Are You Nomophobic? 5 Tips To Cure Smartphone Addiction
I noticed something strange when I went out for a walk today. Not that I hadn't seen it before but today was the first time that I really noticed it. Maybe because I went walking a bit later than usual, when it was mid morning.
Most people who were out for a walk like me were busy using their smartphones. Some were talking on their phones either through a headset or directly into the phone's microphone. There were others who seemed to be texting or typing into an app.
Some appeared to have taken a break from walking and were sitting down staring at the smartphone screens - browsing websites perhaps? Those who weren't doing any of the above, were listening to music on, you guessed it, on their smartphones. A couple sat on a bench, the man taking a selfie with his phone.
Smartphones have literally taken over human lives. We are afraid of robots taking over but here we have our lives taken over already by our phones. Whether it is taking a photograph, scheduling tasks or appointments, accessing information and emails over the internet, or hundreds of other uses the smartphone is the go-to device for nearly everything.
You might even be suffering from nomophobia! Here is the definition of nomophobia according to Whatis.com:
Nomophobia is the irrational fear of being without your mobile phone or being unable to use your phone for some reason, such as the absence of a signal or running out of minutes or battery power. A phobia is by definition an irrational fear.
However Wikipedia has a different viewpoint:
Nomophobia is a proposed name for the phobia of being out of cellular phone contact.[1][2] It is, however, arguable that the word "phobia" is misused and that in the majority of cases it is another form of anxiety disorder
Whether it is a phobia or an anxiety disorder is debatable, but the truth is that you would be better off without the stress and anxiety that is associated with it. In this post I will give you 5 tips based on how I reduced my smartphone dependency.
Notifications
In my opinion the biggest distraction is caused by the notifications from apps on the device. Keep only the ones that are urgent - preferably keep all of them off. I have all notifications except text messages turned off and I face few distractions because of it.
Limit Use
Reduce the amount of time that you spend on your phone. Obviously you may need to use the basic function of the smartphone which is to make and receive calls. But you could very well limit the time that you spend chatting, browsing the internet and using apps. I have fixed hours during which I use non-call related apps and the internet.
For example, I use the eSteem app for responding to comments, since I can do it while I am on the move. But for browsing my favorite sites on the internet I use my desktop computer on which I have installed Stayfocusd for limiting my time on those sites.
Uninstall Apps
I used to browse the Playstore and download any app that I fancied. These apps would remain installed on my device and I would tend to fiddle with them every now and then. I purged quite a few of them a few months ago and found myself using my smartphone less than before.
Switch It Off At Night
Let me tell you how I got rid of a bad habit quite easily. I used to wake up during the night to check something or the other on my smartphone. The solution was simple - I switched off the phone before going to bed. No longer do I feel the urge to check my phone at night.
Wear A Watch
Ever since I started wearing a wristwatch again I have reduced my phone usage. Actually it is not a wristwatch but a Fitbit tracker but it serves the function of a watch. Earlier I used to check the time on my smartphone and then check messages or open some app - I couldn't resist the urge.
Hope these tips help you limit your smartphone use!
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Well, it doesn't help when I am a fan of Gary Vee! :D
But that aside, yes I do agree that being joined to the hip to our mobile phones can be detrimental to our health and destroys our life communication with others.
I myself have turned off the notifications as I find them distracting me from doing more serious work which requires my 100% attention and focus. I have also started working "batching" my tasks where I focus on one task at a time with no access to mobile devices until I completed that task before moving on to the next. Else, checking on my mobile devices at every single beep is will only derail me from the more important task at hand
I totally agree with this. Disconnecting yourself from internet for a while can do wonders for your mental health.
True, it removes a lot of stress from your life.
Really appreciate your post and your ideas. I think the advice of wearing a watch is very helpful because many people - like me - just want to look at the clock and start doing something completely different.
True. Looking at your watch makes you aware of the time. Doing the same on your smartphone can be a whole different story which will start off an irresistible urge to use it.
Yes, exactly. Sometimes I also forget to check the time because a notification got my attention.
Guilty as charged! Not only am I a Nomophobe I have two phones so I don't miss anything. (In all fairness, i'm a social media manager.)
Thanks for your comment. Being a social media manager is awesome!
