This is a little different post but it relates to your productivity and overall well-being. I believe it’s worth your time and reflection.
Is your phone a tool or an adversary?
I approach the question this way: For your smartphone to be a tool, you have to treat it as an adversary. It has been designed by the smartest people in the world for a purpose. The device and the applications you have on it, are created to extract as much time from you as possible. This is especially true of social media and any other applications that are monetized by advertising. If it’s free, then you’re the product.
Let’s make a comparison between your phone and a casino. When you walk into a casino, you know that everything there is geared to engage you in that environment. There are no clocks, no windows, there are different colors and it’s noisy. The environment is designed to disorient you. You lose track of time, stay longer, and spend (lose) more money.
The exact same thing happens on your phone. How often do you look up after scrolling through social media, YouTube, TikTok, playing games, etc., to realize that you have wasted hours and it’s left your mind dull and foggy? It impacts your decision-making and your availability in the present moment. You’re less productive. It’s a drug and can become an addiction.
If you understand it is an adversary, then you can put systems and structures in place to control it. As an iPhone user, I get a weekly report of the average amount of time I spend on it daily. I have been recently been working to reduce that average each week. Here are some ideas. (At the end, I have a special comment about smartphones, children, and schools. Skip to that part if you want.)
- Set a daily limit: Use the screen time feature on your phone to set a daily limit for the amount of time you want to spend on your phone. This can help you keep track of your usage and remind you when you’ve reached your limit.
- Disable notifications: This is the most important one, especially email. Notifications can be a major distraction and can tempt you to check your phone frequently. Try disabling unnecessary notifications or setting them to appear less frequently.
- Keep your phone away from you: When you’re not using your phone, try keeping it out of reach. This can help reduce the temptation to check it constantly.
- Use airplane mode: If you need to focus on a task or activity without interruption, try putting your phone in airplane mode. This will disable all notifications and prevent you from receiving calls or texts.
- Designate phone-free time: Set aside specific times during the day when you will not use your phone, such as during meals or before bed.
- Replace phone use with other activities: Instead of reaching for your phone when you’re bored or have downtime, try engaging in other activities such as reading a book, going for a walk, or spending time with friends.
- Use apps to limit usage: There are several apps available that can help you limit your smartphone usage by tracking your screen time or setting usage limits.
- Set boundaries: Let your friends and family know that you may not respond to messages or calls immediately and establish boundaries around your phone usage.
Remember, limiting your phone usage can help improve your mental health, productivity, and overall well-being.
I promised a word about smartphones, children, and schools.
- Your child absolutely does NOT need a smartphone, for sure if they are age 14 and under. Be their parent (not their friend) and take your stand. Get them a flip phone and they can text. Despite what your child may say, that’s still the dominant teenage use of the phone. Make your kids put their phone in a box when they get home and certainly don’t let them have it at night.
- School leaders, be firm about no phones in the classroom or even in the school. From my observations in visiting many schools, the ones that have the fewest problems are the ones with the strictest policies and procedures for limiting phone use.
BTW – Part of this was written with the assistance of ChatGPT. You can probably tell which part.