Addicted to your phone? Try these tips
Most of us would admit that we use our phones too much. But what do we do when this habit gets out of control?
If you think back to when you got your first smartphone, would you have signed up for how you use your phone today? The apps we use several times a day (or for some of us - hours a day) just started as a novelty that has grown gradually overtime. Filling every moment with input and distraction has a negative impact. The more time we spend interacting on our phone the less time we spend interacting in person and being in the present moment - both of which can be good for our mental and physical health.
It’s scary to think it’s someone’s job to design the addictive elements of apps that tap into our desire for reinforcement, goals and rewards to keep us coming back for more.
Do you use your phone for more than 4 hours a day?
Do you check apps even though you know there’ll be no new information?
Do you scroll mindlessly and lose track of time?
Do you feel bad after using your phone?
Does your phone use stop you from doing things that are good for you - like getting an early night, concentrating on something more important or having conversations in real life?
If you answered ‘yes’ to one or more of the questions then you’ll benefit from trying some of the tips below.
People get the best results from a combination of finding better alternatives first and then stopping the compulsive checking.
Have high quality leisure activities - Do something just for the joy of it. Maybe it might surprise you what you could do. What did you use to love doing as a child? What could you have in your week that you’d look forward to and would be phone free time?
Remember you’re in control - constant phone use is a relatively new phenomenon, but you can easily train yourself to learn new habits and get back some balance.
Greyscaling - there’s a setting on most smartphones that turns your screen colours to black and white making your phone a lot less appealing. Read this to find how to do it on all types of phones. It’s like magic!
Non-tech time - you could start with your lunch break, the first half an hour of your day or the last hour of your day. Start small and build up to more ‘phone free time’
Reduce your notifications -do you really need all of the notifications for every What’s app group or Facebook activity? You can put your phone on do not distrub mode with some exceptions - this can help prioritise who you need to be available for whilst choosing to have a break.
I hope these tips are helpful. Sometimes over-using our phone can be a symptom of other things being out of balance in your life - if you’d like to chat through some strategies to help - book in a coaching call.