How I Manage My Phone Time (And You Can Too)!
Are you ready? We’re ripping off that bandaid. Let’s go!
Step 1. Turn off pretty much all audible notifications.
Your phone is not the boss of you.
Notifications cause so much interrupt-driven phone time. So turn off email, text, PM, DM--all of it. And any apps with notifications. If you need those things for some reason during a certain part of the day, then sure. Turn them on then. Or--even better--choose certain times of day you will check them. That's what I do.
Step 2. Turn off ALL audible social media notifications, and unfollow nearly everyone on Facebook.
What??
Yes, unfollow nearly everyone.
I didn't say unfriend them. I said don't follow them. Those people whose feed is nothing but sharing other people's posts? Unfollow. Constantly sharing tips you don't care about? Gone. Someone you barely know who posts their kids or cats or dogs all day long? Bye.
Let's face it--Facebook is making it harder and harder for you to see the things you actually WANT to see, so why allow it to clutter things up even more with things you DON'T want to see?
No, it's not rude. You didn't unfriend them, you're just choosing not to see their feed.
You can click on their name and see their feed any time you want. Unfollow just means Facebook won't show you their posts in your random feed.
Yes, I do this. Yes, people know I do it.
No, I haven't missed out on any emergencies.
In real emergencies, people call and text.
If they only posted about it, you're not obligated to respond.
Because even if you were following them, who knows if Facebook would've bothered to put it in your feed anyway?
It's a crappy way to stay in touch.
There. I said it.
So keep the feeds that are meaningful to you, and unfollow the rest.
It's okay. You're an adult. You can decide to do that.
Step 3. Take advantage of features on your phone like bedtime mode.
My phone goes to black & white from 11-8 every night. It makes it less interesting to look at, and reminds me that I shouldn't be on it. It also mutes the (few) notifications I normally allow. So that spam call or text that comes through at 3 am? Yeah, I don't even know about those until the next morning. No sleep lost. No aggravation.
All these things will unclutter your life in ways you never knew you needed but totally did. And will enhance your ability to focus and get things done because you're not constantly doing the bidding of noises coming from your phone.
You are in charge, not that stupid device.
So be in charge.
Tell it to shut up and you'll get to it when you're good and ready.
Tell it what you want and don't want and when.
And bask in the glory of being in charge again.
