A Quick Guide to Breaking Up with Your Needy Smartphone

We live in a world where we have the power of information at the tip of our fingers. Smartphones - the most convenient way to access the information you desire. As great as this is it has caused a hardship on personal productivity in our daily lives. Having the capability to access what you want in an instant can drown you with distraction. Checking our phones has become so frequent it is hard to go a few minutes without looking down at the screen. This can put a damper on accomplishing all the goals you set out for the day.

Why hammer away at that daunting to-do list when you can escape into the vastness of the internet on your phone. It’s easy to blow away hours checking social media, news, watching videos, shopping on amazon, and playing addictive games. Below I have supplied a guide for ending the procrastination cycle and getting back to reality.

1: Delete Garbage Apps
Life is too short to waste on mindless games or other pointless apps, so just delete them. This will be difficult but you will feel cleansed after you have eliminated those time-wasters off your device. You are accomplishing absolutely nothing playing these pointless games, just killing valuable time. If you cannot bear life without having a game to play once and awhile, download a game that exercises your mind.

2: Rearrange the Apps Worth Keeping
To begin you must analyze what apps consume most of your time, and decide they are “business” or “pleasure”. Social media accounts are good for keeping in touch with friends, but you don’t need to check them religiously. It’s best to put the “business” apps on your home screen, and keep “pleasure” apps hidden elsewhere. For example, keep things like banking apps, email, GPS, and tools on the home screen, and keep “pleasure” apps on other screens. This will help stop certain apps from sucking you in because they will not be the first thing you see when you check your phone.

3: Keep your Phone Out of Sight
This may be difficult but I promise it’s one of the most effective ways of stopping the constant checking. If you are worried about missing an important call or text, turn the volume of the ringer up so you can hear it from another room or drawer. Not having the phone visible makes it easier to focus on the real world tasks you want to complete instead of having a constant visual reminder that you can escape into internet-land.

4: Set Scheduled Times to Check Your Phone
Setting a schedule with time limits for checking your device will limit your access while giving you back control of your day. I recommend checking your device no more than 3 times a day, and keep it to 5-10 minutes each. This way you can stay up-to-date on any important calls or messages without binging on your phone for hours at a time.

5: Reward Yourself for Being Productive
Make a list (on REAL paper) of everything you want to accomplish for the day to help keep you motivated and focused. Depending on how many goals you complete in the day you should reward yourself with 30-60 minutes of phone time at the end of the day. This will start making your brain learn that doing work gets rewarded with play, instead of constant play with scattered work.

6: Tell Others of this Change
Letting your friends and family know about this change you are making will not only hold you more accountable but may also get them to join in. Admit to your inner circle that your phone was a huge distraction and you needed to be more present in the moment instead of looking down at a screen. You can even get them to take on the challenge themselves, which will only make it easier on you to stay strong. When spending time with family or friends make a rule where everyone puts their phones away and really engages with each other.

I hope this guide is helpful on keeping you focused and motivated on what truly matters in your life. Please don’t become a smartphone zombie and wake up to real life!

Let me know if this guide worked for you in the comments below.

Kaitlin Harrington