How Smart Are You With Your Phone?
Suffering from phone distraction
I have a question which I’ve been asking myself a lot lately: Are you in control of your phone or is your phone in control of you? Because often for me, it seems like it’s the latter …
Too often I find myself picking up a what’s app message and then get sucked into another unrelated Facebook article or discussion thread, or sales ad for something else. And then suddenly, ten or fifteen minutes have passed and I have been completely side-tracked from what I was doing.
I have lost my focus and veered off course.
When did we get so addicted?
When did this type of ‘phone distraction’ even start to become such a big ‘thing’?
Because there was a time in my earlier adulthood, not so long ago, when I wasn’t constantly connected to overwhelming amounts of content all vying for my attention.
It was 1999 when I bought my first ever mobile phone, funded by some of my student loan money during my second year of University. It was a Nokia pay-as-you-talk flip phone, and the most interesting ‘distraction’ if offered was a glitchy, black and white ‘game’ called ‘snake’… anyone else this old?
I can’t quite put my finger in when exactly it all changed, but it certainly wasn’t always the first thing I reached for when I woke up, and the last thing I looked at before I went to sleep…
I know that iPhones first launched in 2007, but were we all so addicted right away? I don’t remember it being that way. Instead, I think it’s been more like the frog in water analogy; the marketing heat has slowly and gradually been turning up on us for such a long time that it’s been hard to even see what’s happening.
But incredibly, the latest stats suggest that the average adult now checks their phone around 80 times a day, and spend about 3 hours on it in total – and if that sounds like a lot, it’s because it is!
Perhaps we just don’t always notice how much time we are losing when we are glued to our phones, because it’s broken up into lots of small, repeated actions. But 3 hours a day adds up to 21 hours a week (more than a full waking day!), which amounts to roughly 45 full days of a year!
#justsaying!
Understanding the impact
Although some of the long-term effects of our mobile phone addiction as a society will only become clearer with more time, we already know that our generation is more distracted and stressed out than any other before us.
We suffer with difficulties focusing and weaker memory span, we’re more connected yet also more lonely, and we suffer from poorer mental health too.
But before we all judge ourselves too harshly, let’s remember that mobile phone and app companies are actually designing software to be addictive and to prolong our ‘dwelling’ time by constantly hooking us back in with notifications and alerts; because the more we scroll, the more advertising space they can sell, and the more products we are likely to buy.
How much is too much?
So how much time on your phone or on social media is too much? Having grown up in a christian family, there’s this biblical saying that often comes back to mind, and it says this:
“Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial.”
(1 Corinthians 10:23)
And honestly, I just think this is a great rule of thumb to live by on so many different things; life’s not always about what’s permissible or what you can get away with, but rather what’s helpful and beneficial and offers you peace in your soul.
So why not start by asking yourself, ‘How much of my phone use and social media consumption is beneficial to me?’
Is it making me better connected to others, or more isolated and antisocial?
Is it making me better informed, or just more prone to wasting time? Is it making me more loving or more judgemental?
Because if like me, you often find yourself complaining that there are not enough hours in your day, then maybe there is a good case for start to consider making some changes…
Focus is critical for success
It’s a pretty well-tested truth that if you want to excel in any area of life – be it work, relationships, sports or learning – the ability to focus on a goal and to eliminate distraction is a huge factor for success.
And I know that not every single online distraction is inherently bad; in fact you can be interrupted by lots of perfectly good and noble causes. But a consistent lack of focus is still problematic over time, as it will hold you back from getting to where you want to be.
So how exactly do we regain some balance, so that we’re using technology on our own terms rather than just letting the technology use us?
I’m certainly not someone who already has this all sorted and sussed out. I use my mobile phone as much as the next person does… and perhaps as a blogger and marketer, my usage is actually above the cultural average!
