or helpful results. - Synonyms: (advantageous, fruitful, helpful)

It's been seven months since I have done this, and I can honestly say it has been very beneficial for me.

8. vulnerable [ˈvʌlnərəbəl] - (adj.) - Capable of being physically or emotionally wounded or hurt. - Synonyms: (exposed, defenseless, susceptible)

I'm going to be very vulnerable right now with you.

9. stimulation [ˌstɪmjʊˈleɪʃən] - (n.) - An action or thing that rejuvenates or energizes. - Synonyms: (motivation, incitement, provocation)

Because I needed that stimulation.

10. reevaluate [ˌriɪˈvæljueɪt] - (v.) - Assess again or differently. - Synonyms: (reassess, reassess, rethink)

And this revelation prompts a reevaluation of how they spend time.

28,800 - Raquel Colomar Cedeño - TEDxLas Hayas College Youth

28,800. If I ask you if you think this is a big number or a small number, maybe you would say, yeah, it's pretty big. And maybe some of you would say, it's pretty small. But of course, everything depends on the context. If I tell you this number represents the amount of friends I have, you might say, okay, she's pretty popular. 28,800. That's a lot of people. But if I tell you is the amount of seconds I have spent sleeping, you might say, okay, explains the under eyes. You clearly need to get more rest.

But this number has nothing to do with my friends or the time I spent sleeping. Don't worry about that. This number represents the amount of days you live when you turn 80. So that means when you turn 80 years old, you have officially lived 28,800 days. Bring out the cake, blow out the candles, pop the confetti. Congratulations, you've done it.

So I don't know how many of you will react to this information, but. But I remember when I first learned of it, I was pretty overwhelmed because, you know, 80 years old, that's a pretty respectable age. You're more towards the end of your life than towards the beginning. You were already supposed to have your dream job, your family, and achieve your goals. And that's only 28,800 days. I had this idea that I would have more time, and I started thinking, oh my God, wait, how many days have already gone by? How much time have I already spent?

And I was like, wait, what do I spend my time on? And there's a lot of things that I can't control. For example, sleeping. You have to sleep. They say you spend a third of your life sleeping. So divide that number by three. That time is already gone. What else? I go to school. I spend like seven to eight hours in school five times a week. But I have to go to school. I can't just not go. I have to get educated. Breathing, eating, going to the bathroom when nature calls. Nature calls. And you have to answer whether you like it or not.

But what about the things I do willingly, things that I do with my time because I want to do it? And I was like, okay, I watch a lot of movies, a lot of Star Wars. I watch some series, I read some books. That's okay. I enjoy spending my time in things I like to do. I go out with my friends. I spend time with my family and my loved ones. That's pretty good. But you know what? I spend a lot of time on that. I don't really like my phone. And I was like, wait, how much time do I actually spend on my phone? How many days did I already waste?

And I said, you know, I'm going to do a little experiment. I'm going to download an app that was supposed to track my screen time, and I'm going to see just how much time I spend on my phone. I thought it was going to be like five to six hours because we all have phones and we all use it a lot of time. So the whole day went by and I got the little notification from the app that said, you have spent X amount of hours on your phone. And I clicked on it and I'm going to be very vulnerable right now with you. It said, you have spent eight hours on your phone.

And I was like, eight hours? I spend less time sleeping. What do you mean? I spend eight hours on my phone on this little black box. Doing what? And then I went into the app and it shows you the little statistics on what you spend your time on. And I was like, okay, 30 minutes on Spotify. I'm okay with that. 20 minutes on Classroom, 10 minutes on Google, 40 minutes on WhatsApp. That's things that I have to do because your phone is for your personal use, for school, for entertainment. I'm okay with that.

What I wasn't okay with was the apps that I used the most, which were, of course, Instagram and TikTok. It said that I had spent an hour and a half on Instagram and I was like, okay. And then another hour and 20 minutes on TikTok. And I was like, okay, not okay. This isn't good for me. I didn't even notice because I didn't even remember what the last TikTok I saw was about. And I spent an hour on it. What do you mean?

So I was like, okay, this isn't good for me. I'm going to set a timer on the apps. You know, you can go to the apps, go to Settings, screen time management, and put like a little timer that will get me under control. Put 30 minutes on Instagram, 30 minutes on TikTok. I thought it was pretty good together. I have an hour of entertainment on my phone. I think that's great.

So the next day, I went about my life. I was walking around and I popped out my phone, I went to Instagram, of course. What else am I going to do now? The usual story, story, story. Real, real, real. Like something next. Like something next. And then the little notification appeared. You have spent 30 minutes on Instagram. Do you still wish to continue now? And I was like, well, I shouldn't, but five more minutes won't hurt. Yes, I wish to continue.

And the exact same thing happened with TikTok. I was watching, like, get ready with me to go to whatever the thing they go to. And I was like, the notification appeared. You have spent 30 minutes on TikTok. Do you still wish to continue? And I was like, yes, let me finish my video, please. So again, by the end of the day, I got the notification again and it says, you have spent eight hours on your phone. And I was like, okay, so I have no self control. I clearly can't do that, do this.

