More and more scientific studies prove that smartphone addiction is destructive. So, let’s mention some examples to explain it better.
In 2019, it was found out that the Americans spent approximately 3.5 hours per day with their smartphones. According to Zenith, this is 20 minutes more than a year earlier. And in 2021, it’s expected to increase by 4 hours. Do you know that people unlock their phones 58 times a day and 30 times when they are at work? It’s quite a surprising fact, right? This way, some tech companies tried to solve this problem by developing gadgets that could track screen time, but it didn’t help.
If you’re curious to know how technology plays a crucial role in leading a healthy lifestyle, , you can read here this information.
In this post, we’re going to have a closer look at what healthy practices should be used this summer.
Set the App Time Limit
In iPhones, there is the application limit that you can set in the “Screen time” function located in the settings. Just insert a time limit for a specific application, and the program will warn you five minutes before you end this activity. Besides, some versions of Android devices have the same feature known as “Digital Well-being. But most users need to download the app from GooglePlay, which usually takes much time.
Set the Gray Screen on your Smartphone
What if all color pictures and even interfaces of your smartphone have been suddenly turned black and white? What a daunting situation it is! You may not want to flip through the Instagram feed anymore after that. Colored icons reward our brain with vivid pictures every time we unlock the phone. This helps many people check their phones less often. So take advantage of this by setting the monochrome mode. Go to Settings -> General -> Universal Access -> Quick Commands (below) -> Light Filters. This will allow you to turn on the grayscale mode by quickly pressing the Home button three times, and use the colors when you need them.
Reduce the Intensity of Blue Light
Many modern screens have a vision protection function that reduces blue spectrum light to a minimum. Blue light loads our eyes in most cases. And it’s perceived by our brains as the evidence of a sunny day. That’s why you may have problems with your sleep like insomnia. If color reproduction is currently not critical for you (when working with text or even when hanging in social networks and playing online), turn off the eye protection function on your device.
Turn off all Notifications, Except those that Come from People
Notifications look like red dots because red is an annoying color that immediately attracts our attention. However, most notifications are generated by machines, and not by real people. They make our phones vibrate and force us to use our apps one more time, which we don’t need to do. Some smartphones help us avoid this annoying experience with the following function: Go to Settings -> Notifications, turn off all notifications, banners, and application icons except from your contact list included in WhatsApp, FB Messenger, Telegram, WeChat, etc.
Don’t Sleep with your Phone
Keeping your phone next to you in bed reduces the quality and quantity of your sleep. Its blue light tricks you into “daytime mode” that decreases your melatonin production. If you cannot stop using your device each night, turn on the night shift to reduce your exposure to blue light.
Reconfigure and Filter all your Digital Channels
Get rid of unnecessary sites, subscriptions, and leave only those channels that will allow you to read the news that you want. So, what should you do? Remove the apps that you don’t use on your phone and arrange all the icons logically so that you spend less time searching for information.
Set the Frequency of Partial Detox
Choose one day a month when you can leave your smartphone at home. At first, you may be nervous and constantly think that you have forgotten something important. But then, you will realize how cool it is, and you will start to persuade all your friends to live without a phone.
Talk More and Text Less
If you can get advice by phone or in-person, make a choice in favor of live communication for that. With all convenience and time savings, a smartphone cannot charge you with energy and a positive mood. Besides, through personal communication, you can establish trustful relationships and influence the interlocutor.
How much of your time is spent on reading social networks, pointless Internet surfing, and checking Instagram feed? It is very unlikely that every one of us asks this question so often. Reading e-mail letters, liking Instagram posts, or checking stories not only swallow up our time but also reduce our overall performance during the day. So, to improve this, you should spend less on the above-mentioned activities. After that, you will feel more productive and full of energy.
