Productivity Hack Part 1: Own Your Phone
Increasing productivity is a common thread that we can see all around us. We see it all over the internet on how we can do more with less time. We can be a better student, better parent, better workers and an overall happier person if we can just increase our productivity to be able to get it all done. What we are really looking for is making the most of our time in our lives and directing that time to the things that truly add value to our lives and those around us.
This blog post series is about my own experience with increasing my own productivity that started in the summer of 2020. It was June and my layoff from working as a physiotherapist continued. I was feeling a bit lost and feeling unproductive. On the one hand I did enjoy having a bit of a break from work and having extra time to spend with my 8-month old puppy, Lotus. On the other-hand, I wanted to make the year more worthwhile. It was during this time that myself and my brother had decided to start our own physiotherapy clinic. When or how we would get a clinic going was a great unknown but we both knew that a lot of work would be required to get it done. I started to think about productivity and how it could help me take the lead in starting our own business. The irony of it is that even though I had all the time in the world to get things done, I struggled to get anything useful done. My goal is to have several blog posts sharing my own experience and research into increasing productivity and how it helped me become more effective and ultimately get our own business up and running in a few short months. My hope is that my experiences and tools can increase the quality of your time and direct it to the things that are important to you. Today's post is looking at tactics to help break away from your phone and turn it into a tool that assists rather than enslaves.
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During the initial outbreak of COVID-19 from about April to June I was fortunate enough to avoid getting sick but had picked up a horrible addiction to phone games. I had a lot of free time and the endless fun games provided could easily fill any extra free time that I had. However, the bigger problem that I became aware of was that the pull of the games (even when not doing them) would distract me and take attention away from the work I needed to get done. My phone was pulling me to use it, not the other way around. These are the strategies I used to make my phone serve me and not the other way around...
1. Identify apps that enslave you
Deciding what applications to have on your phone is key to taking back control of your phone. In my own case it was the removal of all phone games and making my phone a "no game zone." Each individual will have their own set of applications that are problematic. If you are unsure, one way to do a quick check is to look at screen usage time. I have added links below on how to check your screen time whether you use an iPhone or Android based phone. The interesting thing about utilizing your screen time is that it can identify how much you actually use an app in a period over a week or more. It is amazing how bad we are at estimating our time using these devices and the time using each app. I challenge you to estimate your usage before looking at the screen time usage and share in the comments how close or far you are from reality. I think you will find that you estimate much less than reality (Wow, 2 hours a day average for myself and I consider myself a low user of my phone!).
Click the links below to find out your screen time on your device:
2. Marie Kondo your phone...
If you have not heard of Marie Kondo, I recommend looking into her book called "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up." By using a method coined the KonMari method you are able to declutter and make your living space a much tidier and joyful place. We can utilize a similar technique with our digital space. For your phone these are the steps I recommend:
a) Take the time to go through each and every application on your phone and ask if this is something that you need and/or use and/or brings you joy. If it does not meet at least one of these requirements simply remove it. I recommend that when in doubt, get rid of it. The goal is to try to have as little clutter on your phone as possible. Another trick you can use is to move applications from your phone to another device and stick to using it only on the set device without the redundancy of having it on each device. For example a banking application could be used only on your home computer or tablet but removed from your phone. This is similar to decluttering our homes when we get rid of kitchen appliances that have been duplicated (You don't need three toasters!). Remember to say thank you to each application for their service as you delete them (If you want to follow the KonMari method in full form!).
b) Now that you have identified the applications you want to keep on your phone it is time to organize these. Rather than organizing your applications into groups such as social, financial, games etc. my recommendation is to identify between 4-10 applications that are your "keystone apps" that you use daily or are major functions of the phone. For example the phone app, SMS messaging app and email are major functions that are all used daily for most users. Remember that some applications such as the camera can often be accessed by pushing certain buttons or with swipe gestures depending on your phone model and make. It is always useful to familiarize yourself with these as they can remove an unnecessary application button from your home screen.
