This piece has also been cross-posted to Medium.
People often tell me that starting a movement for a whole new type of technology that’s built to help people spend their time well sounds nice (and naïvely ambitious), but what are the things I can do to have a more mindful relationship with my devices right now?”
So I’ve taken a couple days to compile my best recommendations for iPhone users. The tips below are meant to:
- Minimize Compulsive Checking & Phantom Buzzes
- Minimize Fear of Missing Something Important
- Minimize Unconscious Use
- Minimize “Leaky” Interactions (“leaking out” into something unintended)
- Minimize Unnecessary Psychological Concerns generated by the screen.
Note: These recommendations are for people who live by their smartphone (not casual users), and they’re based on findings from psychology and behavioral science.
Tip #1: Create Your “Essential” Home Screen
We check our phone 150 times a day, and each time we unlock to see that grid of apps and red badges signaling everything we’ve missed, it immediately triggers a whole set of thoughts, feelings and concerns in our mind.