But I do want to share some of the useful tips and ideas that I’ve come up with and started to implement within my own life to help me ensure better boundaries with technology below:
10 ideas for regaining some phone/life balance
Get informed
Do you actually know how much time your phone is sucking away from you each day, or where most of your ‘empty’ dwelling time is spent? One of the coolest features on many smart phones now, is that it can actually track some of this for you - so look at this data! Knowledge is power. So what is this data telling you? Where are you losing too much time? You might be surprised when you analyse it properly!
2. Set clear boundaries
How much time is reasonable for you to spend on your phone each day? That specific threshold might vary for each of us, but one thing most of us have in common is wanting more time in our day. So why not set yourself an upper limit, or even agree a regular time each night when you will disconnect from all devices? If you also use your phone for work, arguably that’s even more reason to switch off at night…
3. Unsubscribe from sales spam!
In the same way you might declutter a physical work space from time to time, having a regular ‘content cull’ can be a really useful way of ensuring that you’re not continually receiving content into your email box that doesn’t enrich your life. How many mailing lists are you on that just spam you with endless marketing? How many junk messages do you have to filter through every day? Do your self a favour and unsubscribe!
4. Delete some apps
If you think that you’re spending too much time on certain social media platforms, games, or social media sites, why not consider deleting them off your phone altogether? You don’t need to close your accounts entirely. You could still have them on a work laptop but perhaps not your mobile phone, but just by making them a bit less convenient to log into and access might help you to break the habit…
5. Switch off notifications & alerts
One of my favourite tricks so far has been removing all phone notifications, designed to keep you picking your phone back up and hooking you back in. So now I don’t feel constantly harassed and distracted by all of those annoying alerts popping up every few minutes to tell me that I have new texts, emails or messages to look at on What’s App, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and more. It’s so freeing to only see messages when I choose to look at them, at a time of the day that suits me!
6. Streamline your social feeds
You can significantly reduce your sense of information overload just by reducing the number of accounts that you actually follow. Get a bit ruthless by asking yourself: is the information I receive through this feed interesting or important to me? Is following it enriching or improving my life? If not, go ahead and just delete it.
Don’t forget that you get to curate the kind of life you want to build online, so try to get very intentional with these decisions. For example, if you want to get better at reading your bible this year, why not download a daily bible reading app to encourage you?
7. Set some household rules
Research indicates that many phone users feel more tense and less able to relax simply because their phone is in the same room. So why not disrupt that sense of invasion with some physical space? You might want to consider agreeing some clear rules around your device usage together as a family too, such as no phones over the meal table. The important thing here is to work out a plan which makes sense for everyone, and then hold each other accountable for sticking to it.
8. Create a phone ‘docking station’
The latest stats also indicate that the average phone user touches their device over 2000 times per day. Just think about that for a moment! In what other area of life would be so comfortable with allowing temptation to always stay in our arms reach? So decide where your phone should live. This could be a recharge point in the hallway for example, or just a location where you all agree to set down your phones whenever you enter communal spaces as a family, rather than having them next to you constantly buzzing and distracting you.
9. Try to avoid phones right before you sleep
If bringing all that unnecessary distraction into the most personal part of your home isn’t reason enough, then also consider the fact that it’s just not good sleep hygiene to be looking at a phone right before you sleep. Do you ever struggle to unwind or switch off mentally at night? Chances are that you will fall asleep quicker, and also sleep more deeply, if you set a phone curfew around 9pm and also keep it put of your bedroom.
10. Reduce your connectivity
I don’t mean that you should go back to the dark ages and renounce all technology. But you could try some intentional internet blackouts from time to time. How about the odd evening just to start with? Or if you have older children/teens with devices in their rooms, why not consider turning the internet connection off in the house at a certain time every night? As well as reducing the temptation to be online all night, you might just find that this helps improve real human connection for everyone too!
Tell me what you think …
This is by no means an exhaustive list, and I am still very much a work in progress when it comes to this area!
So if you have any other suggestions that you’ve successfully tried, I’d love to hear them too… just drop me a line in the comments below!
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