The Ultimate Guide to Putting Down Your Phone and Enjoying Life
I, like many, have a love-hate relationship with my smartphone. It’s something that helps me keep in touch with my family and friends, it gives me directions when I need them, and is there for entertainment when I need that too.
That being said, there’s something that is so chilling about looking up from your phone and seeing that every.single.person. around you is also looking down. Have you ever experienced this on the subway, in a restaurant, or even in the street? It reminds me of something out of the Zombie Apocalypse, and not in a good way.
Perhaps you’ve been in mid-conversation with someone, only to find that they are too busy scrolling through Instagram or Facebook to pay attention? Or worse, have you ever seen a couple out on a date, only to end up sitting across from one another looking down at their phones? Or (and this is by far my biggest pet peeve), have you ever seen a family out to dinner somewhere with every single one of the children playing on their parents’ phones? Whatever happened to coloring books?!
Many of the tips I’m about to share with you will seem obvious, but they need to be said. It’s time to put down your phone and start enjoying life!
Block out at least one hour per day away from your phone
Do you feel anxiety if you’ve forgotten your phone at home, or if you think you’ve misplaced it somewhere? While I can understand the fear of thinking you’ve lost something that cost upwards of $1,000 (hello, iPhone X), take a deep breath. You most likely haven’t lost your phone. And in the end, it’s an object. You don’t need it to live. If you buy a watch, you don’t even need it to know what time it is!
One of the first things you can do to help yourself feel at ease without your phone is to commit to spending at least one hour per day without it in your hands. If you’re a parent and fear not having your phone in case one of your children calls you, I get that. I’m not telling you to turn your phone off and lock it in a drawer. You can keep it within reach with the volume on, just in case of an emergency. But, try not to touch it for one whole hour.
What to do with all of this no-phone time? Try meditating, exercising, eating a meal, or writing in your journal. Lay in the sun, go for a walk, or just have a conversation with someone without the extra distraction. I’m willing to bet that after one week of going phone-less for an hour you’ll want to try to go hours, or even afternoons at a time without it.
Don’t pick up your phone the minute you wake up
This is probably the real first step to putting down your phone and enjoying your life. I know it can be tempting to surf the web from the moment you wake up. After all, many of you reading this article probably use your cell phones as an alarm clock too. Believe me, I know the drill. Turn the alarm off, check Facebook, check Instagram, check your favorite news sources. Now you’re ready to start your day! Wrong.
The news of the day and those pictures of your nephew’s first birthday party can wait. Even if you do use your phone as an alarm, you can just turn it off and set your phone right back down.
Try to give yourself (and your poor eyes) a while to actually wake up before you start blasting those blue light beams in your face. Get out of bed, take a shower, sit down for breakfast, and maybe…just maybe, open up a real live paper newspaper to get your daily dose of politics, weather and gossip.
Use an app to set phone time limits for yourself
It might sound counterintuitive to use an application on your phone to keep you off of it, but bear with me. In recent years, mostly due to children using parents’ tablets and smartphones, many different apps that track and limit screen time have been created. I’m not saying that you need enforced limits to keep yourself off of your phone like a child does…okay, well, maybe I am. But, lets face it, if you’re reading this article you have likely already recognized that you need help. Acceptance is the starting point, so keep up the good work!
If you have an iPhone, you’re lucky because the iOS 12 includes a built in app called Screen Time. The app is located in the Settings app, and it provides you with a ton of information about the time you spend on your phone. You can view which apps you are using and for how long, and you can also restrict yourself from being on your phone for certain amounts of time.
If you have an Android, AppDetox is a good choice. The app is especially good if you find yourself spending a lot of time on specific applications. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and youtube come to mind. You can even specify which time of the day you want to allow yourself to use each individual app.
Get outside
This may be the most obvious advice of all that I’ve given you so far. You may be thinking, “hey I can still totally use my phone outside!” Yes, of course you can. But, I do think that there is something that can be said about just getting out of your home and into a beautiful place outdoors that will make you want to put your smartphone down.
If you are lucky enough to live near a scenic area, head there, and put your phone on silent. That way, you’ll have it in case of an emergency, but you won’t be as distracted if it isn’t alerting you to various notifications.
Don’t be that person that is exploring the Grand Canyon but has their nose in their phone. That’s an extreme example, but you would be surprised at how many people do just this! Look up, look around and soak in the great outdoors. Use your phone for one thing: capturing those awesome pictures that I know you’ll want to take.
Read a book with no distractions
Reading is another casualty of the age of the internet that I don’t think people are talking about enough. Sure, you can definitely get your news from your smartphone. And you can definitely download a book onto it as well. But isn’t it tempting to switch over to Facebook or start texting a friend seeing as though you already have your phone in your hand?
If you are able to resist this temptation, I commend your self-control, and I’d like you to comment below letting me know your secret. If you’re like the majority of people, it’s probably pretty difficult.
I challenge you to pick up a paper book and try to read for at least 30 minutes without any distractions. If you have the time, and you’re enjoying what you’re reading, make it an hour. You can also use this time as your one-hour-no-phone time!
Join an expeerience
If you need a real push to put down your phone, why not join one of our upcoming expeeriences and confront your smartphone addiction with us? You’re bound to meet like-minded individuals who may have more tips than I do.
Our mission at Expeeriences is to provide opportunities for authentic and meaningful connections. How can you make connections if you’re too busy looking at your phone?
Originally published at https://www.expeeriences.com on July 18, 2019.
