Multiple times I have referred to the phone lounge: a place where you leave your phone when an area in your home becomes a no phone zone.An example of a phone lounge is a drawer in the hallway, a closed box, and a different room.What you also want to set up aside from this …
Have a Designated Mini Lounge in the Area You’re In Read More »
The news feed is often the first thing we see when we go on social media. We are immediately confronted with photos of our friends, “friends” and people we follow. Such posts can make us react in various ways. We can become sad and frustrated because of other people’s highlight reels. This doesn’t necessarily …
Mess Up Your News feed and End the Endless Scrolling Read More »
One of the first lessons we receive when it comes to using computers is to use a strong password. Many years ago when we created an account, we didn’t think more than a few seconds about our password. Many years ago our computer and account passwords consisted of 6 characters and we never worried …
Rarely do I say to simply delete social media apps. When you’re used to using a specific app not just on a daily basis, but on an hourly basis, the chances are high you will resist deleting that app. So oftentimes I introduce other strategies that will hopefully make you more aware of your …
Lately, I have asked you various times if you have watched the Social Dilemma documentary on Netflix. I think it is not necessary to ask you again. I have mentioned this documentary multiple times in my videos and blogs. Doesn’t mean I will stop talking about it 😀 There were various revelations that shocked …
The Social Dilemma Reveals AI Knows Us Better Than We Know Ourselves Read More »
Step 3 of my 6 step formula to curb phone and social media addiction is Digital Citizenship. This step is about embracing tech and learning how to use tech, social media, and the internet wisely. One of the strategies I recommend is to stay up to date on platforms and devices you are using …
The documentary the Social Dilemma available on Netflix is a must-watch. There is no better moment than now to watch this, especially now that we are currently in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. If you’re thinking of deleting any social media accounts, then this documentary can result in that final push. The documentary …
Do you know what boundaries you want to introduce in order to reduce your phone usage? There are both online and offline boundaries you can activate to create friction. The question is do you have a list of strategies you want to use? Examples of digital boundaries are Do Not Disturb, blocking apps, greyscale, …
We are wired for connection. To belong. To matter. It’s very important to have social interactions. When we don’t, it can have detrimental effects on our mental health and wellbeing. Many of us can attest to this due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We are home and can’t meet our friends and family who are …
We quickly gravitate to a bright red color, that’s why many apps have bright and warmer icons. It’s the reason why the notification bubbles are red. They jump out so we need to know what that notification is all about! A major contribution to why our smartphones can be addictive is because of those …
With the COVID-19 pandemic, we are forced to remain indoors as much as we can. We can still go outside, but many activities that we always took for granted are not possible or are organized in such a way that there is a maximum amount of people. This means the majority of our time …
In a previous video and blog, I have explained how to check the access your apps have to your iPhone. Every time you install an app, it has some form of access to your device. Apps can have access to e.g. your microphone, camera, contacts, and location. There are 2 ways how you can …
There is a reason why surgery is becoming more popular among youngsters. We are wired to assess our environment, to compare ourselves to the people around us.Our brain collects data about our environment to e.g. assess if there is any danger and where we currently stand in the social hierarchy.Our brain uses the people …
Social media Addiction Can Lead to Body Dysmorphic Disorder Read More »
When we are done with our phone, we may lock it manually or we may not. In case we don’t, our phones will often do this for us. The question is, how long will it take for your phone to lock itself automatically? When you use the iPhone you can change this feature called …
When you do something repeatedly, you’re going to get good at it. Your brain will help you with that. It doesn’t matter what you do though. You could be doing something destructive on a repetitive basis and you will get good at it. Because of you’re phone you’re good at getting distracted for example. …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdIoKIjIgug In an earlier video, I introduced the idea of a phone lounge. You want to have a designated space where you leave your smartphone, whether you’re in the office, at home, or in the car. When an area becomes a no phone zone. there should be no discussion regarding where to leave your …
