5 Ways To Spend Less Time On Your Phone

Smartphone addiction is real and it is serious. Don’t believe me? Read the research. Maybe you aren’t addicted but after learning about how your smartphone affects your brain, you probably want to spend less time on your phone. I know I do.

If you are like me and want to spend less time on your phone, you are in the right place. Here I am going to share 5 ways to spend less time on your phone. Some of these you’ve probably heard before, but I am betting there are a couple of tips you haven’t heard.

Switch your data plan or set limits.

I recently changed carriers and decided to go from an unlimited plan to a plan with a data cap. While primarily to save money on my monthly plan costs, I also saw it as a way to cut down on unnecessary phone time. Most of my time on my phone is for work, but I want to reduce the time I am on my phone when I am “out of office” or not working. Limiting the cellular data available for me to use will help me tremendously.

If cutting down your data plan isn’t an option, try and set a limit for yourself. If you are on wifi all the time, capping your data won’t help with spending less time on your phone. To do that, you will need to use the screen time tracker that comes with your phone. You can see what your weekly and daily use is and then set a goal from there. If you spend 2 hours on your phone a day and want to reduce your time by 25%, you could easily track that.

Turn cellular data off for nonessential apps.

I putz around on my phone at the weirdest times. I’ll sit in the parking lot of Whole Foods playing on my phone instead of getting my shopping done. Or I’ll get a notification one of my friends uploaded a YouTube video and the next thing I know it’s been twenty minutes and I haven’t even gotten out of the car.

If you want to change how you spend time on your phone, turn cellular data off for certain apps. Want to read your book while on the train instead of mindlessly scrolling Instagram? Turn cellular data off for Instagram, but keep in on for your Kindle app.

Turn airplane mode on when you need to be distraction free.

I have shiny object syndrome and get distracted easily. If I want to avoid all distractions I will turn airplane mode on. I’ll do this when I am driving or if I want to give someone my full attention.

Obviously we don’t need to be texting while driving, but if you find that you want to glance down at your phone every time it lights up, that can be a problem too. Also if you really want to spend quality time with a friend or significant other, airplane mode is perfect. You can give that person you are with 100% of your attention.

Schedule screen free self-care time every week.

I know that I can spend hours on my phone all in the name of self-care. I mean who doesn’t love to have some chill time watching YouTube, scrolling IG, and pinning things on Pinterest. While a little bit of that can be nice from time to time, it can easily get out of hand. Plus it doesn’t always feel as relaxing or recharging as I thought it would be. So instead of zoning out on my phone, I make sure to schedule in screen free self-care time. For me that can be going on a walk or taking a relaxing bubble bath.

Like I said, taking a bit of time to chill while on your phone isn’t bad. However, if you are trying to spend less time on your phone, try to find other self-care activities to help you relax.

Related reading: An Introduction To Self Care

Don’t check your phone first thing in the morning.

For the longest time, the first thing I did was check my phone. I had to pick it up to turn my alarm off, so it was just so easy to get drawn in. I’d go from the alarm to scrolling IG to reading email. There goes an hour. Now I have a list of things I need to do before I am even allowed to use my phone.

If you find yourself reaching for your phone first thing, do what I did. Quit using your phone as an alarm. If you pick up your phone first thing, you have to use more will power to say no. Use an old school alarm, don’t pick up your phone. Do the things you need to do. Then when the time comes, go pick up your phone.

Additional Thoughts On Spending Less Time On Your Phone

I have seen success by using these five tips. Of course you may find other tricks and tips that will help you spend less time on your phone. After all you know your usage and your trigger best. If you have any additional tips, I’d love for you to leave a comment so we can all benefit.