These addiction statistics are quite overwhelming:
- The typical cell phone user touches his or her phone 2,617 times every day. 2,617 times!
- Most people, on average, spend 3 hours and 15 minutes on their phones each day.
- Half of all phone pickups happen within 3 minutes of a previous one.
And the impact of this usage is staggering:
- Reducing the quality of conversations.
- Adversely impacting short-term memory and problem solving.
- Negatively affecting our sleep patterns.
- Resulting in more negativity, distress, and less emotional recovery in young children.
- Increasing obesity.
- And the positive correlation between smartphone addiction and depression is alarming.
You would think, given the statistics and what we know to be true about cell phone usage, it would be easy to put down and walk away. But I can attest the technology addiction struggle is real.
As a parent of two who makes his living online in this modern world, I know full-well the addictive nature of mobile devices and how great the internal battle is to harness the benefits of our smartphones without falling prey to its intentionally addictive design.
Nor do I miss the ironic fact that many of you are reading this very article on your phone.
Phones are good and helpful… you are able to read this article right now because of it. But we know all too well they also have the potential to become a negative presence in our life if we allow them.
So how do we keep cell phone usage in proper alignment with our lives? What are some tools or ideas to help us cut down on our cell phone usage?
Here is a list of seven I have used myself or learned from others:
7 Proven Ways to Break Your Cell Phone Addiction
1. Set aside one day/week.
This is, by far, the most common approach I see among people who have taken intentional steps to curb their cell phone habit nowadays. But I credit Tammy Strobel for being the first person I heard talk about it—almost ten years ago. Choose one day each week (usually a Saturday and Sunday) and set your phone aside. That’s it, make a habit of it.
2. Use a 30-Day Experiment to reset your usage.
For me personally, this has been the most helpful way to break my cell phone habit. My cell phone use, when not intentionally limited, tends to take over more and more of my free time. It happens unintentionally and quietly—I don’t even seem to notice it happening.
Seven years ago, I gave up my smartphone for Lent and used it only for calling and texting (no other apps allowed—even maps and photos). It was a 40-day period of reset that helped me align my usage with more important pursuits in life. Since that first experiment, I have used the 30-day reset two additional times—each with great success.
3. Use apps to bolster self-control.
There are apps for almost every problem in life. In fact, there are even some wonderful apps built to help us limit our time on our devices. Here are some of my favorites:
Space. Set goals and track your daily progress to manage your habits.
Forest. ($1.99) Stay focused, be present. Forest is a beautifully designed app that brings gamification to productivity and results in real trees being planted based on your personal phone use habits.
Flipd. Lock away distracting apps for complete focus.
Screentime. Set daily usage limits on your phone or specific apps.
4. Don’t charge your phone near your bed.
Want to know the best way to keep your kids off their phones too much? Don’t allow them to charge their phones in their bedroom.
Want to know a great way to keep yourself off your phone? Don’t charge it in your bedroom.
Many of the negative effects of overuse (poor sleep, hindered communication and intimacy) can be eliminated by keeping your cell phone out of your bedroom. As with many of the items on this list, this is a principle I’ve found personally helpful.
5. Put your phone away when you walk in the door.
Christopher Mims writes a weekly technology column for The Wall Street Journal—a job that certainly requires the use of tech on a consistent basis. His simple and proven way to keep life in healthy balance with his cell phone is to put it in a kitchen cabinet at the end of the workday. In his words, “The more you physically remove the phone, the more you can build a habit of having some ability to ignore it when it’s on your person.”
When you finish your day of work, put your phone in a drawer or cabinet. This is a helpful practice for all people, but I think it is especially important if you have kids or a spouse at home in need of our undivided attention.
6. Change your phone settings.
Among the most often suggested ideas for reducing cell phone usage, you find tips and tricks by simply changing the settings on your phone.
The most common suggested ideas:
- Turn off notifications
- Set screen to black-and-white
- Remove distraction-based apps from your home screen
- Set a longer passcode
- Use airplane mode
- Turn on do not disturb
In my opinion, turning off notifications is something everyone should do regardless of how habitual their cell phone use is. Just because someone in the world wants to text you, email you, or tag you in a post on Facebook doesn’t mean they deserve your attention. My cell phone screen is not currently set to grayscale, but I have found that setting helpful in the past.
