If You Can’t Put Your Phone Down, Try These Tips

Where would we be without our beloved smart phones? It’s not only our communication device, it’s our GPS, our alarm, our news source, our note taker, grocery list maker, and anything else we need it to be. There’s really nothing our smart phones can’t do!

Everywhere you turn you will find someone with a cell phone glued to their hands. Heck, even toddlers these days know how to work a phone without any help from their parents. I know mine does! When it comes to cell phones, there is a thin line between convenience and distraction/dependency and It’s important to be able to make that distinction.

Did you know that there is actually a term that describes a cell phone addiction?

Well there is! It’s called Nomophobia (No-Mobile-Phone Phobia)- which is the fear of being without a mobile device, or beyond mobile contact, according to physchologytoday.com.

I’m writing this post because at one point I found myself using my cell phone for pretty much everything and while it was definitely convenient, it was causing me lose focus on the most important parts of my life.

I found myself picking up my phone first thing in the morning, instead of acknowledging the God who wakes me up every morning and that bothered me.

I decided that I would make a list of the things I could do in order to make my phone less of a distraction and today I am going to share that list with you!

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Don’t pick up your phone without a purpose.

When we get bored the first thing we tend to do is to reach for our phones for entertainment. Before you know it, we’re on social media getting lost in the lives of others while wasting precious moments of our own that we can’t get back. Make sure that you’re using your phone for something meaningful. Are you looking for a recipe for dinner? Planning a party and need inspiration? Cool. Your phone is a good place to start. With the help of Pinterest and Google, you’re bound to find what you’re looking for. But once you find what you’re looking for, get off! The longer you’re on your phone, the wider the window for distraction.

List the things you can do as an alternative to using your phone and do them.

So, this is something that will definitely look to make a habit. There is always something that needs to be done and we, myself included, tend to think that we don’t have time to do those things. The reality is that we don’t make time to do those things. So that pile of clothes that’s been sitting unfolded for days🤦‍♀️ (I’m looking at one now, smh), or that closet that still needs to be cleaned out, or that room that needs organizing, yeah…make a list of those things. Whenever you’re tempted to reach for your phone out of boredom, reach for that to-do list instead and start seeing what you can get checked off.

Set a time limit for browsing social media.

If you just must catch up on your social media timeline, set a limit for it because we all know how easy it is to get lost in social media land checking out who your Facebook friend got engaged to or spending hours watching beauty tutorials on YouTube when you should be trying to figure out what’s for dinner! Long story short, keep casual browsing to a minimum and set a timer if you have to.

Take a break from social media.

When I find myself wasting time, it’s usually because I’m on social media. I’m either browsing my Facebook feed, looking at pictures and watching videos on Instagram or looking through hashtags on Twitter. Before you know it, the sun has gone down and I have accomplished nothing worthwhile. If this is you as well, it may be time for a social media sabbatical. I have a friend who does this at the beginning of every year when we participate in our 21-day churchwide fast. He not only fasts from certain foods, but he also incorporates social media as well. I can see how doing this would free up your time for more meaningful things in life. Try going a day or maybe even a week or longer without social media and I’m certain you will find more purposeful things to fill your day with.

Find an alternative way to wind down at night.

Reading a good book can be a nice way to wind down for the night. Instead of scrolling through social media on your phone, why not catch up on a good book? E-readers are perfect for reading in bed and can be a nice change of pace if you find yourself falling asleep with your phone attached to your hand. I received this E-reader from a friend a couple of birthdays ago, and plan on getting reacquainted with it since I find myself with more time to read.

Turn off notifications.

Turning off social media/ app notifications will prevent you from constantly picking up your phone every single time someone interacts with one of your posts or when an app updates. Its kind of hard to hear something on your phone and not be curious as to what it is. Most of the time it’s not even important, so I tend to silence the notifications on things that don’t need my immediate attention.  If you want to do the same, just go to the “settings” button on your phone and choose the “notifications” option and it should give you a list of all the apps on your phone. Choose the ones you would like to receive notifications on and leave the rest turned off. Another option your phone may have is the “Do Not Disturb” option which silences all calls, alerts, and media sounds, with an option for you to make exceptions so you won’t miss important calls. You can also choose a time frame for this option which is perfect for when you need to get stuff done without being distracted by your phone.

Use a traditional alarm clock.

Reaching for my phone first thing in the morning is something I try to avoid because as soon as I do, I see all the things I’ve “missed” while I was asleep. Its sooo easy to get distracted by checking emails, or social media! Before you know it what was supposed to be a simple response to an alarm has turned into “likes”, laughs, and retweets! And we all know, THAT doesn’t make for a productive day. So instead, get yourself a simple alarm clock and start checking things off your “to-do” list.

Plan activities to do without the use of your phone.

There’s a whole big world out there and you can see that when you put your phone down. There’s so much to do that doesn’t involve your phone. Go to the gym, hang out with friends, take your child to the mall or on a play date. Put your phone down and just enjoy living in the moment. No one needs to know your every move all the time. And trust me, we don’t need to see pictures of every meal you’ve ever eaten either 😒.  Stop “checking in” on Facebook and tune in to the reality around you!

So which tip can you see yourself using? Let me know in the comments below!