A smartphone is a tool, not a person–we all know that. And yet, we’re only spending 34 minutes a day with our families. This adds up to just 8.6 days a year spent with our loved ones–compared to 50 days a year on our phones.
There is often a big gap between knowing we want to use technology more mindfully, and knowing how to do just that. Here are some ways to break the cycle of addition to our devices and bring back intention and thoughtfulness into your technology use.
Here are 6 Ways to Use Technology Mindfully:
- Turn off all notifications that aren’t from a human being in real time.
This is a vital step for stopping the cycle. Text messages and phone calls are okay, but all app and news notifications are out. App notifications, after all, are simply advertisements trying to get you to open up an app–which might be in the business’ best interest, but it is rarely in yours.
2. Put your phone into greyscale mode.
While it will still function just the same, putting your phone into greyscale mode makes many of the things we do on our phone much less interesting–and thus much less tempting. If you don’t want to leave your phone in greyscale mode all the time, you can do it occasionally. I have a keyboard shortcut set up so that I can easily put my screen into this mode if I’m having trouble putting my phone down.
3. Don’t do anything on your phone that you can do on your computer instead (especially social media.)
This is a wonderful way to cut back on things like social media usage without forcing it: when we limit things like reading news and scrolling our social feeds to our computers, we will naturally spend less time doing them–and will also limit this behavior to just one spot, rather than, well, everywhere.
4. Get your phone out of the bedroom.
Get an alarm clock, if you don’t already have one, and charge your phone in another room at night. If you truly feel like you need to have it in the bedroom with you when you sleep, put it into “Do Not Disturb” mode (this way your important contacts can get through in an emergency) and plug it in across the room and away from your bed. It’s key to have it out of “reaching” distance, so that there is effort between you and the temptation. (And in case it has to be said: your phone doesn’t belong in your bathroom, either.)
5. Commit to screen-free time once a week.
For many of us, our brains have become so used to having our phones as constant companions (more than 2/3 or us are sleeping with them, after all) that we can’t imagine even taking a walk without them. Commit to spending some time once a week–even an hour once a week is a great idea–with no technology at all. No TV, no e-book reader, no computer, and no phone (seriously, no phone; turn it off and put it in a drawer.) This time helps our brains remember that we can be okay without our devices, which begins to take some of the power away from the addictive cycle.
6. Clear out your home screen.
Use “out of sight, out of mind” to your advantage, and clear out your home screen. Hide apps that tend to tempt you in folders and several pages over, and limit what’s on your home screen to only things that serve you (such as, perhaps, calculators, meditation apps, or timers.)
There is no need to do all of these things at once; cold turkey rarely works. But by beginning to bring intentionality and thoughtfulness into your interactions with technology, you can become an increasingly more mindful user of technology–and bring human connection to the forefront of your life once again.
About Liza Kindred
Liza Kindred is the author of EFF THIS! Meditation: 108 Tips, Tricks, and Ideas for When You’re Feeling Anxious, Stressed Out, or Overwhelmed.
She is the creator of the EFF THIS! Meditation community, where the sacred meets the profane. She is also the founder of Mindful Technology™ where she teaches companies how to build tech that values humans more than machines. Liza is a licensed minister, a level two reiki practitioner, and a terrible but passionate surfer.
Liza Kindred has studied meditation and Buddhism with some of the best teachers in the world for over a decade… but she still swears a lot. (After all, the path to enlightenment runs right through the messy realities of everyday life.)
If there is one thing that Liza wants you to know, it’s that there is nothing wrong with you. While the wellness industrial complex might use self care as a way to keep us striving for constant improvement, she believes that unconditional self love in the here and now is the only way to ever be truly happy. You are complete, just not finished.
Stay in touch! Subscribe to Liza’s newsletter at lizakindred.com/subscribe and connect on Twitter at @LizaK and on Instagram at @Liza_K … and the ever-hilarious @EFFTHISmeditation.
