Breaking smartphone addiction is a serious issue. There are several technology addictions that are becoming recognized by professional psychologist. Black people’s lives are being destroyed in much the same way cocaine or alcohol destroys lives. We just can’t stop doing it.
Everyday African-Americans get fired from jobs because they can’t stay away from their cell or smartphones. These people can’t break away from a texting conversation, constantly check their email, or must surf the web every few minutes. And guess what, sooner or later the boss has seen enough and they get fired.
Other people can’t resist responding to a text even when they are driving and end up killing themselves or someone else because they weren’t focused on the road.
Men and women create strain in their marriages or relationships because of cell phones and the Internet. Internet porn addiction has become common among men of all races. For more on Internet addiction read this.
But back to breaking smartphone addiction. The average person unlocks their the phone 100 to 150 times a day. Make that 100 to 150 interruptions a day. But there are ways to break your smartphone addiction if you really try. Here are a few tips.
Turn off notifications. Set your cell phone not to vibrate or ring when you are working. Same goes for your apps, Twitter, email, Facebook posts, Instagram, whatever. On iPhones use the ‘Do Not Disturb’ feature for everything except for your spouse or children in case of emergency. You should do the same for your Android phone. Make a habit of checking your phone only on your break or lunch. It takes practice and determination but it could save your job or marriage.
Uninstall apps. You need to go cold turkey of you can’t wean yourself off slowly. Uninstall all unnecessary apps. Ask yourself what you really need daily? Start by focusing on apps that deliver websites and other online services to your smartphone. Do you really need Facebook and Twitter on your phone? You already have them on your laptop or tablet? But I pray you don’t have them on your work computer! Do you really need email on the go? Practice waiting until you’re back at your computer to check Pinterest or Instagram? With a smartphone, if you get in a bind, you can always access the web.
Budget your time on your smartphone. Start with an hour a day. That means no games, no social media and short conversations. Limit anything on your smartphone that takes away time from other, more worthwhile pursuits; like finishing that report you boss asked for. Re-build your attention span by deleting apps that can interrupt you.
Removing duplicate apps means fewer notifications and fewer updates to install. You can also free up storage space on your phone and reduce the clutter on your home screen. You might want to run an audit of all the apps on your smartphone. This is a good time to decide what you need and don’t need. Once you delete an app if you haven’t re-installed it in a month, you never needed in the first place. You can also reduce the amount of information you broadcast by reducing the apps on your phone. Nearly all of them spy on you in one way or another.
Make use of airplane mode. Not only does this mode eliminate notifications but you can still use the camera and access any files you have on the device.
Airplane mode also blocks SMS messages and phone calls making you unavailable in the event of an emergency. You need to consider that.
Airplane mode also make a difference in your quality of sleep. Instead of dealing with dozens of notifications, beeps, buzzes and other distractions you can enjoy a good night sleep and a easy morning wake up. When its time to deal with the world again you just tap a couple of buttons and the rat race begins. Keep in mind that the light from a phone or tablet has been proven to disturb normal sleep patterns.
Use a quitting app. That’s right there’s an app for breaking your smartphone addiction. How ironic! Besides setting your smartphone not to interrupt you there are apps that can monitor your mobile activity. These apps can limit your usage if you need that help. One of popular apps is known as BreakFree. Its available for Apple and Android devices. The app provides a detailed breakdown about which apps are taking up most of your time and how often you’re checking your smartphone or tablet.
Quitting apps can also disable some or all notifications. They allow you to set an auto reply to text messages to let people know that you’re taking a break. Beeps, and buzzes and the Internet can be disabled if needed. You can set specific times when you don’t want to be disturbed. BreakFree can also remind you of your current addiction level if you desire a constant reminder.
Other quitting apps alternatives include StayOnTask and AppDetox to help wean you off that technology addiction. Both are available only for Android devices.
When all else fails; hide the damn thing! Or use any barrier you can think of to prevent you from checking your phone incessantly. Implement a complicated unlock code or password is one way to make it difficult to use that device. If you are at work leave your phone in a drawer or in the car. Promise yourself you will only check two or three times a day. At home, you could do the same if you want to give your undivided attention to a sports game, a movie or the spouse and family.
We live in a world of technology and mobility. But we also live with other people, some very important to us. We also have other fairly serious obligations that require our attention as well. If we fail to balance these things properly the results have proven to be disastrous. Technology addiction has become as dangerous as drugs and alcohol.
Now you know.