I am breaking up with my phone and you should probably too
Our phones demand so much of our attention each day and, if we're honest, we're probably spending way too much time scrolling on social media. That's why I have decided to break up with my phone and reduce my screen time drastically.
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OK, it's not as dramatic as it sounds but I have come across a book called "How to break up with your phone" by Catherine Price and I have taken on the challenge of reducing my screen time.
Why I have decided to break up with my phone
One of my goals for 2022 was to become more mindful and live more in the present. Last year, we moved to New Zealand because we wanted to have a better work-life balance and enjoy life more. And if we're honest, I can't really enjoy everything New Zealand has to offer if I sit behind my phone the whole time, right?
I am often telling myself that I don't have enough time for things that I would love to do, but that is actually not true. I DO have the time, I just choose to spend it on my phone. Once I came to that realisation, I knew it was time for a change. I got Price's book and embarked on the journey of reducing my screen time dramatically.
My goal for this experiment isn't abstinence. Obviously, that would be a bit hard as my job literally involves me being on the phone most of the day. My main goal is to spend less time on my phone and more time doing things I love & that fill my cup.
How to break up with your phone
The following 6 tips have helped me to decrease my screen time dramatically and to live life more consciously.
1) Become more aware of your usage & how it makes you feel:
Your first step is to become aware of how much you use your phone on a daily basis and how it makes you feel. Dedicate a whole day to this and answer these questions:
When do I feel the urge to check my phone? In what particular moment?
What triggers me to use my phone?
How do I feel just before checking my phone? How do I feel during, and how after?
How do I feel if I can't check my phone?
What could I do instead?
I found this exercise really insightful because it showed me that most of the time, I check my phone when I have to wait for something. Becoming more aware of your usage & triggers is the most important step.
2) Set time limits for distracting apps or use a timer to stay productive:
Another thing you can do is limit the time that you can use certain apps. I do this for all of my social media apps. This works really well for me because after the time is up, you are not able to open the app anymore. This forces me to look for a different activity.
You can also set yourself a timer during which you won't check your phone. This is a similar idea to the Pomodoro technique where you work in 25-minute intervals to keep concentrated. A great app that I use as a timer is called OFFTIME.
3) Put off all unnecessary notifications:
I don't have any notifications on for any of my social media apps or my email program. The only notifications that stay on on my phone are for WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger because those are the two main messaging apps that I use with friends and family.
I want to proactively choose when I look at my phone and notifications are more a reaction rather than a proactive choice.
BUT: If you feel more stressed by not having your notifications on, meaning that if you don't have them on, you'll check your apps even more because you feel like you're gonna miss out on a message, then you need to work on a mindset shift. Tell yourself: "It's OK not to reply right away."
4) Banish time-sucking apps from your home screen:
Do a really big spring clean on your home screen and delete all the apps from it that you will check all the time. Make your time-sucker apps as inaccessible as possible.
5) Put your phone out of reach:
Yep, literally. Even already putting it further away on your nightstand or ideally, even outside of your bedroom so you don't check it first thing in the morning. This will create a speed bump for you so you don't immediately check it. You can do this for all moments when you usually get distracted by your phone.
6) Set an intention (WWW):
Set an intention every time before you decide to check your phone. You can ask yourself 3 questions before you check it:
What for? = what are you going to do with your phone?
Why now? = why do you feel the urge to check it in this moment?
What else? = what else could you do instead?
I can assure you that most of the times you will not feel the urge anymore to check your phone if you answered all of these questions. If you find a legitimate reason, go ahead! The goal is not to not have you use your phone. The goal is to establish a little speed bump that makes you more mindful and more conscious of how you use your phone.
I hope you found these tips helpful! Let me know what you do to decrease your screen time and why by sending me a message on Instagram - I'd love to hear what works for you :)
Talk soon,
Hanna