We can hardly live without our smartphones any more, and for some people it occasionally looks like a real addiction. Perhaps you recognise it. You are sitting on the sofa or at your desk and look at your phone. You put it down, and almost without noticing you pick it up again two minutes later to check your Instagram feed once more. Who is at which festival, who is backpacking in South America? Completely pointless, and it is almost like a tic. When I caught myself doing this more often, I started thinking about how I could use my smartphone more consciously. For my own peace of mind and to separate work and private life better. Here are my tips.
Limit your screen time
Screen time measures how long your screen is on each day and which apps you use for how long. If you have never looked at it, it can be quite a shock. You can also set a limit per app. On an iPhone, Screen Time is built into the settings. On an Android phone, you will find similar features under Digital Wellbeing, with app timers and a bedtime mode. Google
Do you want to wake up better rested? Then put your phone away in good time. Light in the evening makes your brain think it is still day, so you produce less melatonin and find it harder to fall asleep. The Dutch Brain Foundation recommends avoiding screens for at least an hour before sleep. If you do use them, switch on night mode and watch something calm. Hersenstichting On an iPhone, that night mode is called Night Shift. You will find it under Display & Brightness, and you can set your screen to switch to a warmer colour automatically after a certain time.
Make free time truly free
A smartphone also has many advantages, of course. You are always connected, can work anywhere and are always in touch with your colleagues, whether you are on the train or at home. That can increase your productivity. But if you are not careful, it also disturbs your mental calm. Then you run the risk of fatigue, overstrain or worse: burnout.
It is handy that your boss or colleagues can still reach you in the evening, but agree with yourself that after a certain time you will stop working. You are not always obliged to respond after working hours. Switch off your internet or notifications after a certain time, or put your phone on silent. Then you won't be tempted to check that one message after all. You can also make clear agreements with your manager and colleagues that you don't want to be disturbed about work in the evening. Tomorrow is another day.
Use social media consciously
Constantly checking your social feeds during working hours not only costs productivity, it also affects your mood. If during work you see someone else on holiday while you still have months to wait, it doesn't necessarily cheer you up. Some people are more sensitive to this than others.
Switch off your social media notifications and agree with yourself that you won't check them at work. If that doesn't work, set a limit for those apps. And remember: people mainly post the highlights. Just because someone's life looks more fun online doesn't mean it is.
Leave your phone in your pocket more often
How annoying do you find it when someone looks at their phone while you are talking to them? Yet we do it ourselves more often than we think, in meetings or during lunch. Just because you find it normal to look at your phone at such moments doesn't mean your colleagues do. It can be very irritating and worsen the working atmosphere, and that comes at the expense of engagement and productivity.
What's more, the mere presence of your phone costs brainpower. Researchers showed that people scored worse on thinking tasks when their own smartphone was on the table than when it was in another room, even when they didn't look at it or think about it. Ward et al. So leave your phone in your bag or pocket more often and talk to your colleagues.
Also read focus for professionals and reducing work stress: 4 effective tips.
