May 31

May 31 Redefine Your Phone Habits

Communication, Article, General Health, Productivity, Self-Care, Time Management, Tips, Wellbeing

Get rid of apps.

Delete all of your apps. Even if it's just for a day or for a week. Delete your Facebook app and let it be the one social media you just use on a computer. This will give yourself the time and space to wait and browse Facebook at a later time when it's not interfering with your day.

Create a phone box.

The box doesn't have to be anything fancy, it can simply be a shoe box. Decide how long you'd like to not look at your phone and put the phone in the box. Now go do something you generally don't have time for, such as write, exercise, or cook a new recipe you've been wanting to try. Use this time as a break from talking to people. This is your time, so make the most of it! And when it's time to take your phone out of the box, go ahead. You may find that the more you use the phone box, the longer you can go without your phone.

Apps to moderate usage.

This might seem counterintuitive, but there are a lot of great apps to help moderate your phone usage. A few of our favorites are:

Moment: Moment is a free app that tracks your screen time, how many times you pick up your phone in a day, and how much time you spend using each app. It can be really surprising to see how those five-minute scrolls throughout the day add up. You get to set your goal for how much screen time you'd like to use in a day, and it makes you a chart so that you can see if you've gone over that time or not.

Freedom: This app allows you to block apps from your phone for anywhere from an hour to 24 hours. It also blocks you from going into your phone web browser - which is helpful for those who delete an app then just go to its website.

Turn your phone off.

Try turning your phone off. It will feel great! Give yourself a cutoff time to stop working or checking emails at night and then turn your phone off. Or turn your phone off until you start work in the morning. Too many of us wake up and immediately check our phones, which adds stress and makes you think about what you're missing out on. Not having it readily available will allow you to use that time for yourself.