Letting Yourself Off The Hook

In today’s world, our smart phones are everything. For many, they are the life blood of daily life how much time do you spend on yours?

For a busy professional, the smart phone is our alarm, waking us each morning. When we wake, we quickly check emails and social media before the phone starts ringing. We take it on holidays, making us contactable anywhere at any time – not truly resting or recuperating, never really turning off.

When is too much, enough? Here are some tips to ensure your time is spent not dictated by your phone.

1. Unfollow, unlike, unsubscribe

For many of us, we subscribe and follow a myriad of people and businesses through our social media and email.  Take time to simply remove yourself from these constant reminders and clear your inbox and friends list of anything or anyone that doesn’t actively contribute to your life in a positive way.

2. Charge your phone, but recharge your body

A high percentage of us charge our phones overnight and many of us would do this right next to our beds. As such, we often lay in bed during the evening looking at our phones and having blue light in our eyes – not conducive to a relaxing night sleep. Put your phone on charge overnight outside of your bedroom and buy an old school alarm clock to wake you each morning.You will be getting a restful sleep in no time.

3. No more peaking

When at work or on the weekends, we are often on our phones – either talking or emailing or looking at social media.  Try only handling your phone once an hour. Put it face down on your desk or put it out of sight whilst at home, and only check it hourly if you need to. When you do check it, do so for a maximum of 10 minutes only.

If you are struggling with any of the above, you may want to consider using a digital detox app. An app such as Flipd – which locks your phone for a period of time or mute and a screen time tracker that sends push notifications when your phone usage becomes too much.