{"id":12389,"date":"2020-11-10T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-11-10T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alifeofproductivity.com\/?p=12389"},"modified":"2022-09-15T02:08:48","modified_gmt":"2022-09-15T02:08:48","slug":"heres-how-to-properly-put-down-your-phone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/heres-how-to-properly-put-down-your-phone\/","title":{"rendered":"Here\u2019s how to (properly) put down your phone"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n
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Takeaway:<\/strong>\u00a0Last week I challenged you to go as many days as possible without charging your phone. Some practical tips to help you do that (especially during this anxious time): rethink which jobs you hire your phone for, rearrange your home screen, take advantage of\u00a0your phone\u2019s many modes, and opt to get news alerts from a single source.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Estimated Reading Time:\u00a0<\/strong>3 minutes,\u00a048s.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Podcast Length:<\/strong>\u00a030 minutes,\u00a01s\u00a0(link to play podcast at the bottom of post).<\/div><\/div>\r\n

\"Here\u2019s<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

It\u2019s been a uniquely\u00a0crazy and\u00a0anxious\u00a0few\u00a0weeks\u00a0(in an already stressful year), and if you\u2019re anything like me, you\u2019ve been glued to coverage of the U.S. election, awaiting\u00a0all the results that came in over the weekend. Maybe you\u2019re spending more time than\u00a0ever bouncing between news apps, or texting friends out of excitement and nerves.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

With our phones keeping us tethered to a world of worry, there\u2019s no better time to try out\u00a0the challenge we talked about last week<\/a>: to see how many days you can go without charging your phone.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

My iPhone 11 Pro usually lasts for a day on a single charge, so this was an experiment to see if I could make the battery last for two days, or even three. In the end, I got to 2.5 days before running out of juice.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

For those who are interested in disconnecting for a bit during this crazy time, here are some practical tips for how to check your phone less and make your battery last longer. While it can be\u00a0a fun competition with yourself, the real goal is to use your phone more mindfully\u2014and hopefully less overall!\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

1. Rethink the\u00a0<\/strong>\u201c<\/strong>jobs<\/strong>\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0you hire your phone for<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The late Clayton Christensen was known for a bunch of interesting nuggets of business wisdom,\u00a0one\u00a0of which\u00a0was the\u00a0jobs to be do<\/em>n<\/em>e theor<\/em>y<\/em><\/a>. The premise is that every product we buy should do a job for us\u2014whether it\u2019s \u201chiring\u201d Kleenex for blowing our nose or using Uber Eats to order another round of election night chicken\u00a0wings.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Today, our phone does so many jobs. It\u2019s our alarm clock, GPS, newspaper, video game console, calendar\u2026 the list goes on. It\u2019s no surprise we spend so much time on our devices when it\u2019s our one-stop-shop for just about everything. To spend less time on your phone and make your battery last longer, consider switching\u00a0some of these tasks to analogue devices\u2014i.e. a nightside table alarm clock, physical newspaper, or agenda. Or, even better, cull the ones that don\u2019t serve you (think:\u00a0social media, video games, Netflix binges).\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

2. Rearrange your home screen<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

We\u2019ve all opened our phone to text a friend only to 30 minutes later find ourselves scrolling on Twitter. Changing the layout of your phone\u2019s home screen is one way to make your device less appealing.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Consider the apps that make you feel anxious or unhappy, and either delete them or store them on the second or third screen, buried in a folder. I have social media apps stored in a \u201cSocial\u201d folder (which I relabel as \u201cDistractions\u201d when I really want to deter myself from using them!). It\u2019s a small extra tap to open them, but I find it\u2019s enough of a reminder to use my phone with a bit more awareness.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Reclaim your home screen with apps that are meaningful to you\u2014maybe it\u2019s a meditation timer, an audiobook app, or your workout tracker. The less you\u2019re tempted to use your\u00a0phone, the longer your battery will last.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

3. Take advantage of your phone\u2019s many modes<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

This\u00a0one\u2019s more of a hack,\u00a0but it works. Modes like Do Not Disturb, Airplane mode, Low Battery mode, and Grayscale disable various features of your phone that will preserve its battery and make it less appealing overall.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The power of Grayscale mode is especially worth highlighting. It simply turns your screen black and white, which may seem like no big deal until we realize that\u00a0a lot of apps use color psychology<\/a>\u00a0to boost usage. News websites crank the saturation on\u00a0photos\u00a0so our screens appear more vibrant and exciting. Grayscale mode is great for your battery life and will make your phone less stimulating.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

4. Get news alerts from a single source<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

This is a turbulent time, and it\u2019s not helpful to be bouncing back and forth between a half dozen news apps.\u00a0Choose your favorite news app and enable notifications\u2014shutting off the alerts for all others. Being mindful and selective with your alerts will help you stay better focused and less stressed at a time when calmness is key.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

—\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The two-day phone challenge isn\u2019t\u00a0really<\/em>\u00a0about how long you can make your battery last\u2014it\u2019s about how to be more mindful and intentional about what you\u2019re consuming. Remember that the path to better productivity runs straight through calm, and checking your phone less routinely is one stop along the way to get there.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n