Summary

To combat phone addiction, break six detrimental habits: stop using your smartphone as an alarm clock, remove social media apps, avoid carrying your phone constantly, switch to a physical to-do list, disable notifications, and refrain from using your phone for entertainment.

Abstract

The article outlines six habits that contribute to phone addiction and suggests alternatives to reduce screen time. The author emphasizes starting the day without digital distractions by using an alarm clock instead of a phone and charging the device outside the bedroom. The piece advises deleting social media apps to prevent constant checking and potential mental health issues associated with excessive use. It also suggests leaving the phone behind when possible and adopting a physical to-do list to minimize interaction with the device. Turning off notifications is recommended to regain control over one's time, and avoiding phone-based entertainment is encouraged to invest time in more meaningful activities. The author presents these changes as a pathway to a happier, healthier life and more intentional use of one's time.

Opinions

Using a phone as an alarm clock can lead to immediate exposure to distracting social media and news, starting the day on someone else's terms.
Social media apps are linked to negative mental health outcomes, and their presence on phones encourages habitual checking.
Carrying a phone at all times makes it challenging to resist the temptation to check it frequently, as notifications are designed to capture attention.
Digital to-do lists on phones can become a paradoxical source of distraction rather than productivity.
Phone notifications can dominate one's attention, making it difficult to focus on what's truly important.
Mobile entertainment apps consume valuable time that could be spent on more fulfilling activities, and their removal can lead to a more engaged life.

6 Negative Habits to Break to Help Stop Your Phone Addiction

If you want to reclaim your time, here’s what you need to do.

How often do you find yourself staring at your phone? If you’re like my former-self, your answer will go along the lines of “all the time.” No matter how hard you try to spend less time on your phone, your screen seems to glue your eyes to it. You can’t escape this magnetism. Phone addiction sucks.

End of 2017, Cal Newport inspired me to drastically reduce my screentime. Since then I’ve tested different approaches. I discovered the best way to stop phone addiction is by letting go of specific habits.

Here is a collection of behaviors you must break to minimize the time you spend on your phone. Every single principle helped me to reclaim my time. I hope it does the same for you.

Waking Up to Your Smartphone Alarm

When I woke up to my phone’s alarm, all social apps were only a fingertip away. Naturally, I let external information flow into my mind before I realized I did. I was among the 80% of smartphone users who check their phones within 15 minutes of waking up. I’d scroll through my Insta feed, read the news, or reply on Messenger before getting out of bed.

In 2018 I replaced my phone with an alarm clock. And this changed everything. Now, my phone charges outside of my bedroom. By using an alarm clock instead of your phone, you don’t need to exert your willpower muscle first thing in the morning. You’ll ease into your distraction-free morning. Or, as the humble genius Michael Thompson put it,

“Some mornings will be easy. The sun will shine, and you’ll feel good. Other days will be much darker. You can’t control everything that happens to you. You can, however, make some changes to wake up feeling a little bit brighter.”

Using Social Media Apps

I’m honest with you: I deleted all of my social media apps only to reinstall them a few weeks later. I needed to abandon them a second time until I finally stuck to it. Researchers continue to link social media usage to mental and physical illnesses like back pain, depression, anxiety, and even suicide-related thoughts.

If you’re trying to live a happier, healthier life, deleting your social media apps from your phone is the fastest track to get there. Removing social media from your phone will reduce the role these platforms play in your life. You can still access them through the desktop version. Yet you’ll soon realize you don’t need them as much as you thought. You won’t even miss them. In Cal Newport’s words:

“What we choose to focus on and what we choose to ignore, play in defining the quality of our life.”

Carrying Your Phone in Your Pocket

One of the critical habits I ignored for too long was carrying my phone with me all the time. When you’re phone is within a hands reach, you can’t withstand the temptation to check it. Smart engineers designed notifications to capture and hold your attention. When I quit taking my phone with me, the urge to check it stopped as well.

Leave your phone away from you whenever you can. Don’t take it with you when you meet friends, go to the gym, or go grocery shopping. When you’re at home, put your phone in silent mode on the window seat. In 2020, being unreachable is a luxurious treat. Take it whenever you can.

Relying On A Mobile To-Do List

A big mistake I made was using Wunderlist for my tasks. I sabotaged my plan for spending less time on my phone by needing the phone to be productive. End of 2017, I started to bullet journal. It was the first analog To-Do list I ever used. Now, I can never imagine to replace it with a digital equivalent. The system is simple, minimalistic, and distraction-free.

Any other offline To-Do list will likely do the same trick for you. By replacing your mobile tasks with a pen and paper, you’ll have one reason less to take your phones to your hands.

Turning On Notifications

In 2007 my heart jumped every time I saw an envelope on my Nokia 3410. It might have been my first boyfriend spending 0.19 cents to send me a 160-sign-short text. In 2020, a blank lock screen gives me chills. Not because nothing is happening in my life. It’s rather a feeling of freedom and the realization that I determine when and how I use my phone. Stephen Covey got it right when he said:

“Technology is a great servant, but a terrible master.”

Using Your Phone For Entertainment

Cellphone companies try to turn your phone into a television. They make deals with Netflix or offer data packages when you use certain streaming providers. While this is good for the companies profits, it’s you who pays the price. Time is the most valuable resource you have. Choose wisely how you spend it.

By deleting all entertainment apps, like games or streaming providers, you’ll be living your life, instead of staring at your screen. In the words of Ryan Holiday:

“Because it’s my life and it’s ticking away every second. I want to be there for it, not staring at a screen.”

The Bottom Line

You can end your phone addiction today. All it takes are a few decisions:

Get an alarm clock and charge your phone outside of your bedroom.
Delete all social media apps and only use a desktop version.
Keep your phone at home whenever you can.
Start an analog To-Do list.
Turn off all sounds and notifications.
Use other entertainment options than your phone.

Instead of feeling discouraged by all the ideas about what you should do to stop your phone addiction, enjoy experimenting at your own pace. Choose one or two new habits until you find a pattern that helps you to use your time in meaningful ways.

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