According to some addiction statistics, the typical cell phone user touches his/her phone 2,617 times a day. Seriously, 2617 times! That’s literally like a cell phone is using you instead of you using it. Smartphones do improve our lives. But it doesn’t mean your whole life depends on only a smartphone.
Smartphone addiction is not a new problem, rather it’s just another issue called using and abusing technology by humans themselves. Phones are good and helpful like right now you can read this article because of it. But along with the good use, there is always a negative presence that attracts us.
So, we need to keep the positive and negative presence balanced in our life and you might be wondering how do we keep phone usage in proper alignment with our lives?
Here are 7 Effective Ways To Reduce Smartphone Addiction and identify what you want your relationship with your phone to look like:
1. Acknowledge Your Relationship With Your Phone
The very first step you should be following if you want to reduce smartphone addiction. Just ask yourself, who’s in charge-you of your phone? It’s that simple. Remember to maintain absolute control over your phone not your phone over you.
2. Use The Power Of Intention Before You Pick Up Your Phone
Before picking up your phone just to see what new notifications on social media are pulling your attention, question yourself, what’s your specific purpose for using the phone at the very moment, or are you just using it unconsciously without any specific reason?
3. Cull Your App List
Just be honest with yourself, do you use or need all those apps on your phone? Or are you just wasting your valuable time which doesn’t even add any value to your life? If you have any doubt like this, start deleting them and just use the ones you need.
4. Don’t Carry Your Phone Everywhere
Is it necessary to carry your phone everywhere you go? I don’t think so, it may be useful when you go out or at work but it is always an unwelcome guest at dinner. It is annoying and even disrespectful to the ones you are sitting with. Also, don’t take it to bed. If you ever wonder that phone on your bed means you are letting your phone disturb those precious, quiet life moments right before your bed or after you wake.
5. Curb Your Fear Of Missing Out
It’s just a human character of comparing yourself to others and it leads to either inadequacy or superiority both at last lead to anxiety. So just practice feeling gratitude for what you have and you will never feel like you’re missing out.
6. Prepare A List Of Non-Phone Things You Want/Love To Do
A smartphone is just a lame source of entertainment that drags you away from real people and activities around you. Rather than wasting time on just a 5-inch screen, prepare a list of non-phone things you love. Maybe, playing guitar? Writing? Spend some time in the garden? Visit your grandparents? These are some which I do.
7. Take A Mini Phone Vacation
Yeah! It sounds lame but trusts me, this is one of a great way to notice a return to the natural real human state of contentment. Simply, just turn off your phone and put it somewhere you rarely check for a day and enjoy real moments of life.
Also Read: 4 Best Ways To Maintain Good Mental Health