7. Put a hairband around your phone.
In one of the most thoughtful personal stories I’ve ever read on how to overcome cell phone addiction, Brad Soroka recommends placing a hairband around your cell phone. When placed in the middle of the phone, the hairband allows users to answer phone calls easily, but makes other uses of the phone more difficult (including simple texting).
In his words, “Every time you want to use your phone, this brings about a mindfulness exercise and makes you ask ‘what is my intention?’ If you really want to use the phone, set your intention for why, and remove the hair band.”
The hairband trick is not about making your phone impossible to use. The practice is about bringing greater mindfulness to each specific use of it… as opposed to mindlessly unlocking your phone every 3 minutes.
When used as a collection of tools to improve my work, health, parenting, and life, cell phones are wonderful and bring countless benefits. But when used mindlessly and unintentionally, they become a distraction from the things in life that matter most—in addition to the negative effects listed above.
Learning how to use our smartphones effectively may be one of the most important life skills any of us can learn.
Arlette says
I use my phone alarm to wake up in the morning. Is there a good alarm clock you recomend, so I can leave my phone outside my bedroom?
E.Enemark says
I have an old clock-radio next to my bed, when I need the alarm, and always leave my smartphone for recharging in our living room when I go to bed.
Michelle Cheuk says
I use the alarm on Alexa in my room. That way I can get rid of the phone from my room.
Sandeep says
Buy an Analog Alarm Clock
nunyabusiness:) says
im looking at this cah im having a debate at school in english about the positivities and negativities about phones, im looking at this so i can have an arguement for what they have to say im very thankful for this, its made a great help and i have a lot of ideas to put into my speech now :)
Emily says
When was this text published?
Mikey says
6 December 2040
Adam Preusser says
What about…..now bare with me here…..turning it the hell off!
a 13 year old says
Sometimes it isn’t that easy, actually. Many people use it for executive functioning and going through their day, and also may use it as a source of dopamine which some brains may lack, especially with ADHD. It really is not that simple and while you may not understand it, that’s really great for you. No sarcasm at all. I’m dead serious, that is really stellar, but people’s brains never really work the same, and so really your point is kind of dull.
Tinus Roep says
That’s why it’s called an addiction. If you say some people can’t do without, look back 30 years ;-)
APC says
And drug addict should just stop taking drugs. We know this, but easier said than done for others
Bex says
Thank you for this article. I remember being intrigued and excited with the iphone when Steve Jobs first announced it. So many items in one device… I also remember a teacher I had in 1985 saying “one day we will all carry computers around with us” and we all laughed at him, imagining strapping gigantic Commodore 64 computers to our backs! And here we are with powerful computers that we just hand over to our children without a thought.
I recognize my dependence on my iphone and I try very hard not to let it control my life. Two weeks ago I had carpal tunnel release surgery — most definitely due in part to phone overuse. I also experience neck pain due to looking down so much. Your tips will help me towards my goal of living with a simple flip phone once more (baby steps).
I am saddened and deeply disappointed when I see my coworkers staring at their phones, rather than engaging with others. I miss the days of the boistrous staff room. I encourage you to put the phone away… free your hands and LOOK UP!!
Malcolm says
Turning the phone display into grayscale has been very effective for me. you loose interest in looking at the phone.
M says
So here’s my dilemma. My phone has a bunch of incredible useful apps. Fabulous fir habits, Meditation, podcasts, library books and others. It’s also the only way to watch movies or TV.
Even with YouTube I follow channels for educational purposes. How to reconcile being able to access those items but not get sucked into YouTube vortex.
Popcorn says
All apps are ‘incredibly useful’ LOL
If you need an app to remind you to meditate then maybe reconsider how you meditate.
Reread and implement the tips on the article.
Place time limits in any one particular topic at Youtube University.
A cell phone is not the only way to watch television or movies.
If you choose to spend many hours a day looking at your phone that’s fine you may do as you wish. If you choose to put your device away and live life without using it for every task then you can choose to do that also.
