Here’s how I escaped.
Ahh, 2000+ times seems like a clickbait, but it is not. According to this research, we touch our phones at least 2617 times daily.
Have you ever thought when you touch your phone, time just passes?
You are mindlessly checking YouTube, TikTok, WhatsApp Groups, Slack Channels, or even Instagram.
You are not alone.
Let me share with you a story.
Back in 2019, I used to run a couple of meetup groups to arrange hiking trips, especially on the weekends.
I was also volunteering at product management groups to get more exposure to the tech industry.
Then, one day, I read this research article that, on average, a person toches his phone at least 2617 times. I was shocked to see the data.Time for introspection
While reading, I came across this research blog, where the author provides some research on how we are using our phones at least 2617 times a day.
I was shocked.
It was the time to take introspection. And the best way to introspect is a long walk.
I went on a long walk. I consider any walk 45+ minutes a long walk. If you want to introspect, I highly recommend taking a long walk, preferably in nature without electronics.
Walk without a phone, kindle, or watch — just walk and think!
How Long Walks Will Transform Your Life
While walking, I realized I was wasting a lot of time without doing any productive work throughout the day
After writing down all the tasks I needed to do to use social media, meetup channels, and product management groups, I realized I could achieve all this by spending less than an hour a day.
Before I jump on to how to develop a habit to get rid of excessive use of social media, especially using a smartphone, I would like to share my research on why it’s important to minimize smartphone screen time.
Why did I want to get rid of smartphone scrolling?
After reading the research concludes that Americans spend way too much time scrolling through smartphones without any purpose.
Here are a couple of reasons why too much smartphone use is bad for health.
Is it detrimental to your productivity?
According to this study at the University of Texas, mindlessly using a smartphone, including notifications and alerts, decreases productivity.
Researchers call it
“Brain drain.”
According to this study at the University of California, it is shocking that an individual would take 23+ minutes to re-focus after a distraction.
Imagine you wasted time on a cell phone and then faced a hard time focusing.
Is it detrimental to relationships?
A single beep may distract us at the kitchen table, at restaurants, or even at work.
According to one study, being constantly distracted by a smartphone might reduce the quality of conversations.
Both non-verbal and verbal elements of in-person communication are important for a focused and fulfilling conversation. — Dr. Shalina Misra
Is it possible to lose your memory?
Study shows that scrolling smartphone apps aimlessly overwhelm our brains.
Constant scrolling overwhelms our brains, which can prevent us from retaining information and lead to memory loss.
I think these bad habits are enough to think seriously about getting rid of excessive smartphone usage.
It’s the right time to share 8 Brain-Damaging Habits to Quit, which we are also doing aimlessly.
Let’s jump on to the solution part!
How did I escape this addiction?
I would use the word cure rather than escape because I rarely use my phone for aimless scrolling. Now, I use my smartphone more to get ideas or connect with family and friends.
After a couple of days, I realized that I did not have the control to stop touching (unconsciously) my phone.
It seemed too natural.
I did not even know I had been using the phone for a long time.
For example:
- Talking to someone in person — hand on the phone
- Sitting in a meeting — hand on the phone
- I’m bored; instead of building healthy habits like squats and planking, my hand was on the phone.
- Etc.
Using the phone was just a reflexive response whenever I was bored.
Many of us need to learn that we are consuming too much time on our smartphones.
How much time are you wasting each day?
I would say it’s the time to introspect and look at the screen time.
Root canal procedure
I would call this a root canal procedure because that’s the last thing we can do to save the tooth and also get rid of the pain.
My attention span was literally less than 10 minutes, and it was exhausting without knowing the cause.
I thought I was sick or the environment was really distracting.
I would like to share that I grew up in a tiny remote village where 99% of the people are farmers.
I was supposed to do the same thing, but my skinny body did not allow me to handle anything heavy.
I was good at studying, and my parents decided to send me to another village to attend school.
I achieved almost everything with utmost concentration: getting into the top school on a full scholarship in North America, career transition, getting through the immigration process, top MBA, competitive exams, tech executive, etc.
Now, I realized that I was wasting too much time on my smartphone, and my focus was not the same as it used to be.
After introspection, I became fully aware that I need a smartphone for a max of an hour to do anything productive daily.
I decided not to use the phone for more than 90 minutes daily.
Let’s talk about how the brain’s trigger system works
It’s more about psychology than the problem.
Every time you get a quick reply from your chat groups (Slack, WhatsApp, meetup, etc.), you feel rewarded.
Your brain tells you that you have accomplished something.
That thing is repeatedly ingrained in our brains so that we might experience the same sensation of accomplishment.
Attention is the way social primates measure status. It is highly rewarding because it causes the release of brain chemicals such as dopamine and endorphins. — Keith Henson
So the main problem was that every time I used groups (WhatsApp, Slack, Meetup, etc.) to receive a response, my brain released a neurotransmitter called dopamine, meaning I should do it again.
It was a never-ending process.
Key Takeaway
My simple strategy is to keep an eye on screen time and choose what works for you based on your needs to escape smartphone addiction.
In my case, I don’t need a phone for more than an hour a day for productive tasks or in my professional life.
If you are a sales professional, you might need to spend more time on the phone than the rest of us.
I still spend 90 minutes or less watching some TikTok or YT videos. In the end, I am a human, not a machine. Lol
I love to go on TikTok and Instagram and enjoy what goes on in the world, but I make sure the overall time is at most 90 minutes.
Book recommendation:
Book will boost your FOCUS — Deep Work by Cal Newport
