If you’re reading this in a public place, take a moment to look around and count how many people have their heads bent over their phones? A few? A lot? Everybody? Hell, you’re probably reading this on a smartphone anyway, so are you any better? (No, statistically speaking you’re probably not. But don’t feel too bad about that.)
You shouldn’t feel too bad because that’s the way these things have been set up. Fear not though, as there are a tonne of ways to take back the time stolen through social media. Monitoring your app times on your phone is one such option but recently a new app has taken our interest.
How Do You Know?
Let’s face it, you probably already know if you’re addicted to using your smartphone. The signs are readily apparent to many but still, there are many in denial. With that in mind let’s go through a quick list and see if any of these are applicable to you. By no means is this meant to be exhaustive but it can be a good indicator of where you’re at.
- You check your phone in the middle of the night
- You find yourself picking up your phone but can’t remember why
- You can’t go to the bathroom without your phone
- You find yourself getting anxious if you forget your phone at home
- Even out other people you rest your phone face-down on the table
Don’t worry if some or all of these apply to you. Many people are in similar situations and the first task is to acknowledge it. This might sound like we’re taking it to extremes but technology is meant to be used by you, not the other way around. Technology should be used to your advantage, not as an unconscious daily act.
Social Fever
The Social Fever app developed by Systweak Software allows users to monitor their app usage trends. Things are much easier to change once they’re tallied up in front of you. They realise that breaking the cycle of excess social media usage is difficult for even the most strong willed. The Social Fever app keeps a tab on all of your smartphone usage metrics and can even help you to curtail some of it.
With the Social Fever app you can set your own boundaries on a weekly or monthly limit and it will help you stick to these boundaries. It provides a detailed analysis of your phone use habits (when you unlock your phone, for example) so that you can even note when you’re most vulnerable to using your phone and wasting time.
There is even a setting on the app to Track Goals. With this you can really make a worthwhile, lasting change in your phone use.
Stopping Smartphone Addiction
It may feel like you’re the only one who can’t help scrolling endlessly through Reddit or Twitter or whatever your app of (unconscious) choice is, but you’re not alone. There are now numerous scholarly articles on stopping smartphone addiction and the increasing epidemic thereof. Other options are taking yoga classes or meditation to help you relax your mind and forget about social media for a moment. Even people who work at Google dedicate specific times of the week to just unplug and unwind. That should tell you a lot.
