Are you glued to your phone?
Why setting app timers is a good idea.
The other day I realised that I was spending hours each day looking at my mobile phone, or 'smart' phone as some call it. I decided to have a whole day off. It wasn't easy. I switched the phone off on the Saturday night and left it off until Monday morning. The first few hours felt very cold turkeyish. Every few moments I would get the impulse to grab for the phone... whether it was to send a WhatsApp to a friend or check on the weather predictions. I made myself write down anything that I thought I needed the phone for - a list of notes for Monday - so that I could attend to it all then. I did cheat a bit because I have a Nokia 105, nicknamed The Burner, just for essential calls or text messages. But that has no apps so it is a completely different kettle of fish to a 'smart' phone. We don't have a landline plugged in at home. My phone detox was specifically aimed at the apps rather than basic calls.
Which apps were the worst offenders?
My most frequently visited apps were Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Messenger and WhatsApp, closely followed by Audible. After the full day (and 2 nights) of smartphone detox I decided (on the advice of a Twitter friend, ironically!) to set limits using timers in the 'Digital Wellbeing' section in my phone's Settings area. I can now only spend 1 hour a day on Insta, FB, YouTube and Twitter and I can spend up to 2 hours on WhatsApp and Messenger. I can spend a massive 5 hours on Audible (because I figure listening to books is only a good thing). It's surprising how quickly those timers kick in. I use FB, Twitter and Insta a lot for work as well as communicating with family and friends.
How quickly it adds up!
If you check up on Facebook, for example, for 5 minutes every hour in the daytime you will reach your limit in 12 hours. But if you are absorbed in it for half an hour at a time, once an hour, you will be done in 2 hours. The app then goes grey and kicks you out. Do you think you could rise to a similar challenge? What apps are cutting in to your life and stealing time from your family, friends or work? Will you commit to sorting it out? Your family, and your partner if you have one, will appreciate your effort.
Am I sticking to it?
Yes. I am sticking to it and I feel it's helped me to get on with other things in the real world. I have to admit that I extended my FB and Twitter timers from half an hour to an hour, but I totally stick to that now. The internet is addictive and it's so accessible on a cellphone that it can penetrate every area of your life. It is bad etiquette, too, to look at it when you are spending time with others. If I need to use my phone in company I will do a quick disclaimer explanation first, such as "I just need to see if my son is home" or "Here's a picture of our dog" or "I think it's about 20 minutes away - let me just check!". I don't have any games on my phone any more - Clash of Clans was way too addictive and I have no idea how many hours I wasted on Candy Crush!
It's hard to let go but it's well worth it; I promise.
