Everyone’s had that morning—you know the one. You stayed up way too late to look at one more meme, watch one more story, reblog one more post. Bleary-eyed and trudging to classes the next day, you wonder why you couldn’t put down your phone and sleep. Think back to your last study session, where you had trouble ignoring updates and staying focused on your notes. Everyone’s been there at one time or another. Being distracted by our phones happens to the best of us, but there are small, easy ways to limit time spent on your phone, and make room in your schedule for fun. I mean—summertime is winding down, enjoy the rest of it before your life gets crazy hectic again with school.
Make your phone less tempting
Smartphones are made to dazzle and distract us with bright colors and new alerts. It’s hard to tear ourselves away from the screen, especially when it seems much more interesting than what’s in front of us. Try turning off screen notifications from the social media apps. No notifications on your lock screen means less temptation to open and browse. If you want to be strict, try deleting apps that suck your focus, and check them on your laptop at a later time. iPhones have a cool feature now, that you can set a timer for how long certain apps can be used. You can also set a downtime where all your apps will be restricted until a certain time.
Use the analog version
How many times have you pulled your phone out to check the time and found yourself checking notifications instead? Or you turned your phone alarm off in the morning and immediately started scrolling through apps? We’re all guilty of this, and one way to combat these distractions is to use a watch or an alarm clock instead. This works with other utility apps, as well, such as using a physical planner instead of calendar/reminders apps. Find what works for you without too much hassle so using these analog versions becomes a habit. This can help you stay in the moment and off your phone.
Make your bedroom or bed a no-phone zone
Staring at a phone screen in the hour before you fall asleep can leave you restless and unable to fall asleep. Giving yourself a screen-free hour before bed helps your brain train itself to calm down around the same time each night. This will leave you well-rested and alert for next day lectures, study sessions, and even just being social with friends!
Put it where you can’t see it
Studies have shown that even just seeing your smartphone impairs focus. Sometimes, the easiest way to forget about something is to hide it from yourself. Placing your phone across the room or even under a pillow or stack of papers can reduce the need to check notifications. This will help you get work done quicker, giving you more time for fun outside of class and homework.
Make a schedule
Making a schedule for when you use your phone to browse ensures you stay on track. Make sure important people in your life know that you may not be as easy to reach as you usually are, and set specific times when you’re allowed to pick up your phone for 10-15 minutes. You can even schedule an hour to just scroll through social media. Having set times to get your memes, posts, and stories out of your system keeps you from losing time that could be spent out with friends.
Practice focusing
Phones have a serious impact on our focus. As our brains get used to jumping from post to post, and app to app, our attention spans take a hit. Setting aside phone-free chunks of time to study and work on homework is key. Using tools that ensure you stay on track and understand what you’re studying can help re-train your focusing skills—helping you study smarter.
Limiting your phone time doesn’t have to be a chore. Small changes can make a huge difference and ensure you can still check those social apps, but still bask in the moment of life.