Everybody is using smartphone these days. The question is how much are you using it. Do you occasionally check your Whatsapp messages or you are scrolling through endless Facebook feed or Videos or are you Addicted to the number of likes you are getting on social media. The answer is always the latter. Is the smartphone watching biting into your free time.
People are addicted by the apps that are made to make you Addicted and take up most time of your precious time in daily hours.
I hope that reading this you rethink every time you pick your phone on how to use your phone and reduce the use.
Here are ten things that you can do to detox from smartphone use :
1.Deactivate your Social networks
Most of the time we play around with our phones. Our top most consumption goes to social media sites. Because they are designed to be Addictive, providing us endless junk of news and info that we don’t need until your read it and now you are lost in an other world of internet dimension. But it can be a distraction only if you decide it to be. So deactivate or better yet delete your account if you want to. Most of the time the real friends are the one that you meet in person instead of social medias. Below are some links that can help you deactivate your account. 1. Facebook deactivate link : https://www.facebook.com/deactivate.php
2. Instagram deactivate help link : https://help.instagram.com/728869160569983
2. Read Something
Read a book, Newspapers or Article. Reading is something is much more rewarding to you as you exercise your brain while reading, as you put an effort to make things out when you read something. Instead of a Video or clip where you are passively consuming the stuff. Read something that you might have left to read some other time or later or a new book that you were wanting to read. Even reading newspaper in the native language is a very nice change of pace from the digital stuff. Reading something in real life pages is advisable but you can also read short blogs that catch your attention or interest as is this about digital well-being .
3. Go for a Walk
Going for a walk is somewhat like hitting the reset button on your Computer. Your mind is refreshed has is your body from the exercise you get. Its good to take a break from a hectic days work or When you are bored from doing nothing or when you are frustrated. Take a break and take a walk, your body will thank you for it.
4. Leave your phone at Home
You might have been accustomed to being asked that “Have you taken your phone ?” while leaving the house. Here i am suggesting that you do the opposite and leave your phone at home. You might think that you will lose many calls or text messages etc, Nobody will be able to contact you. But no worry you can get back to them when you get back to your home, the world will not flip around in one day that you don’t bring your smartphone. If you have an important call or a delivery that you are about to receive then bring a feature phone (old Nokia phone) .
5. Delete unnecessary apps from your phone
Manage your apps in your phone and keep them to a minimal. Keep only important apps and and delete the apps that you feel like your rarely use.Stick to using only 10 apps in your phone get rid of other app for some time until you feel like you need some of those apps for some task. You can use Fdroid as alternate appstore to install your apps. The apps in Fdroid are Free of ads and Bloat ware and are FOSS(Free and Open source). Fdroid app store : https://f-droid.org/en/
6. Talk to people
Look around you, look at people and talk to them. Talk to your friends and family and people around. Go out and meet a friend in person. Talking in person is a rare occasion these days. Surprise your friend or close person in your family. Go knock on somebody’s door and talk to them and have a chat.
7. Turn your phone into Monochrome theme
If you are using an Android phone in most of the phone there is an option to turn your phones color monochrome. So it will not display any color and will be black and white. To do this developer options should be enabled in your phone : Tap on “Build number” in Settings>About phone many times until receive a message saying you are a developer now.
Then go Developer Settings (now visible after tapping)>Simulate color space>Monochromacy. Now your phone will be all black and white with no color like the old times and you will minimize the use, save battery in your phone, and is also good for your eyes.
8. Create Something
Creating something has more value then just consuming stuff. You can write about something. Write about how you feel about yourself. Create a project or hobby that you left long ago. Create Photoshop images, Draw Something if you are into Sketching. Take up photography if you interested or take photos if you are photographer. Take up coding and code stuff. Creating something starts in motion the creativity within oneself and is an accomplishment for your brain. Create something today instead of consuming.
9. Exercise
This is a simple one. Exercise. If you don’t have time to exercise in your day then save up some time by not looking at your phone. Exercise is one of the mood enhancers and it improves your physiology. A fitter and healthier person is a better person. Refresh your mind and Exercise your body to be a healthier person today.
10. Take a Ride/Trip
Take a ride outside your house. Plan a trip or visit your friend or family today.Who knows when you might plan a trip, you might be a talk away from your next trip. Travelling makes a person more experienced and changes a person and It influences a person to be happier and is Stress buster. Make your travel outside your home today
Bonus
Use your computer to browse through the web as much as possible but Also see to it that you stay offline as much as possible, download most of your stuff and watch offline whenever possible.