I had to turn off my PC, leave my phone downstairs and use my work laptop upstairs to write this article. I’m easily distracted by technology and so there are times where I have to isolate myself from it in order to be productive. I’ve been daydreaming about distractions for a while now, and it’s something I find interesting and I have had many conversations with clients who find themselves mindlessly scrolling social media. Look, if you truly enjoy it, that’s cool with me, but the conversations have mostly been “I’ve been scrolling and I can’t stop and I want to stop because I know I could spend my time better”. Indeed, your time, and you get to choose how you spend it.
So, what’s the problem with scrolling social media apps? It’s fun! They make people laugh, cry, angry and all sorts of other emotions. It doesn’t sound too bad, right? Well, the question I ask is: Who is in control? You? Or the app? Some people are able to have a healthy relationship with technology, but for most of us, the doors of the casino have been opened up and we’re all inside, oblivious to the tricks being performed on us. Even the people who made these products are warning us against them.
I don’t want to come across as someone who envies the Amish and wants to walk to a payphone to tell my friend “OK mate, I’ll be there at 6:00”. I just want the technology to enhance my life, rather than to diminish it. We can strike a balance but it takes some effort.
Where’s the payphone? Oh, well at least I’ll get my steps in.
Try to notice your ticks. You probably won’t be aware of them at first, but once you start to make your phone less appealing they may be visible to you. For example, I removed the “swipe right” Google News feed on my phone and noticed I was still swiping right habitually for an app that doesn’t exist anymore.
How to Make Your Phone as Boring as Possible:
- Uninstall your most commonly used apps that don’t add value
- Use greyscale/monochrome
- Turn off “frequently used” shortcuts
- Turn off the OLED screen
- Manage your notifications to only show you what you really care about
- For the apps that you can make a good case for keeping, use timers to set yourself a limit
- Changing your wallpaper to a solid unappealing colour like Military Grey.
The list above are “hacks” (a popular term for a shortcut) which are helpful, but they don’t really address the underlying reasons as to why we are bound to our devices, so the unhealthy habits will inevitably sneak back in. You’ve got to be more intentional with how you use your device e.g. if I go to use my phone, my intention is to do something which I consider to be a good use of my time.
He left his phone at home
So, now you have more time, what do you do? Well, do your best to not get bored because you’ll find yourself reinstalling those apps. What do you feel you are missing out on that could add a better sense of achievement in your life?
- Reading a book
- Exercising
- Cooking a meal
- Painting/drawing
- Meditating
- Playing the guitar badly
It’s definitely a tough challenge, but it’s one I want to win and hopefully this article will help you to get there too. If you need any help, please get in touch (via a message in a bottle).