Thanks to @prhaudio for the free listen! They have been big supporters of mine and I appreciate what they are doing to grow the audiobook scene!
Question: How many of you feel like you spend too much time on your phone?
I know I'm guilty of having this feeling every so often. For me, it's usually when I'm busy working on something and then finds the phone in my hand and 10 minutes have gone by!
Catherine Price's latest book, How to Break Up With Your Phone has taken one of her famous articles from the New York Times and turned it into a timely book that I think many of us are faced with. Coming on the heels of Cal Newport's recent book Digital Minimalism, Catherine takes a similar approach to find peace from the devices we carry that are becoming more entangled in our life.
A couple of great tips that I took to heart.
1) Look around and see all of the other people who are on their phones to remind you that you don't need to be on it.
When I visited Japan a few years ago, I was amazed at the people on the train. Everyone's eyes were glued to their phones. Everyone! It was eerie to look around and see nobody paying attention. Nowadays I notice it when I'm out for a walk and you come up behind someone on their phone who is walking half speed and swerving. It's taking us out of the present moment.
2) Use technology against itself
Apps like Moment are great for helping us be aware of how much time we spend on the device or in apps. I've actually turned on my timer in Instagram to notify me if I've spent an hour in the app. When it pops up it makes you realize how much time of your day you have spent on one single app! (As I post this on that same app...)
3) Turn off your notifications!
I actually took this one from Cal Newport's book but Catherine mentions it as well. It is surprisingly effective and easy to implement! Turning off the notifications allows you to control when you want to look at the device rather than something catching your eye. I suggest all notifications if you can including the lock screen, the banner, and the little red notifications that also draw your eyes in for a closer look.
4) Delete the apps you don't really need
Talk about a time suck. Twitter for me was an app I hardly ever posted too but seemed to spend a disproportionate amount of time getting sucked through the cloud of information and misinformation. Deleting the app from my phone completely broke the chain in one fell swoop. I still check Twitter but use my browser and generally only once per day to see if there is anything happening in the world I should be preparing myself against.
I recommend this one if you haven't already checked out Cal's book. Practical advice that comes in the form of tips you can easily implement and test out to see which one works. Consider one last question: If you left the house today without your phone, how would you feel? If anxiety immediately springs to mind then consider how reliant you are on the phone. Don't worry, I'm the same way!
Let me know of ways you have found to cut out phone time or if you have found the proper balance.
If you want more information about the book or Catherine Price, check out her IG page:
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