In the world we live in, we are glued to screens almost 24/7. It would not be wrong to say that the majority of our time, when awake, is spent in front of screens.
A doctor knows how harmful cigarettes are. Yet, he smokes. In the same way, we are aware of the harmful effects that screens have on your physical and mental health.
Whenever we plan on decreasing our screen time, we fail. The bitter truth is that your will matters only to a certain extent.
Our “motivation” is only there to get us started; it will be hard to keep on going if things get hard.
Reducing screen time is extremely hard primarily because of how addictive these are. Fearing of missing out, addiction, and other factors make it hard for one to reduce screen time.
The Right Approach
First of all, you have to acknowledge that willpower alone can get you only so far.
You need a proper strategy to help you achieve something. Working around scientific principles is the best way to do something.
By understanding the science behind this, it will be easier for you to accomplish a task that might seem hard right now.
By understanding the habit formation process and exploiting it, we can break this bad habit.
Habit Formation
When you look at a smartphone or a laptop, your brain gets reminded of the pleasure you receive when you use them. Then, you want to pick them up and start using them.
The more you do this, the stronger the signal your brain gives when you see a gadget.
We have to break this. There are two ways of doing this; one is to remove the stimulus (the trigger), and the other one is to decrease the pleasure experienced by using these.
Method 1: Removing the Stimulus
The best way to do this is by keeping your phone away somewhere where you
can’t see it.
Out of sight, out of mind.
You must also turn off notifications. However, I would not suggest doing so.
Instead, I would suggest turning off the Wi-Fi and keeping the notifications on.
Method 2: Reducing the Reward
This is a lot trickier than the first one is. I would suggest you go for the first method.
If for some reason, you cannot do the first method, this can help you as well.
Here’s the crux: Use your phone only for work-related purposes.
Doing so will convey a message to your brain - that your phone is to be used for work only.
Of course, that doesn’t mean not using your phone for entertainment purposes at all. Do use it - just not that much.
Bottom Line
You can combine these two methods together - taking advantage of both worlds.
By using your phone only for work-related stuff and a laptop or a computer for entertainment and keeping that computer/laptop out of sight, you can fight smartphone addiction easily.
This is what has worked for me personally. Let me know after trying this if this worked for you as well.
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