{"id":117769,"date":"2023-01-24T10:23:00","date_gmt":"2023-01-24T17:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bemorewithless.com\/?p=117769"},"modified":"2025-02-04T16:35:33","modified_gmt":"2025-02-04T23:35:33","slug":"less-phone-more-heart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bemorewithless.com\/less-phone-more-heart\/","title":{"rendered":"Spend Less Time on Your Phone with These 15 Little Tricks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you are wondering how to spend less time on your phone but you can’t stop looking at your phone, you are not alone. On average, we are spending four – five hours<\/a> a day on our mobile devices. That’s more than a full day a week! We tend to underestimate our usage too. Even though the data is trackable, it\u2019s hard to see and easier to avoid.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are sick of scrolling or want to avoid the regret that comes in a few years from choosing your phone over your life, I have some time-saving tricks for you. This isn\u2019t to say that phones are bad, only that losing control over the time you spend on your phone isn\u2019t great. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How to Spend Less Time on your Phone<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Now that we\u2019ve covered why you should spend less time on your phone, let\u2019s talk about how. These 15 suggestions will help you make your phone less interesting and make you more intentional. They will help you consider how you really want to spend your time<\/a>. I recommend trying these one at a time. See what works for you and modify the suggestions that aren’t a perfect fit. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There’s nothing to lose by giving a few of these a try, especially when compared to the things you may gain. When you spend less time on your phone, you’ll enjoy more free time, a better attention span and more human connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Remove email from your phone.<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I removed email from my phone years ago and don’t miss it at all. There\u2019ve been less than a handful of times email on my phone could have been helpful (over several years) and I\u2019ve reclaimed time and mental space by never looking at email on phone. If you notice you check email on your phone but don’t take action or don’t take meaningful action, save email until you are back at your desk or computer or carving out time specifically for handling email instead of chipping away at it all day long. If you aren’t sure if this will work for you, experiment. Try 30 days without email on your phone and see how it feels. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Don’t keep apps on the home screen or in neatly labeled containers.<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Instead, keep all apps in one folder (see lower right of my screen above). I open my apps (when I want to) by typing the app name in the search bar. That way I’m not tempted to open an app just because I see it on my phone when I am innocently checking the time. For the most part, you’ll likely forget they are there at all. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Turn off all notifications except for phone or text.<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Turn off social notifications, breaking news updates<\/a>, useless reminders that apps send you to keep you engaged and anything else that distracts you from your life. It takes an average of 23 minutes to bounce back from a distraction. Stay more focused with notifications off. If your calendar notifications are helpful, keep them on. Otherwise turn them off too.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Be honest about how much time you spend on your phone.<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you are concerned with your phone usage, notice when, how and why you use your phone and certain apps. If you want to find out where most of your phone time goes, try an app like <\/span>Moment<\/span><\/a> to track. For a quick glance of your mobile minutes and what apps get most of your time:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n