Here’s How to Spend Less but Quality Time on Your Phone
We’re all hooked to our smartphones. It’s such an essential part of our life that we can’t live without it. Frankly, it’s all we need to take if we’re going somewhere. It has everything — money, IDs, etc.
We spend a lot of time on it daily, so what we need to do is analyze what we’re doing on it every day.
Spending Less Time on Your Phone
First and foremost, stop mindless scrolling. I know, it’s very hard to break off of. Once we start scrolling on YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, or TikTok, we don’t realize how quickly time has passed.
To prevent it, perform mindful scrolling. After a few videos, stop. Just close the app. Try it. It’s hard at first, but it’ll gradually become a piece of cake.
Clean your phone. Get rid of the apps that are a waste of space. You can prevent yourself from opening random apps by making your home screen minimal. I do it and can definitely say it helps a lot. You can use an Android launcher like Niagara Launcher. It’s a clean, beautiful, and minimalistic launcher. There are other such launchers, too. If you’re using an iPhone, use folders, or just add a few important apps to the home screen. You can use invisible widgets to make your iOS home screen cleaner.
Treat your phone as if it were your toothbrush, said Niklas Göke. This is honestly the best productivity statement I’ve personally ever heard of. In his article, he says you use your phone only when you need to. To do that, he suggests:
- To disable almost all notifications.
- Turn off the vibration.
- Hide your phone from plain sight.
“Your toothbrush is the greatest tool of all time. You only use it when you’re supposed to, for as long as you need to, and then, you let it go.” — Niklas Göke
Spending Quality Time on Your Phone
Now, make the time you spend on your phone meaningful. Use it for productive purposes, like studying/finishing a deadline (or any school/work-related stuff), reading a Medium article, learning a new language, watching a productive YouTube video, working on a skill, etc. This can make good use of the time you’re using your phone. I also suggest listening to podcasts while doing chores or driving, some are genuinely entertaining to listen to and provide great knowledge. You could also try audiobooks.
Conclusion
I am not saying we shouldn’t use our phones for social media like Instagram or TikTok, these are apps that are meant to be scrolled mindlessly. (The apps prioritize user watch time. This could be justifiable if Instagram and TikTok had some sort of monetization.) We can, but we should implement strict limits on how much we scroll. Master the art of self-control.
Try doing a little digital detox — Go for a walk outside, without your phone. Even if it’s for 10 minutes, enjoy nature and just take a breather.
Our phones should be mainly used as a tool for productivity. We can’t let that tool take our time.
You might not start these changes immediately, but slowly try implementing them. It can help you save tonnes of time.
