taylodl
7 hours ago
There are (I thought) well-known ways to get off your phone:
1. Remove social media apps. You're going to have to use your laptop/tablet to access that content - which makes it deliberate. Just do it.
2. Disable most notifications. I only have notifications for calls and texts.
3. Keep your phone in your desk drawer, satchel, backpack or whatever when not in use. Studies have shown you'll be distracted less by your phone if it's out of sight. You have to deliberately retrieve your phone in order to use it.
4. Use your Do Not Disturb features judiciously. The notifications you do have enabled should be disabled for a block of time to promote healthy sleep habits and a good sleep routine.
5. Don't buy the flagship phone. Your phone is primarily for phone calls and texts (I'll include WhatsApp in this set of functionalities), listening to music, and taking snapshots. You don't need a lot of processing power for those tasks. If you're a budding photographer/videographer then buy a camera - it's far cheaper in the long run. The upshot is you can save a lot of money on your phone. You may not even be able to do some things on your phone - consider that a feature!
nullderef
2 hours ago
Hey! I'm actually the author of the article. These are some really good points, and they help a bunch of people. But it also leaves out a majority of them, I think. Especially those who are on the fence.
1. Some friends have done that, and it definitely works. Personally, I think social media is good as long as you don't overuse it. TikTok and Instagram are addicting, but also a new format of content; my mother learns a lot from short videos on TikTok about her garden, for example. It also helps me catch up with friends and see how they're doing. But it's too easy to get caught up.
2. Absolutely, and also silencing all sounds except for calls.
3. Very agreed.
4. Agreed. Sometimes, it's hard to be consistent with it, though. I was never able to stick to it.
5. Sure, but there's a bunch of people who get flagships because of the camera. There are brands like https://ghostmode.us/ for a combination of good camera + dumbphone, but it hasn't quite taken off.
One of the most important ways to get off your phone, in reality, is to replace it with something else. I find that having a hobby or meeting more with friends helps me doomscroll less.
taylodl
an hour ago
We're almost there! It's points 1 and 5 where there's some friction.
1 - I think social media is good as long as you don't overuse it, yeah, that's the rub. Social media is designed for you to overuse it. The best way to prevent that is to keep it off your phone. Use your tablet/laptop. This is the most important point. You must remove social media apps from your phone. This is the toughest step for most people.
5 - Adjust your expectations, the camera is for snapshots, not photographs - regardless of all the marketing saying otherwise. Hardware manufacturers use the camera to lure you into high-priced, flagship phones. If you're really into photography, then you'll save a lot of money by acquiring dedicated gear.
But far and away the most important thing you can do is remove the social media apps from your phone.
nullderef
36 minutes ago
I could agree with you on a personal level, but not for society. Solutions to phone overuse need to scale to a large amount of people, and I doubt we can ever reach a point where:
1. "People" completely delete social media. It's already part of our lives, especially in newer generations.
2. "People" separate cameras and smartphones. Having both together is too convenient.
"People" refers to the general population, outside the tech bubble. Those interested in using less their phone, but not willing to make huge sacrifices for it. It's similar to dumbphones -- sure, they fix the issue, but not everyone can switch to one.