So, you want to reclaim your time and attention by spending less time on your phone. How do you do that when your phone is designed to addict you and keep you scrolling?
Life Kit spoke with experts in behavioral science, psychology, and technology for practical advice. The key, according to them, is to find effective ways to resist that constant urge to pick up the phone.
For some people, the solution can be as simple as practicing self-awareness: do you really need to check your phone right now, or do you need something else? Others may need a little more help, like blockers that limit access to apps and sites.
1. Ask yourself why you’re picking up the phone in the first place
When you feel the urge to grab your phone or check Instagram for the hundredth time today, notice how you feel in that moment, says Sammy Nickalls, author of Log Off: Self-Help for the Extremely Online.
“For example, I realized that whenever I felt bad about myself in some way, I would jump on Twitter,” she says.
So, ask yourself: What can I do to deal with what’s really going on? “Most of the time, it’s not scrolling. It’s taking a nap, talking to a friend, or doing something that makes you happy,” she says.
2. Practice “surfing the urge”
Just because you feel the urge to grab your phone doesn’t mean you have to give in to it.
“Urges are like waves. They arise, get bigger and bigger, and then subside,” says clinical psychologist Diana Hill, coauthor of I Know I Should Exercise, But… 44 Reasons Why We Don’t Move and How to Overcome Them.
In addiction research, the practice of letting the urge pass without acting on it is called “surfing the urge,” she says. “The more you practice, the better you get at surfing the urge and the less need you feel to give in to it.”
3. Uncover the root of the problem
If you want to break the habit of picking up your phone every few minutes, learn what’s necessary to form a habit.
“A behavior happens when three things come together at the same instant: motivation to perform the behavior, ability to do it, and a trigger or cue to do it,” says BJ Fogg, behavioral scientist at Stanford University who studies habit formation.
“If you eliminate any one of these three elements, the behavior stops,” he says.
There are many ways to do this with your phone. “I turn off a bunch of notifications,” says Fogg. That eliminates the reminders that encourage you to keep checking your phone.
You can also reduce the motivation to use the phone by making it less visually appealing. Put your phone screen in black and white or set up a simple home screen with just a list of apps and no images.
4. Keep the phone out of the bedroom
This can reduce phone time by eliminating the temptation to scroll before bed, in the middle of the night, and first thing in the morning.
Plus, this change can help you sleep better, says Jean Twenge, psychologist and author of 10 Rules for Raising Kids in a High-Tech World.
Research shows that having your phone or computer near the bed — even on airplane mode — can lead to worse sleep quality, says Twenge. When the device is nearby, it’s easier to pick it up. The content can keep you alert and scrolling. And the screen light can disrupt your circadian rhythm, interrupting your sleep.
5. Make phone use more difficult
Need an extra barrier between you and your device? Don’t hesitate to seek external help. There are many apps that introduce delays and reminders not to use the phone. And there are programs that let you temporarily block access to the apps you choose.
“The more friction you introduce into your life, the harder it becomes to use all those services and devices,” says José Briones, author of Low Tech Life: A Guide to Mindful Digital Minimalism. “Your brain will say it’s not worth it.”
Source: npr.org