Chances are, somewhere on your person, is a smartphone. They’re everywhere, making our lives more convenient, but also having negative impacts on our attention span, sleep/wake cycles, relationships, work, and many other areas of our lives. Data from the Pew Research Center shows that 77% of Americans own smartphones. Screen time data suggest that the average person spend and average of 3 hours and 15 minutes per day on their phone.
With all of that time spent on the phone, how do we get anything done? If you’re feeling like you need to kick this smartphone habit, but don’t know how, try these tips to help you cut the wireless “cord.”
Banish the Phone
One of the simplest, but also most difficult for many people, methods is to simply separate yourself from the device. Knowing your phone is present will most likely tempt you to use it. Create a place for your phone at home, in the car, and at the office. Bonus points are awarded to you if it can be locked up. With your phone out of sight, it will quickly slip from your mind, freeing up time and making you more productive.
Phone Free Time
Hand in hand with creating distance between yourself and the phone is making phone-free time in your day. Identify time in your day when you aren’t working and can be out of contact. Dinnertime with your family, workout time at the gym, and the hour before you go to sleep are all excellent times for this. Set those times in your schedule, turn your phone to airplane mode, and hold them sacred. Let people know you can’t be reached then and enjoy the silence.
Use an App
It seems counterintuitive to suggest using an app to help you spend less time on your phone. Nonetheless there are many great apps on the market designed to track your screen time, and also help you set and enforce limits for yourself. Most of these apps require a PIN to override, so you might want to give that number to a family member for safe keeping, and to reduce temptation.
How Charles Foster Can Help YOU
If you are an employer looking to fill positions in your company, an employee looking to switch jobs, or someone looking for a brand-new role, please feel free to reach out to us. We have placed thousands of qualified candidates with excellent jobs over the last 50 years. From finding the right one, to being the right one – Charles Foster is here to help!