How to Turn Your Phone into a Tool Instead of a Distraction

 

Have you ever sat down to check a message real quick and suddenly 2 hours have passed? Or maybe you got a notification at the end of the day that you spent 10 hours on your phone but you don’t remember when and where you used it.

A survey shows that the average person checks their phone every 12 minutes, or approximately 80 times per day. This is hard proof that something that was meant to be a tool has now turned into a distraction.

If you want to get your time back and learn how to turn your phone into a tool instead of a distraction, keep reading.

Photo by Plann from Pexels

Turn off notifications

I’ll start with the most obvious distraction, that ping you hear or the buzz in your pocket every 5 minutes, turn it off. We’ve gotten so used to hearing our phones ring that there is a phantom phone vibration syndrome. This is when you hear a text come in but when it’s not.

You don’t need to know who tagged you or who liked your status every minute, turn off your notifications and check when you log into your account.

Of course, make exceptions for family, work, and other emergencies. You can manually set who you want to receive notifications from.

 Manage your apps

The apps you use can determine whether your phone is a tool or a distraction. With so many apps available, you can remove the ones that waste your time and focus on using those that align with your goals.

Here is how you can manage your apps;

• uninstall unused apps
• install apps that are in alignment with your goals
• put similar apps into folders & assign cute names or even affirmations (all my health apps are in a folder titled “snatched”)

 Rearrange your home screen

The first thing you see on your home screen is what is going to grab your attention most. By rearranging it, you can reduce social media usage and turn phone time into productive time.

• Remove social media apps, create friction by having to look for the app instead of just tapping it a second after unlocking.
• Use widgets. Fill up your home screen with your calendars or an affirmations/motivational app that refreshes every so often you get inspiration by just looking at your screen.
•  Make your background plain, too many graphics and colors can be distracting by simply looking at them.

Photo by Pixabay

 

Clean up your social media feed

Social media has been villainized (with good reason) but it’s not all bad, I learned everything about my business through social media so there is an upside to it.

Look at your feed and evaluate if it’s serving you or robbing you. If it’s making you feel empty, it has to go. If you regret scrolling through that meme page after an hour, it has to go. If that old friend from high school is making you feel behind in life, unfollow.

What we consume on social media takes up mental space and energy so turn it around and make it uplifting instead.

Follow people who inspire and motivate you, follow accounts that you are truly interested in, I don’t care if it’s makeup, if makes you happy, follow away. Search for educational content creators in your field and follow those.

You’ll be surprised how quickly social media turns into a self-education platform.

 

Create boundaries

Setting time restrictions for when and how you use your phone is a game changer. Personally, I don’t use my phone in the morning until I finish all my priority tasks and I don’t use it after 9:30 pm.

A good rule of thumb is no phones an hour after waking up and 30 minutes before bed.

Add usage limits for apps that take up a lot of your time, I recommend a free app called StayFree that tracks your phone usage, sets limits, and notifies you when you are going overboard.

Conclusion

Self-control is key to all these tips; nothing will work if you don’t.

Don't let it control you, you control it.

 Finally, it’s important that you change your mindset towards it, instead of viewing it as a distraction, see it as a tool to be utilized. Rebuild a healthy relationship with it, instead of restricting it, use it smarter and make it your second brain.

 

 

Until next time

xo xo