We often judge ourselves based on our intentions and not our actions. All of us have great intentions. We like to proclaim such intentions with lots of joy. Unfortunately, we often don’t live our intentions. When people judge us based on our actions, it is often painfully visible how our actions are not aligned …
In an earlier video, I explained how you disable the Active Status option in the Facebook App. Not only how, but also why. The quickest way to spend loads of time on the Facebook app is to show people you’re online and “available”. This automatically happens when you open the Facebook app, a green …
Do you know that feeling of easily eating fast food when you’ve skipped the gym lately? Like, one good habit that you failed for a week automatically activates the next bad habit. The same applies to phone use. I noticed that when I’m not really connected to myself, if I’m under the weather or …
I always found it annoying when someone starts chatting with me when I open the Facebook app. In most cases, I simply wanted to check 1 thing and leave the app immediately. The problem was that people saw I was online, they saw that infamous green dot next to my name which meant I’m …
Deleting apps is hard I get it. You have programmed yourself to constantly open the app, even when there is no notification. Simply deleting it is easier said than done. If you think you’re addicted to social media, don’t think that you have no control. Sometimes it’s easy to convince ourselves that we simply …
Going to bed without your phone is not only a strategy to use your phone less, but also to sleep better and to improve your health. If I could give you a pill, and this pill would improve your memory, help you live longer, reduce your blood pressure, increase the quality of your skin, …
One of the reasons why I was opening Facebook every day was because I wanted to check if there is a birthday I should know about. With more than 400+ people I had befriended, I simply couldn’t remember all their birthdays. Not that I ever knew all birthdays of my 400 “friends”. Nor did …
Don’t Let Facebook but Your iPhone Remind You of Birthdays Read More »
We type a lot, whether that is on a keyboard or on a touchscreen. We don’t create letters anymore with our hands as we used to. When was the last time you wrote on a paper? The last thing you wrote was probably a few words or a few sentences only. This is not …
No matter how much we are lazy, complacent, and lying on the couch: There is a voice inside of us that will tell us “can’t you see you’re wasting your time, what’s wrong with you!?” For some, this voice is merely a whisper that they try to repress, but the voice is there nonetheless. …
In an earlier blog, I mentioned planning your distractions. In the blog, I suggested planning 1 or 2 hours for social media alone. During that time you can use social media as you please. Use social media shamelessly but don’t do anything else. Have you planned social media for 90 minutes? Then only use social …
Use an Alarm When on Social Media and Delete Your Browser’s Data Read More »
Sitting comfortably in our chairs staring at our screens is not hard to do. Going along with our feelings of tiredness, not being bothered and “chillaxing” is easy when you can keep up with your communication using a keyboard and touchscreen. It’s easy to stay in contact through mediated communication. When I started to …
Do Not Neglect Your In Real Life (IRL) Relationships Read More »
Most of us understand how important it is to plan your day. Without a plan, you will often do what is easiest like using your phone. Time is precious and none of us have any clue how many years, weeks, or days we have left. When we want to build and produce, we need …
Plan Your Distractions and Use Social Media Shamelessly Read More »
Many of us I imagine, can appreciate that social media is free of charge. I mean, would you spend so much time on it if it wasn’t free? Probably not. Many won’t. Because it is free, it is more than easy to spend (all) your time on social media. There really is no friction …
Social Media is Not Free, You Pay With Your Data and Time Read More »
Just thinking about disconnecting from social media for one week can result in feelings of anxiety. Not just because you wouldn’t know how to stay in contact with people, but also because of any negative reactions you may receive from your “friends”. Interestingly enough, when you do disconnect from social media, you will notice …
You’re Not Antisocial When You Disconnect From Tech Read More »
People sometimes ask me about memes. What do I think of them? Do I look at them? Yes, I do! Not often but sometimes I do encounter them. Many years ago I was looking at memes constantly. They are hilarious I admit. Thankfully though, I don’t look at them so much anymore. What I …
