Today I want to talk about the phone. That thing that many people (including the undersigned) spend more time on than they would like. Although I think my phone use (usually max. 1.5 hours) is not too bad, I also sometimes have more control over the thing than I would like. Recently I have made it a sport to reduce my phone use. I have been succeeding quite well, I must say. Not with drastic measures, but with a few super simple tricks. Here are a few tips that help me against the well-known phone addiction.
1. Try to resist phone-pick-up stimuli
Every day, the thought “Just checking if…” crosses my mind a hundred times. Usually, it’s not exactly about life-threatening situations. For example, I want to check the news updates for the umpteenth time, I’m curious whether my Instagram feed has been filled with anything interesting in the past 30 minutes, or I suddenly want to get to the bottom of what’s going on with that one politician who’s no longer in the news. You read it: all urgent information that I need to do something with immediately – not.
By starting to meditate, I have been getting better at parking those kinds of “I have to” thoughts lately . So really training myself not to immediately reach for my phone with every thought, but to just let the thought be there – especially when I am in the middle of a task. I often realize that I will look it up in half an hour and half an hour later I am no longer interested in it.
2. Put your phone out of sight
A super simple trick that helps me with tip 1 is that I no longer put my phone next to my computer. For me, it works in such a way that I automatically have fewer “I have to look this up” thoughts if I can’t see my phone every time I look to the side. That’s why my phone is now behind my computer out of reach , so that I can only grab it when I get up from my spot. Since I’ve given my phone its permanent spot there while working, I’ve been much less inclined to pick it up.
3. Turn off those notifications!
I won’t waste too many words on this tip for reducing phone use. You’ll probably come across it in every article about the infamous phone addiction. I too am a fan of a clean phone with as few notifications as possible. I only receive a notification for my important e-mails, breaking news , WhatsApps and a few other useful apps. For example, I turned off notifications for DMs or Instagram reactions a long time ago. That saves me quite a few beeps and beeps (and therefore screen time) in a day.
By the way, many apps also allow you to set which notifications you do or do not want to receive . For example, I do receive notifications when I receive a private message on LinkedIn, but I have turned off the other notifications for that medium. This gives me the feeling that I do not miss important things, while I am not disturbed all day for useless things (“1 person viewed your profile”).
4. Rearrange your app icons
On Pintrest I came across a handy tip to curb your phone addiction: get clear about the useful things you use your phone for. Your phone is quite handy in many situations. When I sit in the car for 1.5 hours with Google Maps as a navigation aid, my screen time is indeed very high, but it is useful screen time. If I didn’t have an agenda, I would undoubtedly forget quite a few birthdays. Even without a phone camera app, my life is not complete, I think.
Based on Jelle’s blog, I started writing down the useful things I spend my phone on . Think of navigation, listening to podcasts, setting my alarm, doing my banking or checking the time. It all makes my life a lot easier. But once you have all that clear, you (at least I!) suddenly realize how many non-useful apps you have installed on your phone without even noticing. All distractions that seem to scream “Click on me!” every time you do those few useful things.
Jelle’s tip was clear: throw all that junk off your phone. But hey, I like some apps too much to let go, and I’ve already thrown apps off my phone that I really don’t use. What I did do, was rearrange my screen. My home screen now only shows the absolutely indispensable apps. So no Instagram, no Vinted, no NOS – just those boring apps that I only open when I need them. I moved the other icons to the next screen. That means I have to do an extra action to view them. It’s just one extra swipe with your finger, but that apparently helps me to view those apps less often.
5. Do more on your PC
This is also one of my favorite tips for when you are short on time . I still type with one finger on my phone, while I can type out about 200 characters per minute on the computer. That is why I am a fan of the desktop version for many apps. For example, I always answer emails on the computer, almost always use Web WhatsApp for apps , respond to DMs on Instagram via the PC and always type out Instagram posts on my computer keyboard.
Furthermore, I actually never open the Facebook and Twitter app; I only use those two on my computer. Works much better and faster! It also allows me to keep a better eye on not sending messages with social media all day long. Precisely because I often save social media until I’m behind the computer, I have more control over the time I spend on it.
6. Let messages rest for a while
Up until about three years ago, I was a very loyal and fast text-answerer. I felt obliged to deal with everything as soon as I was online. Because imagine if the person saw that I had seen the message but hadn’t responded yet? And oh dear, those blue checks then?
Luckily, I let go of that thought a while ago. I often answer short practical messages within half an hour. But things that take a bit more time, I save for that evening or even the weekend. It’s really bizarre how much peace it has given me to no longer be constantly busy with WhatsApp!
7. Give yourself phone-free time
I find this tactic exciting myself, but I have started experimenting with it. In my article yesterday I already mentioned that I sometimes find it difficult not to answer phone calls. But there is progress: in the past few weeks I have let my phone ring a bit more often when I am in the middle of something. Sometimes with a slight feeling of guilt, but that will probably slowly diminish.
Especially when I’m doing something that requires my concentration, I find it quite good to put my phone on silent and put it in front of me. If someone calls, I can see it and I can always do something with it if it’s urgent. I notice that the silence is a nice relief anyway, because it’s the pinging sounds that draw me to my phone screen like a magnet.
What I would like to do more often is sometimes turn off the wifi and 4G on my phone . Then you can be called but you don’t receive any apps or other notifications. I do that at night so that I can sleep undisturbed and still be reachable for emergencies (which are probably really urgent at night). Seems like something for the day too!
Bonus tip: reduce phone usage apps
Another bonus tip: I know there are quite a few apps that help you reduce your phone usage. Here are a few apps that I know of:
- Forest is a handy app that allows you to grow a plant by not looking at your phone for a certain period of time.
- With the Pomodoro app, you work productively for 25 minutes and then have a 5-minute break. A good stick behind the door to always do nothing with your smartphone during Pomodoro time.
- Many phones also have a screen time app where you can set all kinds of sticks behind the door for yourself. For example, that you only have access to certain apps at certain times or that you have a maximum Instagram time per day.
I don’t have those apps yet, although a screen time app seems pretty handy. Maybe I should install it!
And, of course, an unnecessary comment: but then losing yourself for an hour every day in screen time-saving apps because they are so fascinating is of course not the intention 😉
