Responsible play
Play-time reminders: noticing where the time went
Time passes differently when you are watching numbers. A reminder of how long you have been playing is a small tool that does a surprising amount of good.
Why time slips
Short, repeated actions such as picking numbers and checking results make time feel shorter than it is. It is easy to look up and find an evening has gone. That is true of many apps, and it is worth guarding against in any of them.
The reminder
In Responsible play you can set a reminder that tells you how long you have been playing, at an interval you choose. When it appears, it is a moment to decide, not an order to stop. Sometimes the answer is “ten more minutes”; often it is “that is enough for today”.
Choosing an interval
Pick an interval that matches how long you mean to play, not how long you usually do. If a session should take a quarter of an hour, a fifteen-minute reminder is a friendly check. You can change it at any time.
Other habits that help
Decide before you start how long you will play and what you will spend. Play at set times rather than whenever you are bored. And close the app when you are done, rather than leaving it open in the background waiting for you.