Looking for the best way to stop reaching for your cell phone....

Opinion

Why can't I keep my hands off my mobile?

28.2.2019

Translation: machine translated

It annoys me that I can't manage to reduce my time on my mobile. I reflexively reach for it, especially at home when I'm alone. And then precious minutes of my life are gone again. Instead, I could be doing so much better with my time.

By chance, I recently came across a piece of information from Instagram that shows me how much time I spend on the app on average. I spend at least thirty minutes a day there alone. A considerable amount of time for the fact that I can't tell whether I'm smarter or happier afterwards.

I mentally unplugged for a moment, maybe saved a picture or two in my collection or added a new dream destination to my bucket list. But that's the only thing I realise afterwards. I wonder to what extent scrolling through social media platforms contributes to my education.

Reaching for my Huawei P20 Pro (note: in the photo, I took a photo of my old iPhone S 6 with the banging camera on the new mobile 😉 ) feels like a bad habit because it's not always necessary. I often browse around mindlessly without having an 'aha' moment or nurturing the interpersonal relationships that fulfil me the most. I also notice certain health side effects: instead of simply going to bed at the first sign of tiredness, I "briefly" scroll through my Instagram feed to see what I've missed. Most of the time, I don't miss anything at all - except falling asleep. Despite the setting, where the light on the screen is warmer than during the day, I'm suddenly wide awake and full of energy.

Links: My Instagram feed. Right: The average time I spend on the app.

"White Lies"

To myself, I justify the use of apps like Instagram, Bloglovin and Pinterest by seeing what my friends, bloggers in the architecture and interior design scene are doing. After all, as a design cheerleader, I have to keep up to date and have the new collections of my top favourites on my screen. With other platforms like Facebook, I tell myself that I use them to check out events in order to plan my "real" offline life. I'm already missing out on the time I would need to put all these plans into action.

Help for self-help

No more pointless "scrolling" now. I mute all Instagram notifications and set myself a time limit of thirty minutes. I adjust the settings of all the messages on my mobile and look for other apps that have been specially developed for conscious use of smartphones. These go one step further by preventing you from using them after a period of time of your choice. Sounds perfect.

The remedy for wasting time: a reminder that prevents you from using the app for longer than you would like.

Because such apps only intervene once I've already pulled out my mobile, I have to start one step earlier. Why do I use them in the first place? Mostly to check my watch or for new messages and sometimes simply out of boredom.

So that the time is no longer a reason, I regularly wear a wristwatch and recently got an alarm clock and a wall clock. I use silent mode and switch off push notifications to prevent me from thinking about my mobile every time it vibrates or lights up. However, this measure proves to be counterproductive because I can neither hear nor see whether someone has contacted me. That's why I reach for my 174 gram mobile phone much more often than before. The weight alone should be the reason to avoid any unnecessary contact with it. So, I reverse the settings again.

Analogue ways to stay away from the digital world.

The fact that my smartphone weighs so much ultimately leads me to the best way to suppress my reflex. I put analogue stones in my path every day instead of digital ones and build a tower with things lying around. The base is my mobile phone. Et voilà - it works: I resist the temptation and noticeably reduce my consumption because I am extremely reluctant to dismantle and rebuild the unconventional construction.

You know that automated reach for the cell phone ...

... and if so, what are you doing to prevent it?

I have no problem with my consumption or senseless scrolling.
38%
Out of sight, out of mind: I simply leave my cell phone on the left when it gets too much for me.
45%
I can only discipline myself with time management apps.
24%

The competition has ended.

Do you know any other strategies? Then share them in the comments column below. Or follow me for the next article by clicking the little black "Follow author" button on my profile. I look forward to your plan.

Header image: Looking for the best way to stop reaching for your cell phone....

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Pia Seidel

Senior Editor

Pia.Seidel@digitecgalaxus.ch

Like a cheerleader, I love celebrating good design and bringing you closer to everything furniture- and interior design- related. I regularly curate simple yet sophisticated interior ideas, report on trends and interview creative minds about their work.

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