Here's How Many Books You Could Read Every Month If You Cut Back Time Spent on Your Smartphone Today, people use their devices for nearly 118 hours a month.

By Rose Leadem

Opinions expressed by BIZ Experiences contributors are their own.

Klaus Vedfelt | Getty Images

With social media, email and texting at our disposal today, it's hard not to get distracted by our smartphones. In 2016, the average American was reported to spend three hours and eight minutes a day on their smartphone, and that's excluding voice activities such as phone or video calls.

Related: 5 Ways You're Wasting Time Without Even Realizing It

There's a number of other productive activities you could be doing with all that time. How about picking up a book? On average, a person spends a whopping 23 hours per month on social media on their phone. And all those hours you spent on Facebook and Instagram translates into a whopping five novels you could have read, including The Handmaid's Tale, Jane Eyre, To Kill a Mockingbird and more.

That's not all. If you didn't spend an average of 25 hours a month sending instant messages, you could have read another five books, including the entire series of C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia.

Related: The 7 Biggest Time-Wasters in a New BIZ Experiences's Day

If you're not convinced, here's an eye popping stat: With the average 118 hours a person spends a month with their smartphone on social media, instant and text messaging, email, photo and video messaging, phone and video calls monthly, they could have read 24 novels.

To learn more, check out MusicMagpie's infographic below.

Rose Leadem is a freelance writer for BIZ Experiences.com. 

Want to be an BIZ Experiences Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Starting a Business

These Brothers Started a Business to Improve an Everyday Task. They Made Their First Products in the Garage — Now They've Raised Over $100 Million.

Coulter and Trent Lewis had an early research breakthrough that helped them solve for the right problem.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for BIZ Experiencess to pursue in 2025.

Franchise

10 No-Office-Required Businesses You Can Start for as Little as $5,000

With strong Franchise 500 rankings and investment levels starting under $5,000, these brands are ready for new owners to hit the ground running.

Franchise

How to Prepare Your Business — And Yourself — For a Smooth Exit

After decades of building your business, turning it over to someone else can be emotional. But with the right mindset and a strong plan, it can also be your proudest moment.

Starting a Business

3 Things I Wish I Knew When I Founded a Company 20 Years Ago

If I could sit down with a new B2B founder today, these are the three conversations I'd make sure we had — the same ones I wish someone had with me early on.