Do companies mention Steemit yet when they talk about managing their social media accounts? Of course this is a platform which is quite different from Facebook or Twitter, but just curious to know what companies think about it - that is, if they are aware.
It's interesting because Steemit is not widely known outside of this bubble but I'm a freelancer and so are 99% of my friends so I have told them about it and the ones on the platform love it! Especially the vloggers...
Thanks for the reply, and for the resteem! I saw that you're a Twitter expert after looking at your profile. :-)
Interestingly, one of the more established members here @stellabelle, does most of her promotion on Twitter, as I understand. So another question to you(last one lol) is - is it worth creating a Twitter profile for promoting Steemit posts, especially if they're on diverse topics?
Absolutely it is! @Stellabelle is awesome and engages a lot on Twitter! There is a great group of Steemians over there. Had it not been for twitter I probably would have missed a lot of valuable content. I have 41 accounts because of work but it really is my social media platform of choice.
41 accounts! That is a lot of work!
Thanks for the tip - I shall start planning my Twitter promotion now. :-)
Great! I look forward to following you!
Nice tips, I will have to start buying my family watches :) I don't have problems with overusing phone and I am really pissed when I go for a drink with someone and he is checking his phone all the time. Friend of mine and me had a certain rule a while ago.
Whoever was in the bar with us had to comply to the rule. Everyone had to put their phones screen down on the table, and whoever picked his phone without the phone ringing (valid excuses like having to make a call were also accepted) had to buy a round of drinks for everyone at the table.
Now our friends are much more disciplined so I didn't have to use the rule in a long time. On the other hand I miss the free drinks. :)
That is a nice rule to set in a bar, and a very unique idea too!
Yes, it is disconcerting to have people giving you company looking at their screens when they are supposed to be listening to you. On the other hand, someone who mutes his phone or switches it off when you have something important to say - makes such a difference!
Although it is much less than a smartphone, I do look at my tracker every once in a while to check how many steps I have done for the day.
At some point I realized that I spend too much time thinking where and what with my phone. Is battery full enough, is it working, do I have new notifications and million other little thing about the phone. Then I decided to change that. I spoke to myself - why do I need phone and what functions of phone I really need. There was, obvious, speaking and sending messages to other, but also some specific for my job like navigation in new towns and... believed or not, I could not put another thing on the list. Web... yes, but I can easily live without surfing all the time. Social media... I have computer for that. Games... I have XBox for that. So I decided to start using ordinary non-smart phone and get very nice navigation for my car. My life is so much simplier now ;)
That is a brilliant idea!
In fact I did just that but in different circumstances - my smartphone wasn't working at the time, and I started using an old feature phone. But I found such relief knowing that I don't have to check for anything on my feature phone.
I was tempted to buy the new Nokia 3310 when it came out last year but then dropped the idea. For one, then I cannot use an app like eSteem which makes things convenient for me. I even write posts on my phone when I am outside, using a writing app. I may miss those small conveniences if I use a feature phone.
They definitely are addictive things. When my kids come back home and we eat together or are takking their mother makes everybody put their phones up so we actually look at each other. I think the phones can be insidious for some because of the "programing" that can take place when the digital world becomes the main source of stimulation. The watch idea is most insightful. I keep my phone on silent at all times. UV resteem. Well done!
Thanks! You've got a pretty good practice of actually being together as a family at home!
Good to know that you mute your phone ring always.
I think I learn more to agree with wikipidia's defenition of nomophobia... But I'm glad I don' t have it... :) Or so I hope lol.... And, yes, I found turning off notifications and uninstalling unused apps very effective and less distracting... I still need to buy a new watch as I haven't had one for years :)
Thanks for stopping by!
You could also consider a fitness tracker that seems to be in vogue these days - it also helps in keeping yourself fit.
SO interesting and I had not heard that term before
I was at one stage afflicted but now I make a point of having some time each day where my device is out of sight and out of mind
Neither had I heard of the term before. But as always, before drafting the post, I decided to do some research on what others were saying about smartphone addiction and came across the term.
Good to know that you have your smartphone use under control.
I do now but I used to be bad, not so much for the smart phone as such but for work emails and being available 24/7 even while on vacation or at important social events, those days are now over for me