Quit your smartphone addiction with(in) 30 days challenges

The first step for changing a behaviour or an addiction is to admit that you are doing that, to acknowledge the addiction.

Once you acknowledged having a problem with your phone usage, it is time to track how much time you spend and waste daily.

Although this is not a usual behaviour for the regular internaut, which stops scrolling after three or four mouse or hand scrolls, things are different when it comes to certain social media sites, designed for infinite scrolling.

The sounds produced by certain apps or social media sites can be very rewarding sometimes.

One of the best ways to get rid of an addiction is to get those around you involved.

Although it might sound obsolete, it is proven that reading from an electronic device can be more tiring for your eyes than reading a book.

Now that you realised that you should make serious changes in your life, tell everyone about this.

Look for the phone settings that give you alerts about everything, especially on social media. Look inside Facebook alerts settings and deactivate them.

It is well known that our emotions and behaviours are determined by our thoughts.

When you are addicted to your phone is because you seek and receive instant gratification.

If you plan your activities, you will keep yourself busy and have little to no time to waste on your phone.

You can be your own therapist and get rid of this smartphone addiction. And that involves having a set of rules and respecting them.

While professional help is always recommended in addictions, there are times when you can be your own therapist, provided you are serious about the change you want to achieve. One of the steps you can do in this matter is to use bibliotherapy, which is a form of self therapy based on reading useful resources yourself and applying them to your problems.

Get online or offline help from dedicated groups.

This does not imply to give your smartphone to a stranger. Instead, it means to give it to someone you know and trust and ask that person to help you with your addiction, for a limited and clear period of time.

Just as you are asked to turn off your smartphone and other electronic devices during a flight and put them on airplane mode, you should do the same in certain similar situations.

This is a common sense rule that says you should be present 100% in a conversation and not divert your attention to something else.

Whenever you must choose between two options, you can make a simple comparison where you weigh the pluses and minuses, whether it is a product, a service, a relationship or, in this case, a device.

Instead of wasting time scrolling and browsing online, you can meditate or exercise.

In terms of time, you have the same amount of time as I do, or as anyone else in this world. The difference is in the way you decide to use it. So, instead of wasting your time, use it, invest it, spend it wisely.

Statistics have the power to impress, because they structure a lot of information into a smaller package.

You can fight your addiction to smartphones and online uncontrollable scrolling and browsing with other smart tools, such as a smart controlled outlet, which can be controlled via an app or by voice, using a smart AI such as Alexa.

If you look at the statistics again, you will notice other worrying data, such as the number of people who decide they cannot live without their smartphones.

Although this might sound a bit harsh, it is important to admit to ourselves that the world does not spin around us.

Just as you have people you look up to, there are people who could be looking up to you for an example.

If you want to get rid of the smartphone addiction and also improve your relationship with some of your friends, try the following approach. Whenever you are scrolling online and sharing, liking or retweeting something, simply decide to congratulate or greet that person in reality.

The world was not made in a day, and neither are addictions. They need time to form and usually they appear from behaviours we do daily, for a longer period of time.

Spending time online has definitely some benefits, especially for those using the Internet, smart devices and social media.

To celebrate doing all these challenges, have a “No Smartphone Day” each month.

You have to find a place where you can go for a week and not use your phone.

Congratulations for finishing this course.