How to Break the Habit of Checking Your Phone All the Time

How to Break the Habit of Checking Your Phone All the Time

Do you ever feel like your phone is controlling you? That you can’t break the habit of picking it up all the time, even when you know you should be doing something else? If so, don’t worry – you’re not alone. Picking up your phone has become a habit for most of us, and it’s surprisingly hard to break. In this article, we’ll discuss why it’s so hard to break the habit of checking your phone all the time, and we’ll give some tips on how to finally break free!

One of the best things you can do to take control of your life and your mental health is to break yourself of the habit of picking up your phone several dozen times a day or more. Because that’s what it’s become for most of us. A well-established habit, created by a positive feedback loop that’s surprisingly hard to break. 

Before we get into the how, you need to find out exactly how bad this habit has become for you. One of the best ways to accomplish this is by installing an app that tracks your phone usage. How often do you pick it up? How much total time do you spend on your device per day, week, or month? How long do you look at your phone on average each time you pick it up? There are plenty of free and paid apps to accomplish this. Choose one, install it and then come back in a week or two and see how you did. The results will surprise you. 

Ban Your Phone From Certain Places

This is a great way to break the habit of picking up your phone all the time. If you have trouble not picking up your phone when you’re at home, try banning it from certain places, like the kitchen table or your bedroom. This will help you to break the habit of mindlessly reaching for your phone when you’re in a place where you’re supposed to be relaxing or spending time with family. 

Stick it in a drawer if you have to so you won’t be tempted to check messages. This alone will make you become more aware of how often you reach for your phone. 

Turn Off Notifications

This is a big one. All those little dings and vibrations are designed to get your attention, and they work. So, the first thing you need to do is break the connection between those notifications and your brain by turning them off. Go into your settings and find the “Do Not Disturb” feature. It will silence all incoming calls, messages, and alerts. You can schedule it to turn on automatically at certain times or you can manually enable it when you need some peace and quiet.

It’s almost impossible to resist the urge to pick up the phone when it’s beeping or blinking and you know there’s something for you to check. Even when you’re 90% sure it’s nothing important. Turn them off and check your apps and emails manually. 

Put Your Phone Away

And finally, one of the most effective things you can do is to put your phone away. Out of sight, out of mind. If it’s not in your pocket or on the table in front of you, you’re much less likely to pick it up and check it. Find a place for it where you can’t see or reach it easily and make a point of putting it there every time you finish using it.

Try breaking up with your phone for a weekend. Put it away and don’t use it for a solid 48 hours or longer if you can swing it. You’re breaking the cycle of constant reinforcement that picking up your phone brings. While this kind of detox for a short period of time won’t cure you of the habit, it will help make you more aware of when you reach for your phone, thus putting you back in control instead of the other way around. 

Monitor Your Screen Time

Once you break the habit of picking up your phone all the time, it’s important to monitor your screen time so you don’t relapse. There are a number of apps that can help with this, but again, be sure to choose one that doesn’t require you to keep picking up your phone in order to use it.

Use apps like Space or Screentime to limit how much you’re able to use your phone. Setting boundaries is a good thing and like the detox, it will help you become more aware of your phone habits. If an app isn’t your thing, ask family and friends to call you out when you pick up your phone in their presence. 

Breaking the habit isn’t easy, but it is well worth the effort. You’ll be pleasantly surprised how much extra time you have in your day and how much less stressed you’ll feel when you are no longer tied to your phone twenty-four-seven. 

Here are a few more tips to help you break free of picking up your phone all day long:

-Put your phone on silent and/or do not disturb mode so that you’re not tempted to check it every time it buzzes.

– Delete social media apps from your phone, or at least limit the amount of time you spend on them each day.

– Set some rules for yourself. Decide when and where you’re allowed to use your phone, and stick to those rules. For example, you might allow yourself to use your phone during break times at work, but not while you’re working on a project.

– Find something else to do. When you get the urge to pick up your phone, try to distract yourself with something else instead. Go for a walk, read a book, or call a friend. Anything that will take your mind off of your phone.

– Change your environment. If you find that you’re picking up your phone more often than you’d like, try changing your surroundings. Leave your phone in another room, or turn it off altogether. This will help break the habit of reaching for your phone every time you’re bored or have a free moment.

– Put your phone away. Once you’ve reached your limit for the day, put your phone away in a drawer or another room so you’re not tempted to pick it up.

– Find other ways to relax and unwind. If you typically use your phone to relax or kill time, find other activities that you can do instead. Go for a walk, read a book, or talk to a friend.

Breaking the habit of checking your phone all the time can be tough, but it’s definitely possible. By setting some rules and finding other activities to do, you can break free from this harmful habit!