Methods to break your Cell Phone addiction

 

7 Established Ways to Break Your Cell Phone Addiction

1. Set aside one day / week.

This is, by far, the most common way I see among people who have taken deliberate steps to curb their cell phone habit these days. But I commend Tammy Strobel for being the first person I ever heard of — about ten years ago. Choose one day each week (usually Saturday and Sunday) and set your phone aside. That's it, make it a habit.

2. Use the 30-Day Trial to reset your usage.

Personally, this has been a very useful way to break my cell phone habit. My use of a cell phone, if unintentionally, often takes up a lot of my free time. It happened randomly and peacefully — I don't even see it happening.

Seven years ago, I gave up my Lent smartphone and used it for calling and texting only (no other apps allowed — not even maps and photos). It was a 40-day reset time that helped me balance my use with the most important activities in life. Since that initial test, I have used the 30-day reset two more times — each with great success.

3. Use apps to strengthen self-control.

There are applications for almost every problem in life. In fact, there are other great apps built to help us limit our time on our devices. Here are some of my favorites:

Space. Set goals and follow your daily routine to control your habits.

The forest. ($ 1.99) Stay focused, be present. Forest is a well-designed app that brings gamification to production and results in real trees being planted based on your personal phone usage habits.

Moment. With short, daily exercises, Moment helps you to use your phone in a healthy way.

Answer. Lock disruptive applications to focus completely.

Screen time. Set limits for everyday use on your phone or for specific applications.

4. Do not charge your phone near your bed.

Want to know the best way to keep your kids from using too many phones? Do not allow them to charge their phones in their room.

Want to know the best way to keep yourself off your phone? Do not charge it in your room.

Many of the negative effects of overuse (sleep deprivation, communication and intimacy) can be eliminated by keeping your cell phone out of your room. Like many things on this list, this is a principle I have found to be very helpful.

5. Put your phone away when you walk in the door.

Christopher Mims writes a weekly technical column for the Wall Street Journal — a work that truly requires the constant use of technology. Her simple and proven way to save life is in good health with her cell phone to put in the kitchen cupboard at the end of the work day. In his words, "The more you physically remove the phone, the more you can develop the habit of ignoring it when it's in your person."

When you finish your work day, put your phone in a cupboard or cupboard. This practice is good for everyone, but I think it is very important if you have children or a spouse at home who need our full attention.

6. Change your phone settings.

Among the most commonly suggested ideas for reducing mobile usage, you get tips and tricks for changing the settings on your phone.

The most common ideas suggested:

Turn off notifications

Set the screen to black and white

Remove disturbing apps from your Home screen

Set a long passcode

Use airplane mode

Open not to interrupt

In my opinion, turning off notifications is something everyone should do no matter how common their cell phone is. Just because someone in the world wants to send you a text, email, or tag you in a Facebook post does not mean that they deserve your attention. My cell phone screen is not yet set to grayscale, but I have found that setting is helpful in the past.

7. Wear a strap on the hair around your phone.

In one of the most thought-provoking personal stories I've ever read on how to overcome a cell phone addiction, Brad Soroka recommends putting a hair band on your cell phone. When placed in the middle of the phone, the hair band allows users to answer calls easily, but makes some phone usage even more difficult (including texting).

In his words, “Every time you want to use your phone, this brings a sense of accomplishment and makes you ask‘ what is my purpose? ’If you really want to use the phone, set your purpose for why, and then remove the hair. group. ”

The hairband trick is not to disable your phone. The practice is about bringing a lot of thought into each of its uses… instead of turning on your phone unreasonably every 3 minutes.

Used as a set of tools to improve my work, health, parenting, and health, cell phones are beautiful and bring countless benefits. But when they are used improperly and unintentionally, they become a distraction from the more important things in life — more than the negative consequences listed above.

Learning to use our cell phones effectively can be one of the most important life skills any of us can learn.