3 Practices to Break Up With Your Phone: From a Phone Addict

Even at the ripe old age of 36, I am still constantly struggling with my phone usage (or should I say, addiction?)—late night scrolling included!

In my previous article, I shared what I learnt from being a social media influencer and how I had let social media shape my identity. 

Since then, I’ve been on a mission to unlearn old ways and re-learn new and healthier ways of coping with life.

Here are some suggestions and coaching-style practical tips I could offer you savvy ones who are ready to break off the slavery we have to our phones and social media!

#1 Phone Mindfulness: Daily check-ins with yourself

Garbage in, garbage out. Notice how much noise you’re letting into your mind, heart, and overall in your life.

1. Some helpful questions to ask yourself:
2. Where am I spending most of my time on my phone (news outlets, YouTube, which social media platforms or accounts)?
3. Is it uplifting, positive and hope-inspiring? If not, why do I keep looking at it?
4. What are my real needs? (If I need a friend, are there better ways of connecting than checking my IG?)
5. Do daily check-ins with yourself every night. Ask yourself questions like, “How is my mood today, how much time have I spent online today, or have I been affected by anything I’ve watched or seen online today?”

The more you notice and make sense of your social media habits & how it impacts your life, the more control and options you have.

The more you’re aware of, the more you can change. No amount of change happens without self-awareness.

#2 Phone Boundaries: What boundaries for your life and phone could look like

Online life isn’t the same as real life, remember?

Stop letting your online life take over your real life, and don’t get pushed around by push notifications!

Here are some ways you can do so:

1. Turn off notifications for IG, FB and even WhatsApp if you dare.
2. Vow not to check your phone after midnight or use one of those app blockers.
3. Charge your phone outside your room or away from your bed.
4. If you want to stop late night scrolling, it’s best to replace it with a new habit that you’ll actually like. Try to find something else fruitful or relaxing to do at night that doesn’t involve your phone.
5. Create routines or rhythms in your life so that you don’t check your phone at certain times of the day. For me, I don’t check my phone in the mornings until 12pm to protect my peace of mind. If the world is in a crisis, I guess I’ll find out after 12pm.
6. You can set times to check/use social media or go without it. One of my friends has a status on WhatsApp that she doesn’t check social media or WhatsApp on Sundays, and we have to call or text her if we want to reach her. That’s a big move but you do you!

#3 Phone Intention: To Consume, Communicate or Create?

Intention matters. We all know the moment when we check our phone for a message and somehow find ourselves lost in the deep bottom of the internet 2 - 3 (5?!) hours later.

So, here are 3 intentional ways to use your phone more meaningfully and purposefully:

1. Consume

Give yourself a set time for things like reading articles, watching YouTube videos or scrolling social media with the intention of consuming information, inspiration or entertainment. Set a timer of say 15 minutes or 30 minutes, and be mindful of how much time you spend.

2. Communicate

Here, you’re using your phone and social media to connect and communicate with people. DM a few friends, comment on some posts and thoughtfully engage - don’t just ‘scroll’ and ‘double tap like’.

3. Create

You’re taking the effort, time and intention to write, create, share and post something that is meaningful to you. This can include sharing some thoughts about your life in an insta story or post, and so on.

______

What is life, but time? And what is time but attention? What we give our attention to, is what we give our life to. 

So let’s take our time, attention and life back! Old and unchecked phone practices often steal our time and attention.

I hope these above tips help you to win in your relationship with your phone, overcome loneliness, and increase connection and meaningful living in your life. 

Your life matters and I hope you live it with passion and purpose!

Which of the above mentioned points in the article resonates most with you? 

DM me on Instagram @estellekiora, I’d love to hear from you and wishing you all the best in the choices you make and next steps that you take :) 

Estelle is a content creator, coach, thought leader and passionate advocate in the area of Identity, Purpose & Emotional Well-Being. 

She was a pioneer social media influencer more than a decade ago and now creates content, workshops and other interactive experiences that invite youth, creatives, entrepreneurs, culture-changers and misfits to think more deeply about themselves and live out their authentic purpose.

She is a featured author in the Singapore-based book, “Rise Up: 31 Short Inspiring Stories – it’s time to own your story” as well as guest writer/contributor across several media channels.

Connect with Estelle on IG @estellekiora for more content, conversations & coaching on purposeful living.

Check out her podcast show, The Purposepreneur on Apple, Spotify or YouTube for conversations on Purpose, Creativity & Entrepreneurship.