5 Simple Steps to Minimize Your Phone Use

My approach to a digital cleanse that helped me gain focus and free time.

This has been living in my drafts since March, but now feels like a good time to bust it out. Last week I shared how I’m simplifying my life right now. Putting my phone down has been a game changer for me, but it isn’t always easy. Overall, the average American will spend over two months (65 days) on their phones in 2023!¹ Personally, I don’t like the sound of that.

I started with one boundary for myself and have slowly but surely addressed more issues to minimize my phone use. The result so far: I am willing to play more games of Scrabble, I’m a better listener, and I am much more creative and have time to indulge my creativities. Sounds good, right? Here’s how I did it:

Step 1: Unplug at 7:00PM everyday.

I slept with my phone for over 10 years. I started doing it as soon as I got a phone. I slept with it next to me and made a habit of having the first and last thing I did everyday be looking at my phone. 89% of Americans say they check their phones within the first 10 minutes of waking up(1). If this is your jam and you like the sound of that, no shade- I just felt like that was leaving me more empty than full and it was in my hands to change it (pun intended).

Here are some of the excuses I had about why I could not sleep without my phone and solutions I have for those excuses to why this would not work:

1. I use my phone for an alarm clock. This was a legitimate barrier for me for a couple of weeks before I decided enough was enough.

   1. Turns out the wristwatch I wear everyday has a built in alarm clock (most do).

   2. My Google Home speakers also have alarm clock capability.

   3. Alternatively, you can purchase an alarm clock on Amazon for under $15. That is a pretty low cost in exchange for more free time and a better night of sleep.

   4. Okay, or you can be extra and buy a super cute alarm clock. Clearly I thought about doing that. I’m not a huge advocate for buying stuff you don’t need but I can make exceptions for function meeting form.

      

      Braun Classic | Wood Block | Arne Jacobsen, all from Schoolhouse Electric

2. What if there is an emergency I need to attend to? I get it. Maybe you have kids who are driving out late, elderly parents in a nursing home, or a job that you requires you to respond to right away.

   1. Treat your cell phone like a landline phone. Before cellphones there were landline phones. You might recall that they were stationary in a home. You did not carry it with you everywhere you went but you would be able to hear it when it rang. If people couldn’t get a hold of you they would leave you a message for you to hear later or sometimes if it was super important they would come straight to your house to deliver the message.

   2. Communicate a Plan: I have told everybody who would typically contact me past 7:00pm that I most likely won’t be available. I even let people at work know that and guess what? Nobody cared or seemed to miss me past 7:00pm. My family seems to have a phone tree that I am at the bottom of. Fortunately for me I have twin telepathy (I know this sounds crazy but I swear it’s true) and when something is important from my twin sister I can generally sense that. I realize this is a super power that most people won’t be able to relate to.

   3. Let emergency responders do their jobs. This one might be a bit morbid or crass, but when there is an emergency, there most likely isn’t much you can do to help anyways. I’m at peace about that. I can find out about a tragedy in the morning.

3. What if I need to look something up? Write it down and do it later. Or not- and forget about it. We are so accustomed to things happening at the speed of light when a lot of time our fleeting thoughts can just be left alone without an immediate response. This approach has helped me to be more intentional about what I am doing in my evenings (not just randomly online shopping) and has also reminded me to use the resources I have! A couple of months ago I wanted to look at some scrap quilts on Pinterest and I decided to look in a book I had and found a great pattern to use. I actually saved $12 in this instance!

Step 2: Identify the apps that are distracting to you.

Hi, social media! I’m talking to you! It seems like there is an app for everything these days and they can be extremely helpful or very distracting. Your phone probably has a digital wellness element integrated into the settings that can tell you how much time you are spending on apps. Start by looking at that and determine where you can cut back time. Do you need to spend that much time on Facebook everyday? Think critically during this and determine why you are spending time on certain apps. Are you bored? Searching for inspiration? Caught up in work? I figured that out for me, Instagram was something I did when I was bored-like an impulse. Instead of looking at Instagram now, I try to look for reading material or a craft to engage me.

Step 3: Set boundaries to address the distracting apps.

Once you have identified what apps are distracting to you and why, you are ready to set some boundaries. Instagram and Facebook on my phone is not a good idea for me. Instead, a boundary I have set for myself is that I can only look at those on my laptop. This works well for me because I have to be intentional about opening my laptop which makes me think about the purpose of my visit to these apps that I used to waste my time scrolling on. I furthered my Instagram detox by unfollowing anybody I don’t know (mostly influencers), and muting anybody I do know that behaves like an influencer on Instagram (sorry, I still like you as people I just don’t need product placements in my feed!) Instagram is a lot less catchy and interesting without the constant reels and sponsored content. Normal people are kind of boing, but I like seeing your babies, vacations and dinners sometimes anyways.

Step 4: Minimize notifications and unwanted emails.

This one is easy. Well, actually easier said than done. It will take some time. Unsubscribe to all of the dumb e-mails you get and change your settings to unwanted notifications as they come up. Do you really need to be notified every time somebody starts and Instagram live video? Probably not. Goodbye annoying dings and distractions and hello free time! I did this and it is amazing how many notifications I was getting before and didn’t even realize. I love waking up to no notifications even after not looking at my phone for 12 hours. An added bonus is that the less notifications you get, the less you need to reach for and open your phone. I probably get around 5 notifications a day and they are most likely email- another app I could remove from my phone.

Step 5: Consider a more minimal display design.

This is extra credit. I have paid for I think 1 app in my life, and it is the Minimalist Phone App.

Minimalist phone is a custom home screen for android phones that replaces your default home screen. its unique and minimalist user interface is designed to support mindful phone use and avoid mindlessly spending hours on your phone with a traditional home screen.

Like many of the reviewers, I love it and will never go back. I even considered getting a dumb phone but this has been effective for curbing my reach to my phone without sacrificing the apps I find to be super helpful or entertaining, like Google Maps, and Spotify.

I also got the free version of the one sec app, which forces you to take a breath before opening certain apps you deem distracting. I put this on Pinterest, and it really has curbed my desire to endlessly scroll looking at whatever.

This fall I am adding a challenge…

of not looking at my phone for the first hour I wake up. I am also making a challenge for myself to keep my phone out of reach when I am working. Additionally, I am no longer bringing my phone with me when I am out to eat- I’ll just leave it in the car or at home depending on what time it is.

Overall, my dependency on my phone is waning and I am happy with that progress.

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Things I Can’t Stop Thinking About This Week:

1. Wood Paneling. Probably because I live in Northern Wisconsin where wood paneling is aplenty. It’s underrated. Mark my words, someday I will live in wooden box (aka a cabin) of sorts. It just feels so cozy and personal to me.

2. Hygge. And more specifically, The Little Book of Hygge. And even more specifically, Hyggebuskers, which are cozy pants you wouldn’t be caught dead in. I wear mine in front of close friends and family, but I’m always a little embarrassed. I appreciate that this is a word that exists in Danish.

3. Food Forests. This is something that I will continue to research until I find just the right plot of land to purchase and start planting my own food forest. Basically, its planting layers (similar to a forest) of edible plants that support each other. In the end, you have a lot of food for yourself, the animals and your neighbors and eventually it is a lot less labor intensive than traditional perennial food gardens. I’m in zone 4 and I’m dreaming of apple trees, cherry trees, raspberries, blueberries, black berries, asparagus, onions, garlic, and lots of herbs.

Thanks for reading!

Love you,

Laine

1. https://www.reviews.org/mobile/cell-phone-addiction/