Did you ever say that you were going to check your social media for just 10 minutes, and then all of a sudden you realize that you’ve been scrolling for 2 hours straight?
Did it ever happen to you that you were meaning to check something important on your phone, but instead of doing that, you found yourself going over Instagram stories and reels?
Did you ever go to the bathroom for a quick visit, and then your break turned into a way-too-long sitting?
Or even worse, have you ever wasted your whole day when you were supposed to get a ton of things done, without even realizing where the time went?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, your phone addiction is probably to blame.
I’d say most of us have been there at one point or another in their life. In fact, studies show that over half the smartphone community does not switch off their phones, like, ever.
It’s a very alarming habit, if you ask me.
Don’t get me wrong, smartphones are one of the best, if not the best, invention of our century. They have made communication, access to information and entertainment easier than ever. However, if used for the wrong purposes, or if used excessively, they can be highly problematic.
And the sad reality is, most people are wasting their time on there, way more than they are benefiting from that little thingy that they hold in their hands for God knows how many hours each day.
So in case you are one of these people who are utterly obsessed with their phones, you might want to take a quick look at your daily life. Because unless you’re using it for work or for learning skills, you’re probably just wasting your time on there.
So how do you break out of that? I’ve come to you with 10 practical tips to help you stay away from that tiny beeping devil as much as possible.
1. Have a phone-free morning routine
If you start your morning scrolling on your phone, there’s a high chance you will keep using it for the majority of your day.
I know for one that if I grab my phone after waking up, my whole day’s wasted. I just can’t really focus on my to-do list after I’ve spent a whole hour scrolling through stories, posts and reels on three different apps. It completely throws my focus and energy levels off course, and I tend to fall into the pattern till the next day comes.
And if that’s not enough, I just feel so bad afterward for some reason.
I’m also pretty sure that I’m not the only one, and that you’ve most likely felt that way too. So even though there are always some steps you can take to turn a bad around, it’s ten times easier to have a good one by kick-starting it the right away, and that includes keeping your morning routine phone-free.
2. Set a time window for social media usage
I don’t know about you, but most of the time I spend on my phone is wasted on social media. I’m a huge fan of Instagram, and I often find myself opening it whenever I get the chance.
If you struggle with social media usage too, I recommend that you set a time window for it. Basically, you’ll only be allowed to use social media in between a set interval that works best with your routine.
What works for me is a 6pm-12am window, so I’m not even allowed to open the apps outside of these hours. Ever since I started applying this policy, I’ve seen a huge improvement in my productivity and mental well-being. It’s just exhausting to be constantly consuming news about people and about the world in general, but for some reason we always go back for more.
So set that time window, and challenge yourself to stick with it no matter what.
3. Stay logged out of all accounts
Take the previous tip one step further and log out of your social media accounts right after you’re done using them.
We’re so accustomed to using the apps that we click on them without even noticing, and then we’re bombarded with the dopamine hit that results from all the content that comes in sight. That alone makes it so hard for us to just leave, so we unconsciously continue scrolling.
To solve this, simply log out of your account, and stay logged out until you consciously want to use the apps or if you need to check something out. That way, when you mindlessly open the app, you’re right away asked to log in, which serves as a reminder for you that you probably should not be in there.
If you have your credentials saved which makes logging in easy, you can make it harder by unsaving them, so you’ll have to type them in every time. It will make it a hundred times easier for you to reduce your social media consumption, and thus, your phone usage.
4. Leave your phone in another room
If you find yourself grabbing your phone every five minutes while you’re working, you are indeed addicted.
So as much as it hurts your heart to not have your beloved phone next to you at all times, it’s probably for the best to leave it somewhere far. Preferably somewhere in another room, where you can’t see it.
Even if I’m not allowed to use social media, I find myself grabbing my phone for no reason. I even find myself scrolling through my pictures sometimes, lol. So from now on, if I have something important to focus on, I’m leaving my phone in another room, and I’ll only get it when I’m done with the task in hand.
5. Change up your homepage décor every once in a while
If you’re like me and you find yourself unintentionally clicking on your favorite apps all day, it might be time to give your homepage a little makeover.
Just changing around the places of these tiny addicting widgets will confuse the part of your brain that’s responsible for that wicked habit.