And extreme situations require extreme solutions. So I decided, you know what, I'm just going to delete the apps. I'm going to delete the apps, I'm going to see what happens and I'm not going to go away forever, of course. I'm just going to do myself a little detox, little clean. I'm going to go away for some time and I'll eventually come back. So I did this at the beginning of the year, so it was like February of 2024. And I was like, okay, I'm going to do three months without these apps and I'm going to come back on my birthday. It's going to be my little birthday gift to myself.

So the apps, they were gone. And I have to be very honest with you, the first two weeks, the weirdest weeks of my life, because I didn't notice how much I have this impulsive behavior of immediately taking out my phone and going to Instagram. So I did exactly that. I woke up, I looked at the time. I still have some time before school. I'm going to go open Instagram, see what happened. But it wasn't there. I was like, oh my God, what do I do? Do I look at the trees? Am I supposed to think? I didn't know what to do.

I was, I just turned off my phone and I just sat there. And that happened for the first two weeks. It was like if somebody had taken my hand off because I felt like I was missing something. Something was missing. I couldn't go 10 seconds of not being entertained without Instagram TikTok because I needed that stimulation. But after those two weeks were over, I was like, okay, I'm fine, I don't need to. You have my phone everywhere all the time.

But the bigger thing came, which was fomo, the fear of missing out. So I think that almost everybody, if not everybody, has Instagram So it felt like everybody knew this one little secret that I didn't know. And there was, like, this voice telling me, raquel, you're missing out on so much stuff. Everybody has it, you should have it too. And I generally remember feeling, like, fear and, like, anxiety that, like, what if a friend posts a story and I don't see it?

If somebody sends me a DM and they think I'm rude because I don't answer? What if my friend sends me a really good reel and I never get to see it because I don't have. And I don't know exactly when it hit me that I sounded so dumb, because the things people post on Instagram are not really that relevant to my everyday life. You know, it's like a picture of the sunset, my cat and my dog, 0.1 with my boyfriend, or, like, pictures of people at the gym, 70 without spot, or whatever they do.

And if somebody's sending me a dm, which most people don't, that's okay, somebody's sending me a dm. It's like people asking me for homework. And I have WhatsApp. If you really want that homework, you would contact me by WhatsApp. So I realized I'm not missing out on anything. I used to use these apps for an hour a day, and I didn't even feel like I needed them.

So after this very weird and experimental first month, I decided, okay, smooth sailing from here. And the next two months, I was great. I was able to feel more concentrated. I woke up and I didn't even check my phone. I opened the blinds and opened the windows and I felt the fresh air. Like, my mom was right, it was the phone. And I felt great.

But of course, eventually the three months passed and my birthday came. May 13, just in case you want to know. And I downloaded the apps again. I was like, okay, Instagram, TikTok, come back. Yes, sir. And of course, just because I have them back doesn't mean I'm going to go immediately into my old habits. I'm still going to have my 30 minute timer on Instagram and my 30 minute timer on TikTok.

So, brand new day. I pull up my phone and for the first time in three months, I open Instagram. And I'm like, yes, let's see who posted what, who did who, like, tell me the gossip. Did they break up? Did they get back together? I want to know everything. And then the notification appeared. You have spent 30 minutes on Instagram. Do you still wish to continue? And I, like, looked around. I was like, yes, yes, I do.

And I kept going. And the exact same thing happened with TikTok. I was watching, like a video of Is it real or is it cake? I don't even know what I was watching. And the notification appeared. You have spent 30 minutes on TikTok. Do you still wish to continue? Yes, of course I do. I think I do. And I carried on.

And by the end of the day, the glorious notification came again. It said this time I had spent six hours on my phone, which, yes, I did reduce my time, but when I didn't have Instagram and TikTok, my phone time was like two hours maximum, three. So I basically doubled it just because I downloaded these apps again. And I thought for a second, okay, I clearly went three months without these apps and I'm fine. I still have my both arms, my two legs, my heart still beating. The world didn't explode. And having these apps is not good for me.

I don't even feel good. I don't even remember the last thing I saw because that's how much my brain was turned off during the entire process. I decided I don't need these apps anymore. And I deleted them forever. I don't have them anymore. They're off my phone. It's been seven months since I have done this, and I can honestly say it has been very beneficial for me. I know that not everybody understands that some people still look at me a little bit weird. I'm okay with that. And I'm not saying that this is a solution for everything and that everybody should do it.

Instagram is not evil. It's not going to rot your brain. It's okay, can have it. But for me, it wasn't something that really was worth my time. And all of this started because I realized how much my time is worth. 28,800 days is not a lot of time for me, and I wish to spend it wisely. There's a quote by Buddha that says, the problem is that you think you have the time. I used to think I had the time to be an hour on TikTok and then an hour on Instagram. And I realized, well, no, I don't. So I urge you to please spend your time wisely. Thank you.

TECHNOLOGY, INSPIRATION, PHILOSOPHY, SCREEN TIME, TIME MANAGEMENT, SOCIAL MEDIA ADDICTION, TEDX TALKS