30 Ways to Stop Checking Your Phone
Most of us check our smartphone at least several times an hour, purely out of habit. For some, this translates into checking the tablet, re-opening your email, or turning the TV on without knowing why.These are pointless habits that derail productivity and meaningful interactions with others. But, they’re tough habits to break! Changing a habit takes time, so the main trick is to just to keep trying. Find the tips and tricks that best fit your habits, schedule and lifestyle:
1. Put it in the back seat when you’re driving.
2. Leave it in the car when you get home from work.
3. Only charge it every other day so you have to be careful about battery life.
4. Or, anchor it to its charger so you’re not carrying it around.
5. Lock it in a box.
6. Airplane mode!
7. Wear gloves so you can’t absentmindedly click and scroll.
8. Give it to a family member or roommate to hide.
9. Put it on silent.
10. Designate a space for phone use, like the back patio or the laundry room – this is the ONLY place you can browse your phone in your home.
11. Wrap the top ¾ of your phone in saran wrap – this allows you to answer a call if you really need to, but deters you from aimless texting and browsing.
12. Make a phone jar. It’s like a swear jar, but every time you needlessly get on your phone, you put a quarter in the jar. (When the jar fills up, donate the money to a worthy cause.)
13. Replace habits: every time you feel compelled to check your phone, do a push-up, say a prayer, think a positive thought.
14. Use a stepladder or tall friend to put it out of your reach.
15. Store it with activity items, like in your gym bag, with your art supplies, under the jump ropes – force yourself to be reminded of all the things you’d rather be doing.
16. Make a bet with your significant other or roommate: every time they catch you compulsively checking your phone, you owe them $1.
17. Set a timer and refuse to touch your phone ‘til it goes off.
18. Pick a reasonable number of times to check your phone per day – for some people, it’s two, for others it’s 12. But be realistic, and stick to your number.
19. Delete all the fun but useless stuff from your phone: save your photos elsewhere, and ditch the meme libraries, games and apps you barely use.
20. Get an alarm clock so your phone isn’t the first and last thing in your hand every day.
21. Get a compact digital camera so the camera function isn’t your excuse for carrying your phone.
22. Get used to writing your friends and family nice little notes – it’s a lot nicer than text messages.
23. Worried about emergencies? Trade phones with a friend or family member so you can make calls if needed, but otherwise have little reason to check notifications.
24. Put your dominant hand in a mitten.
25. Show your loved ones more respect and never, ever get on your phone during a conversation.
26. Buy a watch so you don't need your phone to know the time.
27. For short trips and errands, leave it at home.
28. Cut your data plan: Unlimited data probably doesn’t add value to your life – why not get rid of it?
29. Change the language on your phone so it’s more difficult to navigate.
30. Change your display settings to grayscale. Studies show that our brains are less attracted to our devices when the color goes away! (More on this at https://www....n-grayscale/)
There’s a great big world out there. Go out there and enjoy it!