6 Strategies For Mindful Cell Phone Use
So You Can Stop Your Cell Phone Addiction, Get A Full Night's Sleep, And Wake Up Feeling Energized
Phone addiction is real.
Everywhere you look, people are looking down. No one looks anyone in the eyes anymore because everyone's eyes are glued to an 8-inch screen. Some people get so sucked in they bump into other people or cause cars to slam on their breaks.
But those aren’t the biggest issues with mindless phone use.
It's disrupting sleep at alarming rates.
As a college lacrosse coach, I've learned most of the student-athletes I work with get less than seven hours of sleep. Many have stated they're on their phones immediately before they go to bed. This is suboptimal if they want to perform their best.
The same goes for all adults and teenagers with phones.
Sadly, I’ve also fallen into this habit in the past two weeks.
I get home from my 11 or 12-hour days of working two jobs, have dinner with my partner, and then scroll Instagram for over an hour.
The aftermath of that behavior?
Feelings of discontent
Guilt that I wasn’t present
Regret that time was wasted
Despite knowing these outcomes, it’s difficult to end phone addiction.
Here are a couple of reasons why it’s easy to get sucked into your phone via social media.
Reason 1: Ease Of Access
Almost everyone has their phone on them at all times.
Rarely do people not have their phones in their pockets, so the ease of access is high. It takes seconds to pull phones out and start using them.
It’s just as easy to download social media apps like TikTok, Instagram, or Facebook. All it takes is a few taps of buttons on a touch screen and internet access. It’s also easy to download addicting games like Candy Crush, chess, or Temple Run.
It’s no wonder why people have attachments to their phones.
Reason 2: Minimal Effort Needed
Because there’s minimal effort needed, phone scrolling quickly becomes a habit.
Instead of doing something wholesome and healthy for one’s well-being like journaling or meditation, most opt for scrolling. So after a long day, most would rather mentally check out than check in.
But the paradox of checking out this way is that it activates your brain, it doesn’t slow it down.
So if you’re on your phone right before bed, you’re using your brain’s energy, not replenishing it.
Reason 3: Social Media Algorithms
Social media carefully crafted algorithms so users get sucked in and spend as much time on the apps as humanly possible, a manipulative way to facilitate phone addiction.
These algorithms get created by your activity on the social media platform by tracking what posts you click on and how long you stay engaged in those posts. They even listen to conversations to pick up new data. This is why you have ads about food processors after mentioning you need one.
It’s a crazy world we live in that seems to be getting taken over by the powers of technology.
However, there are strategies to implement so cell phones have less of a stranglehold on your sleep.
Strategy 1: Set Screen Time Limits For Social Media
Social media carefully crafted algorithms so users get sucked in and spend as much time on the apps as humanly possible, a manipulative way to facilitate phone addiction.
But now, most people know that's how social media functions. So, what's the workaround?
Screen time limits.
You can go into the settings on your iPhone or Android phone and set limits on the social media apps on your phone so you only spend the time you allocate for them.
Strategy 2: Obey Screen Time Limits
Although screen time limits exist, iPhones and Androids give you a choice to disobey the limits you set. That feature makes it easy to scroll mindlessly and inhibit sleep despite trying to put a restriction on yourself.
So, instead of breaking the rules you've set, follow them.
Strategy 3: End Phone Usage At Least 30 Minutes Before Bed
To prevent scrolling in bed, set a cutoff time for phone use.
Many neuroscientists say it's best to stop using screens two hours before bed, but thirty minutes provides a great starting point to get into good pre-sleep habits.
Strategy 4: Delete Social Media Apps Off Your Phone
To beat distractions, it’s best to eliminate them altogether.
This may seem impossible, but it’s worthwhile.
Sure, it may seem like you’re missing out on important updates, but would you rather miss social media updates or miss out on your life?
Strategy 5: Implement Grayscale Display
Grayscale screens make your phone ugly.
The vibrant colors of your phone are attractive to your eyes, but once those are taken away, your phone immediately becomes less appealing.
I’ve done this off and on for the past couple of weeks and can attest that it’s an absolute game-changer.
You can do this by going into settings, clicking accessibility, then clicking display and text size, and finally turning color filters on.
Strategy 6: Block Time To Be Phoneless
When was the last time you didn’t have your phone on you? Chances are, it has been a while.
However, making a concerted effort to be without your phone makes it more likely you’ll spend some time without it. And less screen time often equates to more sleep.
So put it in your schedule so you’re controlling your phone usage and not letting your phone control you.
P.S.
That’s all for this edition of Warden’s Wisdom on Substack.
Speaking of which, I’m not 100% sure what I’ll be doing with this publication in the future.
Life has gotten quite busy for me lately, so I don’t know how much time I’ll be able to commit to this moving forward.
However, I send emails 2x a week to my other email list. You can sign up here and access a free 7-Day Mindfulness course!
Until next time,
Jimmy