So when you’re about to open a certain app, you’ll find yourself in a different one, and that, just like being logged out of your account, will remind you to leave.
6. Use social media blockers
If you’ve done all of the above steps, and you still find yourself struggling with staying away from the platforms, you might highly benefit from using an application that blocks out the distracting apps.
There’s a daily time limit on probably all apps, but it doesn’t work for me personally. I just ignore the notification and I keep on scrolling.
So on busy days when I really need to leave my phone alone, I use a social media blocker to ensure that I’m unable to open any of the apps during my work.
7. Keep a book beside you to read
You probably reach for your phone to pass those brief moments between tasks or when you’re waiting for someone/something. To avoid that, keep a book with you at all times.
I’m a huge fan of reading; it’s probably my favorite pastime actually. And I can think of so many benefits that reading provides, as opposed to screen time, which let’s be honest, is mostly wasted on irrelevant and mindless browsing.
So when you have a couple minutes to spare, reach for a book instead of your phone. Even if it’s 5 minutes or less, reading one page of a book is way more beneficial than scrolling through TikTok.
So keep your current read within close reach when you’re working on something, and take it with you anywhere you go as well. However, if reading is not your thing, I have another tip for you:
8. Download useful applications
There’s a lot of amazing apps that you can use to learn languages, expand your knowledge and gain new skills. So do some research and download a few of those that will provide you with real benefits.
Not saying the famous platforms are not beneficial at all, but you know what I mean.
And that might sound counterintuitive, because even if you’re using helpful applications, you’d still be using your phone right? Yes, indeed. However, it’s a lot different from using it for other, not-so-helpful purposes.
I mean if you’re going to use your smartphone, you might as well use it to learn new stuff and improve.
Besides, I doubt we can get addicted to learning as much as we’re addicted to social media. And in case you are, I just want to let you know that I’m totally jealous of you. Just kidding.
Now that I think about it, it actually can get a bit addicting; but that would actually be great, wouldn’t it?
9. Turn off notifications/ Turn on do not disturb
Our brains absolutely adore dopamine. When you get a notification, it triggers a dopamine release, which in turn motivates you to take action. And the action in that case is, obviously, to grab your phone.
I strongly believe that anyone who’s able to not get distracted when they hear that buzz possesses some sort of superpower.
I, unfortunately, am not one of those people. In fact, I just got a pop-up from Instagram and I could not help but grab my phone and check it out. That’s my reminder to log out of my account and to turn off notifications, so I can finish writing this in peace.
The ‘do not disturb’ feature is also a great way to block out notifications; it almost makes you forget that you have a phone!
10. Go on a dopamine detox
Dopamine is a chemical that’s released in our brain when we experience pleasurable events. Our brains then associate the release of that feel-good hormone with pleasure and create reward systems. That makes us crave those pleasures even more, and we sometimes get addicted to them.
Your phone addiction is basically a result of the rush of dopamine that scrolling through that endless content gives. And often times when you’re struggling with excessive phone usage, you can highly benefit from a dopamine detox.
It’s an approach that’s become very popular among social media users for the past few years.
In simple terms, it’s a detox that involves fasting from pleasurable activities for a certain amount of time to reset the brain’s neurochemical system. It’s kind of a hard reset to increase your focus and discipline, and break your dopamine addiction.
So if you really want to stop using your phone as much, and you feel that you need something stronger than the above tips, consider going on a dopamine-free trip: just a few days of not using your phone, not watching TV, not eating junk food, and basically not engaging in any dopamine-triggering activities. You’ll come back feeling refreshed and with laser-like focus.
If you’ve arrived to the end of this post, I gotta give you a big Congrats, because if you’re actually struggling with phone addiction, you probably have a very short attention span. In fact, most people cannot read a whole article in one sitting, because their minds are always elsewhere.
But I’m confident that if you actually apply the tips above, you will break out of that addiction in no time.
The more you mature, the more you realize how precious your time is, and wasting it on mindless activities that do not get you anywhere is just not worth it.
Now I’m not saying that it’s super bad to use your phone. I’d actually consider it essential in this day and age, for several reasons: from keeping contact with the people you love, to learning skills and knowledge, to simply having fun browsing.
Just as long as it’s benefiting you and not doing the opposite. Remember, you always need to be engaging in activities that make you happy, whether in the short or long-term.
