Just like any other addiction, a smartphone addiction can be hard to break. Especially if it’s causing you to lose sleep, miss out on social interaction or feel emotionally disconnected.
It’s possible to kick your phone addiction with a few simple changes. You could try charging your phone in another room overnight or putting it on airplane mode before bed to prevent the temptation of checking notifications.
1. Checking Your Phone Every Time You Feel Lonely or Bored
If you find yourself reaching for your phone every time you feel lonely or bored, this habit may be a sign that you need to address an underlying issue. Consider talking with a counselor or trying cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). This will help you identify and replace irrational thoughts that contribute to maladaptive behaviors, such as the belief that you’re going to miss something important if you don’t check your phone constantly.
Try turning off notifications on your smartphone or leaving it in another room when you’re having a meal, playing with your kids, or meeting with friends. This will help you acclimate to the idea of being unplugged for short periods of time. If you’re addicted to games, try swapping them for offline versions like Scrabble or crossword puzzles.
2. Checking Your Phone During Every Meeting
Unless you’re waiting for an important call or text, it’s impolite to check your phone during a business meeting, religious service, visit with friends and family, or any other public gathering. Silence your ringer or set it to vibrate so that you can discreetly take calls or respond to texts without interrupting others.
If you’re a smartphone addict, find an accountability partner and make a pact to limit your screen time together. It will be much more challenging to resist the temptation of checking your phone if you have someone else to hold yourself accountable. If you’re concerned that people will get annoyed by your slower response times, let them know ahead of time that you’re trying to break an unhealthy habit. They’ll adjust their expectations and respect your privacy.
3. Checking Your Phone During Every Conversation
While some amount of smartphone use is okay, it becomes problematic when your phone usage interferes with important face-to-face relationships and other healthy habits like reading, exercising, or spending time with friends. If you find yourself constantly checking your phone while talking to people or ignoring your friends over lunch, it's time to reassess your relationship with the device and develop healthier habits in its place.
According to nationally syndicated etiquette columnist Judith Martin (aka Miss Manners), it's considered rude to check your phone while someone else is speaking to you. Plus, looking at your phone constantly keeps you from being fully engaged in a conversation and it can even cause you to miss out on fun facts or information that would be relevant to the topic at hand.
4. Checking Your Phone During Every Activity
Do you feel a sense of panic or dread if your phone battery dies, it crashes, or you forget it at home? Or, do you have a “fear of missing out” and compulsively check your phone because you think that others are having more fun or are more connected than you?
To break this habit, try using an alarm to specify how often you can check your phone. For example, start with every 15 minutes, then move to every 30 minutes, and eventually only once an hour. This will help reduce response-anxiety and teach you to work deeply without checking your phone. It also helps to replace this behavior with something more productive or meaningful, like reading a book or practicing a hobby.
5. Checking Your Phone During Every Task
You might think you can’t live without your smartphone, but it’s possible to use it responsibly so that it doesn’t get in the way of other important things. If you notice that you are checking your phone compulsively throughout the day, you can make some small changes to break the habit.
For example, try turning off your notifications so you aren’t constantly interrupted by calls and texts. This will help you to focus on the task at hand and improve your productivity.
Alternatively, you could also try using a digital detox app to track your screen time. This will encourage you to reduce your usage and may be a good incentive to give up your smartphone addiction for good! Also, try to find other things to do when you feel bored besides reaching for your phone. This can be as simple as reading a book or taking a walk.