Memes Are Hilarious, Just Don’t Live Them Out So Much Read More »
When you want to connect with someone, don’t have your device in your hand. When you want to show you’re a good listener, don’t have your device in your hand. This may sound pretty obvious but in practice, we are not always mindful of this. We check our devices a lot so the chances …
Don’t Have Your Phone in Your Hand When in a Conversation Read More »
We love to set gigantic goals for ourselves. We are not used to going to the gym and suddenly we want to go 4 times a week starting next week. We eat junk food 3 times a week and want to reduce it to once a month starting next month. We want to stay …
My social media apps are not opened often. I don’t use my social media accounts a lot. Limited social media use is programmed in my being. Such healthy habits are internalized by me. No need to be consciously careful with my time on Facebook or Twitter. They are simply not interesting enough for me …
YouTube: the Only Platform Where I Have to Remain Mindful! Read More »
It’s hard to delete apps. That’s why this is often not the first strategy I recommend. Some apps you really should remove asap (game apps!), some you will want to remove (certain social media apps), but some apps are just too necessary and can’t be deleted according to most phone users. Of course, I’m …
When I say I watch motivational videos, people don’t always react positively. When it comes to the news or Netflix no one asks questions, but when it comes to motivational videos everyone has an opinion all of a sudden. There are multiple reasons why people can be negative about such videos. Law of Attraction, …
Why I Watch Motivational Videos on a Daily Basis Read More »
Instant Messaging apps are better for one-to-one communication than social media apps. There is also less distraction in an IM app than in a social media app. Nevertheless, using an IM app like WhatsApp can be stressful. WhatsApp includes some smart tricks to make you use the app a lot more than you intend …
End the WhatsApp Stress: Modify Your Privacy Settings Read More »
Doing a digital detox and digital minimalism are all great options that I highly recommend. Unfortunately, these activities are not as easy as they sound. We become excited to start a digital detox when we are super frustrated with our devices. Such moments don’t last long though. When we have our moments where we …
Prepare Yourself When You’re Going To Do a Digital Detox Read More »
Reading books is becoming harder and harder. Not many people read a book per week, unfortunately. Nevertheless….we do read a lot nowadays. Think about all the emails, text messages, and articles you are reading on a daily basis… That’s a lot of reading! But does this mean we are getting good at focusing? Not …
A few decades ago we felt blessed when there was 1 workstation in our homes. Doesn’t matter if a family consists of 10 family members: everyone felt grateful to have access to that one impressive machine. Nowadays we all have our own devices. Sometimes not just one, but multiple devices per family member. It’s …
It’s annoying when you receive calls from someone who wants to sell you something. Or to receive incoming calls from people you don’t know. When you don’t want to be bothered by unknown numbers and you use an iPhone, you can make use of the following feature: Silence Unknown Callers When you enable this …
Do You Know About the Silence Unknown Callers Feature? Read More »
The reason why we look up to superheroes is that they want to help others. Superheroes prioritize the greater good and inspire people all over the world. Superheroes may struggle with their own issues, but they will never refuse anyone who asks for help. Deep down we want to be like them. We want …
A few years ago tracking and blocking apps started to be available in Apple’s App Store and Google Play. These apps have helped smartphone users to become more mindful about how much they use their devices. Not only that, but such apps also allow the user to block specific apps for a set period …
When a new feature, device, or innovation is introduced and released, we quickly embrace any possible advantages they offer in our lives. Of course, the reason why they are introduced is often to facilitate our lives. Yes, technology is helping us a lot. Our lives have become easier and convenient because of tech. There …
Let’s think out of the box for a second. We want to make it more challenging to go for our phones. So let’s make the whole act of using your smartphone uncomfortable. It’s hard to stay away from your phone when you’re chilling and lying on the couch right. Well then, what about if …
We are very fortunate to live in this day and age. We are living in the renaissance of entrepreneurship. There are so many opportunities available to us it’s insane. With the advent of the internet, we can learn how to set up a business and actually set up a business. The world really is …
