Introduction
We’re living in a digital world where we use our smartphones all the time. Smartphones are a huge part of our lives. And we don’t want to miss out the fact that these devices can do great things for us and make our life easy. We can use smartphones to stay connected, communicate, have fun, access information, stay productive etcetera. But if we don’t control the usage of our smartphones, we can end up spending way too much time on them doing nothing that adds value to us throughout the day. So, it’s important to learn how to use our smartphones better.
The Hard Truth Discovery
On the day of my birthday, September 12th. I awoke up at 05:30 am and posted pictures of myself on my phone at 05:56 am. I then got ready and went to work, where I had three priorities. Writing a project report, reading a book for two hours on Scribd, writing and publishing my 14th blog about mindfulness changes series.
Unfortunately, I did not achieve any of these goals. All I did during the day was posting about myself on various social media platforms, which was not a bad thing. However, I found myself checking my medias frequently to find out who had wished me happy birthday and then responding to them. The issue wasn’t about responding back instead it was that I was unable to control the inflow and outflow of messages on social media. I kept some of the conversations going with my birthday wishes in a back-and-forth messaging which led to an unproductive day.
At the end of the day, my eyes were opened to a harsh truth that will help me live forever. My birthday revealed something to me that was hard for me to accept. I found out that my smartphone had become more of an addiction than a tool used for my productivity and personal growth. And that’s when it hit me that I needed to take immediate action to manage my smartphone usage. I couldn’t even begin to guess how much time I spent holding my phone. All day long I had thought that I had done something important. But I actually wasted a lot of time on one activity.
The desire to know or learn – My curiosity
My curiosity led me to ask this question – “How much time have I spent on my smartphone today?
It had never crossed my mind that smartphones usually keep track of screen time. I did not know that my smartphone records the time I spend staring at the screen. And that it indicates the apps used in a particular day, placing each in order of usage. So, in order to get an exact amount of my daily screen usage. I went to Mr. Google and typed. “How do I check for screen time usage on my smartphone”? I got the answer being:
- On an Android smartphone, go to settings > Select Digital Well-being & Parental Controls.
- On an iPhone, go to settings >select screen time > Go to see all activity.
I have an Android, so I followed the steps for the Android phone. The results I received extremely shocked me so much that I said, “what a waste of time”! My results or the day’s screen usage recorded at 10:12 PM on Tuesday 12th, 2023 were as follows:
- Total screen usage: 7hrs, 40 minutes.
- Notifications received: 1321.
- Phone Unlocks: 52.
| 5 Top social media Used | Number of times opened | Hours spent on each app |
| 115 | 4hr, 27 min | |
| 30 | 1 hr, 39 min | |
| Phone | 17 | 19 min |
| 12 | 10 min | |
| AI Gallery | 9 | 5 min |
Look at my figures above; I can’t imagine the distraction my smartphone caused me. Imagine spending 7 hours and 40 minutes on screen. But not necessarily utilizing any growth app like Scribd, Pod bean, amazon, YouTube. Look at the hours spent on WhatsApp and LinkedIn. So much of my precious time being lost through back-and-forth motion of conversations. After seeing my results, I found it important to think through strategies for how we can better manage the usage of our smartphones.
Strategies for regaining control of our smartphones
While our smartphones are important, our productive time is just as important. Since time is a finite resource and we don’t have a lot of it, we need to make the most of it by setting boundaries. To set boundaries, means coming up with guidelines and limit for using and interacting with our smartphones with the aim of preventing them from interfering with our daily activities. Let us see some boundaries we can set over our phones.
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Creating no smartphone-free zones
Let us identify areas or zones in our homes or offices where we can set up a “no phone policy”. For instance, at the workplace, we can set up a “no phone policy” when we are working on an important task. The best way to do this is to set task execution intervals per task at hand by using the “Pamodoro working technique” (check out here how it works https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/pomodoro-technique) where we can avoid using our phones during the “focus time” of each activity. During this time, we can put our phones in “Do not Disturb Mode” and only set exceptions for urgent call only. Doing this will enable us to remain focused and avoid distractions caused by our smartphones.
At home, we can set a “no phone policy” at dining tables, bedroom, home office or library, family room, prayer room, bathroom or toilet, outdoor spaces, or activities etcetera. Doing this will enable us to fully engage with our loved ones and we will be able to build deeper connections. Identifying “no phone zones” in our homes or work to avoid using our smartphones at certain times will enable us to establish healthier habits and we shall be able to create a better work/life balance.
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Establishing Clear Priorities for using our smartphones
It is important to define how we intend to use our smartphones and define the most important functions they perform. Some of these essential functions may include performing online tasks or jobs, maintaining contact with family and friends or networking, personal or business branding, personal development etcetera. Establishing clear priorities will help us to remain focused and avoid distraction from unnecessary applications.
