Fighting My Smartphone Addiction
Soul Letter #59
Hello👋 folks, Shubham here.
I am back with another edition of Soul Letter 🗞
Pandemic has changed a lot of things including our relationship with technology.
With a drop in physical interactions due to obvious reasons technology has been our savior. It has kept the world functional (even going as far as challenging the older practices).
Like a coin with two sides, tech also has a dark one.
Smartphone addiction is a ubiquitous example.
My average phone time has gone up from 3 hours to 6 hours in the last couple of years.
On a bad weekend, it’s in double figures which is embarrassing.
Nowadays we are so engrossed in virtual worlds that it has turned us into digital zombies.
What irks me is the universal acceptance of the trend. It’s normal for people to use their phones at diners or gyms.
I have been using a few tricks to control my smartphone addiction. They are far from perfect, but that’s the best I got.
Sharing them with you might help me be sincere with my practice and may help you too.
Activate Grayscale Mode
Companies use vibrant colors to keep us hooked on our phones. You may have noticed many apps use red because we are hardwired not to ignore it.
The developers are pro at exploiting the human psyche. Every notification provides a dopamine hit which is equivalent while doing cocaine or consuming alcohol.
Using grayscale mode is the simplest solution to fight these evil creators.
Once you activate grayscale your phone becomes monotonous and boring.
Our brain doesn’t like dull things which makes it easier to put the phone down.
Use a Toothbrush wallpaper
Many people are amazed by my phone’s wallpaper which is a toothbrush.
It’s a reminder to treat my phone like a toothbrush.
The idea was conceived by Nikolas Goke.
According to him, we use a toothbrush only when we are supposed to, as long as we need to, and let it go once the job is done.
The same attitude should be applied while using your phone.
I Need a Dopamine Hit
This trick is from another top writer known as Sean Kernan.
Sean says whenever he uses social media apps he declares he is looking for a dopamine hit.
I have been using this a lot lately.
When I open WhatsApp or LinkedIn, I say aloud I need a dopamine hit.
Along with that I also state the reason why I am using the app.
This hack may sound futile but it makes you mindful of your addiction.
At times I will use an app for a specific motive and forget to do that exact thing.
Thanks to Sean’s wisdom I realized the gravity of my problem.
Digital Wellbeing Alternate
Phones have an inbuilt app for time tracking now.
They also permit to set time limits on app usage
These can counter our addictions given one is wise enough to use them.
I have gone a step further to download YourHour.
YouHour is the same as the default Digital Wellbeing apps with an additional quality of floating timers.
On each app, you can see the number of minutes spent on it while operating the app.
Believe me, you are compelled to close WhatsApp seeing you have already spent 2 hours on it. The live numbers are good enough to kindle some shame.
No Phone After 10:30 PM
The last trick in the locker is no phone after 10:30 pm.
It’s simple as it sounds if you can’t have a phone you can’t use it.
There’s another reason behind this.
On a given day we have limited willpower. Throughout the day the willpower is consumed by chores leaving us with the bare minimum at night.
This means that’s the time we are the most vulnerable (Your biggest blunders/regrets must have happened at night. Am I right?).
No wonder it’s hard to stop scrolling right before sleep.
Final Words
Mark Manson says smartphones are the new cigarettes.
Using them feels good in the moment but usually ends with guilt.
Instant gratification is messing with our brains.
I implore you to start acknowledging your addiction. You can’t fight a problem without accepting it.
With every app update, the engineers are finding subtler ways to grasp your attention. We don’t even know that we are being manipulated.
Don't be just another passive scroller, be a mindful consumer.
Learn to use your phone instead of being using by it.
Hope you enjoyed this edition.
Signing off for today :) Until next time, Houdoe! 🙋♂️
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