Anonymous says
Popcorn, it is unfortunately not that simple for everyone. I have ADHD, which makes executive, daily functioning a nightmare. Things that other people take for granted and don’t even give a second thought to are a daily struggle for me. I have great difficulty completing daily tasks, such as laundry, cleaning, and even remembering to eat and sleep. I need constant reminders, otherwise I WILL forget, and/or not do it. Not everyone’s brain works the same. :)
However, I do need to cut down on my phone use. I know I use it because I am seeking a dopamine source. I’ve found so far that using my favorite hobbies as a motivator to get off helps a bit.
Wren says
Perfectly stated Anonymous! I, too, have adhd. I use the phone not only for that surge of dopamine, but all because I get stuck in the “Im a loser and never do anything right” cycle. Though I do miss the non-electronic things I used to try. Which is why I found this article.
Michelle Cheuk says
I use the app called AppBlock to limit the amount of time that I can spend on any particular app (e.g., YouTube).
Gbajimi Moses says
Nice Post . Really love it.
I will give it a try.
someone says
hi I’m only 11 (srry if I’m too young to be on this site) and I’m addicted to the phone that I “share” with my sister even though I take most of the time on it and my mom keeps yelling at me and she’s right but IDK how to just stop it and I don’t want her to get mad at me bc I don’t want to disappoint her but at the same time she doesn’t understand all the pressure I feel considering she was a multitasking A student who could clean the entire house in 30 min at the age of 10 and I just don’t know what to do bc I feel as if I just keep disappointing everyone but at the same time ik I only need to pls myself and she makes me do so much extracurricular educations junk and I just don’t know what to do with my useless life and I am pretty smart not to brag but that means I have to keep up that line so my “reputation” in the family doesn’t die and i just need mental help to fix my dumb life and im so srry i wasted all ur time to read my story but i want to write in a diary but i cant even put my secrets in there since my family is so nosey and here i go again idky i just write tooo much ughughguhgu ??????????????????☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️?????????????????????
someone says
i rlly hope this helps me ???
Kay says
Just keep swimming kiddo. You’re never going to get everything in this life perfect. Celebrate the wins you have and be gentle with yourself about the growth you want. Try some of the tips here and see if you can cut back your usage maybe 10%
Even the small wins can help train your brain for the big ones.
Afloat says
Your words are encouraging. I hope they helped the young one and others.
ilona says
trust me … your mom is just a human and not the super hero you view her as. you are doing great and you don’t need to compare yourself to anyone. make sure you are putting yourself first every single day. remember you are enough you are worthy even on days you feel lazy. i related to your comment and felt that way many times when growing up. i’m now 30 and realize how important it is to just be happy every day because life is so short. give yourself a big hug and remind yourself daily that you are perfect just as you are every single day of you life – the productive days and the lazy ones as well!
ilona :)
A mom says
I have 10 year olds who will be 11 in one month. You are a special and bright young person! I am delighted to hear you Express yourself so well! I am sorry to hear that you aren’t feeling good about yourself sometimes. I want you to know that even adults don’t always feel like they are doing everything right. Even though we push our kids to do the right thing we don’t always feel that we are doing our best either. You are special and you are loved! Just continue to do your best and your parents will continue to love you no matter what! Keep pushing and keep trying to do your best and guess what eventually things will fall into place. Keep your head up young person! Keep living life and keep doing what you feel is right and follow your parents wishes as best you can. You will get through this!
Kim says
I’d like to add something very important for you to consider. Firstly, well done to you for recognising that you have a problem and seeking help!!
Secondly, and most importantly, when you experience all of your negative emotions and lack of self-esteem, please realise that you are not alone! Millions of people experience exactly what you’re experiencing. So, whenever you have those self-negative thoughts, remember this and be kinder to yourself. I hope this helps because it helps me, and it’s true. Take care.
Niyasi Jain says
You’re not alone! We are here to help! You matter and your thoughts matter!! I am 14 and I can totally relate to you! But just listen to your mom! She knows whats best! Just try to do her work before she even asks you! And also get better grades!
Prince Rajan Praveen says
I am having exams after one year and for a year I am addicted to the cell phone and now after reading this I have kept phone aside and I have started preparing for the exam thanks to the article.