Ten Tricks to Check Your Phone Less
The most frustrating thing about telephone addiction is that, unlike true substance abuse, the solution is not to give it up entirely. Instead, we must find ways to use this technology responsibly, fighting apps that are clearly designed to steal our time.
Marketer Josh Spector has written about ten habits that help him control his phone use . These habits are tricky to acquire, so we’re adding a few tricks and apps to strengthen your self-control.
1. Stop checking your phone in the car.
Insert your phone into the glove compartment.
Android and Windows Mobile have a driving mode that switches you to voice control. iOS 11, due out on September 12, will include an automatic Do Not Disturb While Driving mode. (AT&T customers can already use the AT&T DriveMode app ).
If Google Assistant isn’t enough, download Drivemode for Android to get an “ invisible ” interface that automatically launches when you start driving.
2-3. Move your phone to a different location while watching TV or reading.
It makes sense to keep your phone in your pocket when you’re on the go. But when you get home, take him. Leave it charging and try to treat it like a home phone. The less often you check your phone for “one thing,” the less often you get an hour on Twitter.
When you get up and check your phone, try leaving it on and / or standing directly over a power outlet. This makes it harder to accidentally put it in your pocket and break the habit.
4. Disable notifications.
In particular, disable all notifications that do not require immediate action. You can probably leave calls and text messages on, but turn off everything from Twitter, Facebook, and all “follow” apps.
Turn off email notifications as well. That doesn’t mean you don’t check your email every 20 minutes anyway. If you need to, set up a call / send text messages if urgent policy.
When you download a new app, turn off notifications (or just never turn them on). Let the app deserve your attention.
If some notifications are kind of matter, make them silent and hide them from the lock screen. They can still suck you in when you open your phone, but at least they won’t trigger a new browsing session.
5. Select an endpoint for the browsing session.
Place the clock app on your home screen. When you open your phone, first of all set a timer for how much time you want to spend on the phone.
Android offers several other automated solutions. Use QualityTime to limit the time you spend on certain apps.
Try turning off your phone — for example, turning it off for real — when you’re done using it. For most of us, this will be too harsh. But try this for just a day and see what you get. Everyone has different needs for a phone, so it’s okay to try a few tricks that don’t work. This is not a failure, this is just experimentation.
6. Stop checking your phone in line.
For most of us, this is exactly what mobile phones are for. But if you really want to dive into the boredom that is essential for creativity and reflection, stop checking your phone just because you don’t do anything for a minute.
In practice, this can mean keeping your phone in another pocket so you can’t pull it out so unconsciously. Get a wallpaper reminding you to put your phone down . Add one at a time. Practice stopping and looking around .
7. Don’t use your phone in bed.
Set a time not to talk on the phone in the morning and evening. To enforce it or block only less important features, use Freedom (iOS) or Offtime (iOS / Android) to disable any access to domains such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. That way, you can grab your phone and check for really important updates while keeping out of social media.
This might sound a little too strict if your job is sometimes social media related. But even as a blogger, I kept Freedom on by blocking Twitter from 9:30 pm to 7:30 am. If I ever really need to tweet at night, I can always go to my computer. At least five times a week, I check my phone in bed, notice that Twitter is blocked, and go back to my book.
8-9. Abort the “check” cycle.
Once you’ve checked your email, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and more, it’s tempting to start over. Instead, test only one application at a time. Train yourself to lay down the phone after the intended action.
Getting out of the “what to do next” habit is tricky, so do your best to keep your app switching less automatic. Close applications as soon as you use them so that you have to download them again. And hide all distracting apps from your home screen by placing them in folders so you have to search for them or type their names to open.
Try uninstalling one social app at a time, just for a day or a week, to see if you really need it. If you end up removing one distracting app from your phone, it’s well worth it.
10. Don’t expect a quick fix.
It’s hard to find the right balance. Most of us really appreciate the benefits of a smartphone, and most of us also use it more than we would like. Most of these tricks only work as long as you pay attention to them, and apps keep finding new ways to invade your space, so you need to constantly find new ways to trick your brain to get rid of bad behavior.
As Spector notes , the answer is not a one-off “digital detox.” He learns to live with it and earn the privilege of (as author Jake Knapp put it ) “infinity in his pocket.” When you understand how great this obstacle is, it becomes clear that there is no quick fix – just habit, trial and error, ups and downs.
h / t swiss