10 Tips To Help You Beat Smartphone Addiction

BY GreenBot Staff

Published 15 Jul 2016

Smartphones are pretty amazing. But when your grandmother tells you to put your phone away at the dinner table. You should listen to her. Smartphone addiction is a real thing! Even though we know we shouldn’t, you obsessively check your smartphones when talking, working, walking, and driving. You just can’t help it! But you know what they say! Recognizing you have a problem is the first step to fixing it, so congrats on reading this so far. Here are 10 tips you can use to help you kick your smartphone addiction! Reclaim your place in the real world, and possibly even venture outside without a phone glued to your hands. Thanks a lot, Pokemon Go.

Don’t Use Your Phone In Bed

Studies show that using your smartphone in bed is not a great idea, to begin with because the blue light messes with your sleep hormones. So the first step to kicking your smartphone addiction is to make your bed a phone-free zone. Seriously, for your health. The first few nights will be challenging, but eventually, you will go from the above picture to this:

Get A Real Alarm Clock

It’s tempting to reach for your phone first thing in the morning. Especially if your phone is the thing that wakes you up. Banish the temptation, and decrease the risk of an expensive smartphone accident by spending $10 on an actual alarm clock.

Make Meals A Phone-Free Zone

Challenge yourself to have a non-smartphone-enhanced conversation with friends and family for an hour or more. No cheating! If someone mentions a funny image they saw on Reddit. Make them describe it using words only or pen and paper.

It’s a bonding exercise with real people!

Turn Off Notifications

No notifications are a reason not to check your phone. In theory, anyway.

Delete Unnecessary Apps

Most of the apps on your phone are probably just clutter, anyway. Just imagine how productive you’d be. If you weren’t checking Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, six email accounts, and Reddit all the time.

Complicate Your Lock Code

You can’t check your phone if you can’t get into your phone! Set up your phone to lock immediately, and make your lock code a password, not an N pattern. Include both uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. Make it 18 characters long.

Focus On The Person You’re Talking To

In a real-life conversation, make a conscious effort to keep your hands off your phone. Focus on the person you’re with. Really focus on them and what they are saying to you. You may even make them uncomfortable enough that they’ll leave and then check your phone.

Put Your Phone On Airplane Mode

If turning off your notifications doesn’t work, you may get phantom phone vibrations. Try turning off your connection to the internet. All of the internet! No services, meaning no need to check your phone.

Have A Phone-Free Day Once A Week

One day a week, leave your phone at home. For an entire day, maybe half a day if you’re just starting. Go outside and read maps and go for a drive without Google! Go wild! Come back and catch up on your missed emails and texts.

Take It Slow

Remember. The goal is to curb your smartphone addiction, not to go completely Stone Age. Quitting your smartphone. Getting internet cold turkey will likely get you lost or fired and lead to a quick relapse. This may surprise you. There is a middle ground between checking your phone 3,165 times a day or not owning a smartphone.