Mobile
I’m Addicted to [My Phone]
“Every form of addiction is bad, no matter whether the narcotic be alcohol, morphine or idealism.”― C.G. Jung
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“Every form of addiction is bad, no matter whether the narcotic be alcohol, morphine or idealism.”― C.G. Jung
I still own my first iPhone. An iPhone 4. I remember back when I had just bought it, I told people “it changed my life”.
Honestly, I did.
I mean, it did.
Fast forwarding 9 years, my phones wedged itself in my life. I take it everywhere, everyday.
It sleeps next to me, even when it’s streaming Spotify on LTE..(quietly)
But why am I so attracted to it? It’s the apps.
They’re magnets for attention. Constantly trying to pull you in. And they seem to attract more of my attention than I ever realized. Everyday.
Do you feel the same way?
Here’s a quick exercise to highlight your mobile addiction:
- Write down the 5 apps you think you use the most
- Compare against what your phone tracks. Go to Settings > Battery > Tap on the “Top App” under Battery Usage
- See the difference between 1 & 2.
Mind blown? I thought so.
On my 5 apps that I thought I used the most:
- Twitter — The pulse of the world. Or at least, my pulse of the world. Favorite feature? Lists.
2. Spotify — Arguably the best music streaming app. Best part? If you pay, you can store music locally and listen when you aren’t connected to the internet. This is especially key in Boston, if you live here — you’ll understand.
3. Clash Royale — The smash-hit game from Supercell. Seriously addicting player vs. player battle game where you drop cards and attack/defend enemies. Favorite card? LVL8 Barbarians or my LVL3 Knight 😉
4. Prisma — Turn your photos into Art. This is my most recent obsession, and it works exceptionally well. Turn your photos into wildly vivid artwork from popular artists such as: Mondrian, Roy Lichtenstein and Kandinsky. Favorite art transposé? Composition.
5. Snapchat — An app that needs no introduction.
5 apps I actually use the most:
- Spotify
- Facebook 🙁
- Mail 🙁
- Clash Royale
- Safari
The most eye-opening aspect:Adding up the usage.
Last week, I used my phone for ~25hrs.
Over the weekend I hardly used my phone compared to a normal weekend.
I was out on the lake and didn’t want to risk dropping my phone in the drink.
I could easily see phone usage per week eclipsing 30hrs… wholy holy moly batman. Why?!
It’s time for a break.
Doing some quick math here:
I wake up at 7, go to bed at 11. I’m awake, on average, for 16hrs/day.
Of that 16hrs, I’m working from 8–6 about 10hrs during the week. Add in the average time I’m on my phone, and we’re up to 14.3hrs of 16hrs awake.
Between just working and being on my phone, I’ve used up 90% of my time awake.
26% of the day is spent on my phone.
That’s a disgusting and harsh reality.
Your usage might be higher or lower, but the question remains:
Are you paying attention to the amount of time your using your phone?
These apps are a magnet for your attention, and most of the time — are distractions.
Distracting you from having fun in the real world, connecting with your friends and family and being productive.
I’ve decided to cut back on my addiction, show my phone (and transitively, my Apps) who’s boss. My goal is to cut back at least 20%, and use that time in a more productive way.
I challenge you to do the same.
Break the addiction. Start with cutting back.
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