As I have written in previous blogs, I use an app called Freedom to control my app use on my phone…
There are a few things I do to limit my online usage.
First…
Block Your Favorites
What? Block your favorites? Yup.
Why block where you will never go!?
If you have favorite newsfeeds/sites, consider limiting your use to 30 minutes a day as an example.
For me, I only need to block about 6 sites that I habitually go to for good articles and news.
For example, I do not read CBC online. So, no need to block.
Sometimes I go on a complete fast of all sites, all the time for an extended period of time.
Here is a million-dollar question – if you spend 30 minutes scrolling newsfeeds or social media versus 30 minutes reading a classic novel by Dostoyevsky or Flannery O’Connor, which will nourish your mind and spirit more?
After all, we only have one life and only so much time. None of us would spend hours a day in a casino in Las Vegas month in month out. Would we?
Social media is like spending hours in Las Vegas, with no hope of a payout, except a truckload of non-cashable likes.
The way your cell phone is setup to addict you and draw you in and keep you in is frightening.
Check out this blog post from Freedom to discover all their tricks:
Turn Off Your Notifications
Notifications are a major distraction.
I read somewhere recently that it takes 20 minutes! (yikes) to refocus after a minor disruption in your work.
I use Telegram a lot. For business, for setting up community groups, staying in touch with our children, and for friends.
What I do is archive chat groups that are particularly busy and annoying. By archiving I do not see the notifications at all. When I want to know what is going on, I have to physically go to them and find them in the app.
My email notifications are turned off.
Heck, ALL my notifications are turned off. My phone is usually on silent mode (not even vibrate).
I have all my messaging apps blocked using my Freedom app from 9:30pm to 6:30am. No possibility of late night, nor early morning messaging.
I turn my phone off at night and leave it in another room.
All of the above has immensely improved my productivity and peace of mind.
I wish you the same!
Thanks for reading…