c) With your "keystone apps" selected it is time to delete all the rest from your home screen. Some users will opt to have the rest of their apps organized in a second home page that they swipe to as needed (this is what my system was for years). However, I suggest that you delete all other applications from your homepage(s) and keep them in the saved directory on your phone. This will serve two functions to help keep your phone de-cluttered. The first is that you will have less visual clutter on your phone that can distract you and pull you from your original intention for picking up your phone. The second benefit is that when you want to use a specific application you will need to type it in your phone's search to select the application (how you will do this will vary a bit by your phone model but a quick google search for "how to search for apps on my INSERT PHONE MODEL HERE" will give you a quick walk-through for your device). This will effectively require you to be more intentional with your use of applications. Less mindless use of your phone is key to making your phone a tool for you and not the other way around.
d) If you have followed along so far, your phone will no longer be cluttered and might even feel a bit empty. Good work but you are not done yet! This step is as important as cleaning up the visual clutter. Our phones grab our attention in two very strong ways that utilize our senses. The first is visual stimuli which you have now effectively got under control. The second and equally important is through auditory. The sounds our phones make demand our attention immediately. Ever heard someone's phone that has the same notification sound as you and immediately have your attention grabbed? Check! Have you ever heard a notification sound from someone's phone that was similar to a phone you used years earlier? Double Check! Ever notice that when you install a new application that they immediately ask if they can send you notifications? They know if they are allowed to notify you, they will get your attention and your time (which is money for them if they use adverts or sell your data). My recommendation is to remove all notifications from your phone with the exception for phone calls and possibly SMS messaging. If you use group messaging I would suggest disabling notifications for these chats and set specific times for looking at these (you can use the screen time on your use to decide if this is a problem for you!). Remember the less your phone calls for your attention the more you control your phone and not the other way around.
e) Your apps are slimmed down, and your phone is finally quiet. It is now time to pick a wall paper that strikes joy to you. This may be a family picture or an image of nature or can be a peaceful colour. For my own wall paper I have selected a simple minimalistic gray scale designed by Japanese graphic designer named Hideaki Nakatani. This specific iPhone wallpaper hides the iPhone dock and notch. Take your time and do not be afraid to change it if it is no longer sparks joy for you.
Grey Scale Image Designed by Hideaki Nakatani
To the left you can see the simple home page on my iPhone. This image is unique in that it hides the dock as well as the iPhone notch on my phone (although the notch isn’t visible with the screenshot). Comment below if you are interested in getting the same wallpaper.
3. Bag it
This is an optional step that many phone users will not adopt but I present it as it can be quite useful to help create intention when using your phone. Bagging your phone is simply keeping your phone inside a small bag or pouch when you put it away. For myself, I use an old soft sunglasses bag (they fit most phones) but you could use whatever you like. The goal of the bag is that it helps to prevent mindless use of the phone as you will have to intentionally take the phone out of the bag to use it. This simple little habit can break the mindless chain that many of us develop with phone use.
4. Find a home for your phone (that's not your pocket)
You can take the "bag it" advice a step further and find a place at home and/or work where you place your phone. This makes the physical habit of checking your phone (and using your phone in general) far more intentional and is a great way to reduce overall usage. I don't practice this currently, but recognize that this can be very helpful.
5. Give care
The last and final piece I will add is to take care of your phone. I recommend finding a good case and screen protector to help your phone last as long as possible. It is also worthwhile to take a moment to clean any debris that can build up on your phone (especially around the power socket) to keep it running well. I make it a personal game for myself to keep each phone as long as possible. It saves me money and helps to keep waste out of the landfill. Tyler holds the current record: he is still using his BlackBerry Q10 that is >8 years old.
I hope you found this list of changes useful and helped make your phone become a better tool to serve you! Do you use any other strategies to make your phone serve you better? Please share them in the comments as I am always looking to improve my own phone experience. Thank you for reading!