So Much Opportunities! But Oh-So Much Distraction…. Read More »
Triggers triggers, there are triggers everywhere that make you go for your device. It’s time to set a counter trigger: a trigger that reminds you to be mindful when you go for your phone! A simple trigger you can implement is the use of an effective wallpaper. Use quotes on your wallpaper like: Stay …
When I was young I have done many foolish things. Luckily back then, there was no smartphone to document it all… After a silly mistake, we laughed about it, went home, and never mentioned it again. No one would ever remind me of that one failure. Nowadays everything can be documented with the help …
Don’t Bring Your Online Persona to the Offline World Read More »
Hopefully, you know that the internet remembers. While it is easy to type a message while being in an emotional state, it may follow you forever. You leave a digital footprint behind, and that’s why it is vital you learn internet etiquette. (netiquette). The values that you live by in the offline world should …
Sometimes we think that humanity is heading in the wrong direction. We become more aggressive, mean, apathetic, and selfish. There might be some truth to that, but I believe it’s not as bad as the media wants us to believe. Nonetheless, such effects can exist when you sacrifice the offline world for the virtual …
Triggers triggers triggers, there are triggers everywhere! We are constantly bombarded with triggers that run automatic programs. An example of such an automatic program is to grab our device of course. Luckily for all of us, we can introduce counter triggers in our lives! Counter triggers allow us to wake up from that automatic …
Your Smartphone is Close to You? Place It Upside Down Read More »
Disabling notifications is considered as the number one advice when it comes to reducing your screen time habits. And yes, disabling notifications reduces your phone’s ability to demand your attention whenever it wants. Another action you should take to instantly reduce your screen time today, is deleting any game apps you have installed. It …
Delete Your Game Apps to Reduce Your Screen Time Today Read More »
Scrolling through any news feed can make us feel down. All those highlight reels make us compare our lows with everybody’s ups. We are confronted by things and people that are currently lacking in our lives. I’ve often said that experiencing such feelings is inevitable when scrolling is a habit. Such feelings are reinforced …
Don’t Get Jealous Online, Become Inspired Instead Read More »
We talk so much with our friends online. Because of our smartphone we can communicate with our friends every single day, every single hour. When people meet their friends in the real world, they sometimes wonder: What can we talk about? My friend is already updated about everything that happened in my life. This …
Disconnect Online With Friends and Connect Offline Read More »
We bring our smartphones everywhere with us. Our smartphones witness our every action, including anything secretive, intimate, and sacred. A few decades ago the world looked very different. We somehow managed to survive and stay in contact without the use of a technical device that is 24/7 in our pocket or at least a …
Smartphones exist since 2007. That’s 13 years ago. That means that kids who were born with smartphones roaming around are at least 13 years old. No wonder a lot of research needs to be conducted regarding the effects of excessive screen use. For now, we will have to wait and see how screens affect …
Control Your Screen Use Now Before the Future Starts Read More »
Those days where you can walk outside and encounter 0 people who are looking at their phones are long gone. In some settings it is shocking how many phone users are on their smartphones. Not that they are talking to someone on the phone, they just keep looking at that screen. Sometimes you really …
Excessive Phone Use in 2020 Equates To Smoking in the 1950s Read More »
What are you focusing on 51% of the time? This can be an uncomfortable question since we tend not to like the answer. You might want to gain a lot out of life, but the focus is somewhere else. People are smart. We often know better. When we help our friends who are in …
Do Not Disturb (DND) is a must feature every single person owning a smartphone should use. This feature is imperative to a healthy relationship with your device, or at least the start of it. Control your phone’s efforts to interrupt you. Tell your phone when it should get some sleep as well. When it’s …
We are constantly triggered to go for our phone. Or we become internally triggered or externally triggered. Internal triggers may be for example an emotion you experience or a thought that says: you should go for your phone because at this hour you normally chat on WhatsApp. External triggers can be a vibration, a …
