With almost the entire world just a few taps away, it’s only normal for us to be glued to our devices. It’s great how much convenience these digital devices have brought us but it’s also important that we can focus on real-life interactions without being distracted by our devices. Without a balanced lifestyle, we’ll easily fall prey to smartphone addiction. That’s why we should practice digital detox wisely.
When the phone was tied with a wire, humans were free.
Here are 4 ways to practice digital detox:
1. Track your usage
Before we tackle the problem and look for solutions, we must first understand what exactly is the problem. The clearer you understand the problem, the easier it is to find an efficient and effective method to solve it.
Most smartphones come with an app to track your daily screen usage. From the number of times you’ve unlocked your phone to which apps you use the most and for how long each day, you can find lots of data that will come in handy.
With the data your phone has tracked, you can start by tackling the apps that you spend the most time on. Ask yourself why these apps are taking up so much of your time and whether they are necessary.
Once you’ve come to realize that so much of the time we spend on social media don’t actually add value to us but instead, prevents us from working towards our goals, it becomes clear that you must minimize the usage of such apps.
2. Turn off notifications
I used to have this bad habit of checking my phone every time it lights up with notifications. It got to the point where I started having hallucinations that my back pocket was vibrating from the messages I receive. That’s when I realized, something had to be done. I took a huge step and turned off all notifications from the apps I have installed, including Whatsapp. I figured that if anyone had to find me urgently, they would probably give me a call.
Now that the notifications are all turned off, I’ve found it much easier to concentrate on my work. Unless there’s a good reason for me to check my phone, I usually avoid doing so until I’m done with work or during breaks. This has helped boost my productivity levels because I actually get things done without distractions.
3. Hide your apps
When everything is so convenient, it’s hard not to be lazy. That’s probably why hiding my most-used apps was such an effective solution for me. Like most people, I would keep the apps I use most often on the home screen. Takes no more than a tap on the icon to get into the app. Then for the coming hour or two, I’d be scrolling on social media and wasting time.
Try hiding away your apps from your home screen to a folder or even completely hidden from your phone (most phones provide this function now). By hiding your apps, it becomes much more of a hassle for you to find and use them. Usually, when I can’t find the app, I just leave it because I can’t be bothered to keep searching. That always saves me from scrolling through social media for the next few hours.
4. Install a detox app
Another effective practice is to download a detox app. When hiding your apps isn’t enough to stop you from checking your phone, a detox app might help. Different digital detox apps have different methods for you to detox. Most of them allow you to lock specific apps for a certain period. To make it more enjoyable and motivating, some detox apps let you plant virtual trees based on the amount of time you disconnect for. Some even take it to a next level by planting real trees for the number of coins you earn from disconnecting.
Here are some digital detox apps (for both Android and iOS):
In Summary
By practicing these 4 digital detox methods, you can strive for a better and more balanced lifestyle. Besides taking advantage of all the information on the internet, you can also improve your real-life social interactions and get work done without distractions. Don’t forget to share these practices with your loved ones if it helped you!
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