7 Ways to Spend Less Time on Your Phone and Be More Present with Those who Matter

A balanced and fulfilling life is one where you can be fully present. You get to enjoy the people, nature, and events in your life without distractions. But nowadays, that’s easier said than done for many.

Does your phone get more attention than some of your family members? When was the last time you had dinner and your phone was more present than you? Phone time, let's face it - device time - has risen exponentially during lockdown. Here’s 7 quick tips to better balance your phone time, and be more present in life and with those you care about.

1. Turn off notifications

Push notifications are both a blessing and a curse. As humans we are able to multi-task but not multi-focus. Every time you receive a notification, you’re taking your eye off the ball for a moment before reacquainting yourself with the task you were doing. This loses precious time, and likely, your train of thought. Instead, check your phone during a break and respond in bulk which is ultimately more efficient.

2. Remove unnecessary apps

If you find you spend a lot of time surfing social when you have nothing scheduled, consider removing social apps from your phone and accessing them instead from your laptop. This will eliminate casual ‘time wasting’ and allow you permission for some useful downtime instead. We tend to “use” every moment in our day but it’s often in the stillness that we awaken our ability to think critically or to spark our creativity.

3. Do not disturb

Use this function to create a mini-digital detox each night and make the most of it. Create some extra family time, study time, play time, or downtime, guilt-free and without distraction. It is truly blissful! Similarly, consider switching off for a day over the weekend – even just once a month – and see how liberating it can feel. Trust me on this one!

4. Review your screen time analysis 

Your smartphone should have a built in screen time analysis. If it doesn’t, look for a screen time analysis app in your app store. Check this periodically to see how you’re doing and determine an aspirational goal. You can also check the breakdown of time by app and consider removal of any that might be problematic for you.

5. Add a wellness app

Consider adding 10% Happier, Headspace, Calm, InsightTimer or various other provider to your phone. These are great to listen to when you get back to commuting or if you find yourself at a loose end. Many are free or come with free trials so you can play around with your own market research. Great for helping with sleep, stress and anxiety.

6. Practise etiquette 

Unless you’re expecting an urgent call or message, try to get in the habit of turning your phone face down during meetings or when catching up with someone for lunch or a coffee (even if it's via Zoom). Better yet, put it away completely. This is not just an etiquette tip but a stress reliever. Try it for a week and see how the feeling of being more present in your conversations creates greater calm, clarity and can reduce stress - and how much more engaged the other person becomes when they feel they have 100% of your attention.

7. Don’t sleep near your phone

Charge your phone in another room of your home overnight and use a regular alarm clock to wake up to in the morning. That way you don’t get tempted if you wake up in the middle of the night to check social (guilty!) and, really importantly, you don’t start your day with a screen so you can get ready mindfully.

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