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Do you spend too much time on your mobile phone? With these tips you can shorten your smartphone time. In a survey, one in four Dutch people described themselves assmartphone addicts. Due to the Corona pandemic, time spent on mobile phones worldwide has increased as much as in the last few years combined. On average, we spend four hours and ten minutes a day with our smartphone in our hand.
Is that too much for you? We have some tips for you to reduce cell phone time.
1. Activate the grayscale mode
What sounds strange is extremely effective: activate the grayscale mode. If the screen of a smartphone suddenly no longer shines in many bright colours, but only shows different shades of gray, it becomes lessattractive. And those who enjoy their mobile phone less often also put it aside more often. That's the theory.
How do I activate the grayscale mode?
- Android: Settings / Accessibility / Visual aids and enable grayscale (may differ depending on model).
- iPhone: Settings / General / Accessibility / Display adjustments / Set colour filter to On (default: grayscale)
2. Limit mobile phone time
Almost all current smartphones now have an integrated function that allows you to limit cell phone time. All functions can be limited after a certain period of use or time, or the duration of games or social media apps can be limited. Alternatively, you can also set fixed mobile phone times.
If the device features are not enough, you can also use external apps. There are apps for Android and iPhone that can be used to monitor and limit usage time. These not only record how much time is in differentapps is spent, but sometimes also have a reward system. In the Forest app, for example, the user grows a plant on his screen that becomes larger the longer the smartphone is not used. You can give it up at any time, but then the digital plant dies. In-app purchases can also be used to support real plant projects.
3. Making a stack of mobile phones
One trick that can be used especially when meeting friends, when participants would normally be constantly reaching for their phones, is the cell phone stack. The principle is very simple: all smartphones are equipped with itstacked screen down on the table and left there. Anyone who reaches for their mobile phone will be punished. In a restaurant or bar that could be a round of drinks for everyone, or something else that everyone agrees to.
If all the cell phones are in a pile, no one in the group knows whose phone is ringing.
4. Ban the smartphone from bed
Many people look at their phone for the first time before they get up. Even at night before going to sleep, the last thing you do is look at your smartphone screen. There is also a simple trick against this: ban the mobile phone from the bed. Instead of on the bedside table next to your head, the phone can also be charged on a chest of drawers or on a shelf. The only important thing is that it cannot be reached from the bed. If that doesn't go far enough for you, you can also throw the smartphone out of the bedroom completely and set up a cell phone-free zone in bed.
For many, the smartphone is simply part of the bedtime routine.By banishing the cell phone from the bed, you can quickly and easily reduce cell phone time.
5. Leave your smartphone at home
Do you leave your mobile phone at home? It sounds absurd, but when you think about it, you realize that you don't need your cell phone for many activities. Should your mobile phone be with you when you meet friends or go to the supermarket? Not really. If you leave your smartphone at home occasionally, you will get out of the habit of constantly looking at the screen and concentrate on your own environment. Of course, if you need to be reachable, you can't put this tip into practiceto take.
6. Start a fun hobby
You often look at your mobile phone because you are bored. What can you do against boredom? Start a fun hobby, like Paint by Numbers, take photos in the forest or start a fun construction project. By starting something fun, you are less likely to pick up your phone and scroll through all the social media posts for another half hour.
Frequently asked questions
