As a computing teacher, I obviously love technology. Also, like most people, I love my smartphone. It never leaves my side, day or night, and it is always there when I need it to fill an awkward social moment or a 2-minute wait in a supermarket queue. Recently, however, I have questioned my relationship with my smartphone. Do I really need it by my side day and night? How does it affect my real life relationships and general concentration? I took Dr. David Greenfield's 'Smartphone Compulsion Test' and the results suggest I '...might consider seeing a psychologist, psychiatrist, or psychotherapist who specialises in behavioural addictions for a consultation'. Just consider for a moment that my smartphone use is lower than the average smartphone user in the UK. You can find the test here if you want verification that you too probably need to see a psychologist.
I decided to monitor my phone usage by downloading an app called 'AntiSocial' which so far, has found that although my usage is lower than average for my demographic, my number of device unlocks is higher than average with 45 a day (teens average 90 a day). I consider checking my phone every 22 minutes of my waking day unhealthy so I looked into doing a digital detox. The more I read, the more I discovered how smartphones and tech companies control and manipulate our behaviour without us even realising it. They are designed by brain hacking coders who create apps that play with our dopamine levels to keep us addicted. Combine that with a human desire for affirmation (do you ever feel that high if you have a high number of 'likes', or a low when you have none?), and it's time to re-evaluate who is actually in control. Like a food diet, a detox is just a temporary fix, and I want a healthy longterm relationship with my device.
I turned to Catherine Price's 'How to Break Up With Your Phone' for help. According to Catherine, the average person in the UK uses their phone for 2 hours a day. Just imagine what you could do with that extra two hours a day? I have failed miserably for years trying to learn Spanish (more on that later), and according to the American author Earl Nightingale, "if a person will spend one hour a day every day for five years on a certain subject, that person will become an expert on that subject". Using this theory, if I used even half of my smartphone time per day from the last few years as focused Spanish learning time, I could be at least competent by now. All of those hours staring into a screen seem like such a waste now.
It's obviously not an outcome I am pleased with and I have already set targets for how I will spend my extra time. Just as important as learning Spanish, I want to be more 'present in the moment'. By becoming more aware of my device unlocks and scrolling habits, I can question whether I really need to be checking my device right now and decide not to. In the past, I would check my phone when in a supermarket queue, or waiting for a bus. Now, I want to become more aware of my surroundings than my digital world. After all, which is more beneficial; an awkward Spanish conversation with a stranger where I might learn something (ok, maybe a conversation is being generous), or seeing on social media that an ex-school colleague I haven't seen for 15 years had a fry up for his breakfast?
I am hoping reducing my usage will help with the information overload we all face every day. I also hope for increased focus and productivity levels, less distractions and feeling more present.
For anyone looking to do the same, here are a few tips that I have learned:
- Download a tracking app to help monitor your usage
- Pay attention to your habits and ask yourself if you really need to check your phone right now
- Turn off all your notifications (calls and messages are your decision)
- Set 'no phone times' and 'no phone zones'. My new phone rules include:
- having a permanent place where it lives and is charged, much like an old-school landline. I have ordered this stand for it.
- It is not used during meal times and never taken into the dining area or bedroom. How many people have their phone on their nightstand while they sleep?
- I no longer check it for the first hour I get up and the last hour before I go to bed. I can imagine for many people is it the last thing they see before sleeping and the first thing they see upon waking up.
- Tidy your apps and keep only the productivity ones on the first screen. You could also:
- Delete social media apps from your smartphone. That way, you have to purposefully check it on a desktop.
Tech giants are using algorithms to figure out human behaviour and they have the ability to control and manipulate the information we see as individuals. Maybe there isn't anything I can do about that, but I can reduce its effect on my life by taking back some of my control and altering my behaviour. As Dan Meredith so eloquently put in his book 'How to be f*cking awesome', "it's too easy to let the little f*cker run your life so don't let that little digital prick tell you what to do. Remember whose life it is, OK?" I can't think of much better advice I've read recently.
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