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Creating a schedule for smartphone usage
We can set aside a specific amount of time for various types of phone engagement. For example, we can set aside time to check emails, use a specific social media platform, browse the web, or engage in personal activities (e.g., reading, viewing a YouTube video intended for personal growth, podcasting, networking, or gaming just to relax). By setting aside specific time for each activity, we can avoid pointless scrolling and maintain productivity while using our smartphones.
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Practicing digital minimalism
Digital minimalism is all about being mindful and selective about what we use online. Let’s take a step to get rid of all the apps on our phones that we don’t use and organize our home screen to get rid of the distractions. By doing this, we’ll be able to take back our time and focus on what really matters, which will make us more productive and happier.
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Practicing mindful smartphone usage
Every time we’re about to pick up our smartphone, let’s take a second to think about why we want to pick it up in the first place. Do you want your smartphone to be a necessity or a habit? By paying attention to our digital habits, we can be more present in real life, building stronger relationships and reducing the detrimental effects of too much screen time.
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Utilizing productivity apps on smartphone
Our smartphones are equipped with a wide range of productivity tools that enable us to maximize our daily activities. For example, we can use calendar applications to plan our tasks and note-taking applications to capture our thoughts. Time/task management applications can help us to remain organized. Habit trackers can also be used to monitor our habits. Furthermore, our smartphones are equipped with digital wellbeing tools to monitor our screen time (check out for these tools from https://wellbeing.google/for-everyone/), and we can set limits for our phone usage. Utilizing productivity tools on smartphones can help us to become more productive and efficient with our time.
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Prioritizing smartphone notifications
Nothing like notifications from our smartphones trigger us to pick up them and shift our focus from the important tasks. But if we take a step back and adjust our notification settings, we can make sure only the important stuff gets through. Here are a few apps that are worth keeping an eye on when it comes to notifications:https://www.psafe.com/en/blog/apps-worth-receiving-notifications/.
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Organizing smartphone apps
When we overload our phone screens with apps, we end up losing track of our thoughts. Let’s take a step back and organize our apps into categories or folders. Let us check out this link https://www.makeuseof.com/how-to-organize-your-android-apps/. to learn how to organize our Android apps. It’s a great way to make our user experience better and help us find essential apps when we need them.
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Embracing digital detox
Sometimes we use our smartphones too much when we are bored or if we don’t have any other activities to do. Let us find new hobbies, engage in exercise, or move our bodies, read a book, or spend some quality time with our loved ones whenever we feel bored. By engaging in fulfilling activities, we will naturally reduce our dependence on our smartphones and live healthier lives.
Conclusion
My birthday served as a wake-up call, revealing the harsh reality of my smartphone usage. What was meant to be a day of productivity and personal growth turned into a day of endless scrolling, messaging, and time-wasting. My curiosity became a turning point, a moment of self-awareness that led me to rethink my relationship with my smartphone. The shock of realizing that I had spent over 7 hours and 40 minutes on my smartphone, with a significant portion of that time devoted to social media apps, left me deeply unsettled. However, the revelation of this wasted time served as a reminder that while smartphones can be powerful tools for work, connection, growth, and productivity, they can also be double-edged swords that steal away our precious time if left unchecked.
Most of us end our days like my birthday ended, without accomplishing anything significant. If you are one of the people who aimlessly unlock your phone. Stare at your screen, and scroll through one app to another. May my birthday revelation serve as a reminder to you to take control of your smartphone habits. Ensuring that these remarkable tools remain productive devices in your lives rather than obstacles to fulfilling your goals and aspirations. May your gain a deeper understanding of your smartphone patterns. And, be drawn towards a more mindful and purposeful use of it. Your smartphone shouldn’t be an hinderance but an enhancer of your life. Start today, to practice strategies shared herein and you will notice a very big difference in your personal growth.
Reflection
Take a closer look at your digital well-being dashboard from your settings and find out how much screen time you have used on your smartphone so far today. Basing on your results find out which apps you have so far used the most? Why do you think you spent so much time on those apps? Did those apps add value to you? Imagine the impact on your productivity or personal growth if you limited your screen time or if you utilized a lot more growth-oriented apps. Apps like Calendar, time tracking apps, habit trackers, Scribd, Amazon, Pod bean, etcetera. Take note that whether you decide to limit your smartphone usage or not; the choice is yours to make. But remember that extreme benefits await you if you choice to aim for a balanced and intentional relationship with your smartphone.
**********Thank you for sparing your time to read*********
Educative & productive
Thank you dearest brother.
This is wonderful information
Thank you Daniel. Glad you liked it