If you are like most people living in this Digital Age, your phone is probably a constant source of distraction and you may find it hard to disconnect from it. Fortunately, there are several easy phone settings and apps you can use to help set time limits and boundaries on your phone usage that we recommend to Digital Feng Shui clients and groups. These came about around 2018 after the Digital Wellness movement began to shift perspectives from anti-phone to tech as a tool. Here are some to try:
Screen Time (built-in iPhone setting) Screen Time or Digital Well-being settings are a built-in iPhone feature that allows you to monitor and control your phone usage. You can set daily limits for specific apps, block certain apps during certain times of day, and even set app limits for your kids' devices if you have them. To access Screen Time, go to Settings > Screen Time. From there, you can set up various limits and boundaries to help you better manage your phone usage. Let us know in the comments if you try this!
Forest (app) Forest is a fun and creative app that helps you stay focused and present by gamifying phone usage. The app lets you plant a tree and as long as you stay on task and don't leave the app, your tree will grow. If you leave the app, your tree will die. The more trees you plant, the more your virtual forest grows. The app is available for both iOS and Android devices.
Moment (app) Moment is an app that tracks your phone usage and helps you set goals for reducing your screen time. The app provides a detailed breakdown of how much time you spend on your phone each day and which apps you use the most. It also provides personalized coaching and reminders to help you stick to your goals. The moment is available for both iOS and Android devices.
Minimal (app) read our review of minimal here
Digital well-being (built into Samsung settings) like the iPhone these settings are built-in so you can monitor and control your phone usage. Uniquely it has a bedtime mode that can be set to remind you to start winding down. It allows you to set daily limits for specific apps, block apps, and also has parental controls. The Samsung Screen-Time feature also allows you to set a bedtime/wind-down mode that will turn your phone to black and white at the night time you choose and put it in do not disturb till morning. To access Screen Time, go to Settings > Digital Wellbeing.
In conclusion, it's important to set time limits and boundaries on your phone usage to improve your productivity, mental health, and overall well-being. These three easy phone settings and apps are a great place to start.
Read more about the early Digital Wellness movement and the shift in perspectives from anti-phone to tech as a tool (click to read more)
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