It is interesting to read the impact of smartphones have on our lifestyle. At the same time, it is also very depressing to acknowledge the fact that our habits very much revolve around the smartphone.
The problem is that five years of reaching in my front right pocket any time I’m free has created a strong habit, and I need to quit cold turkey.
I’m similar, only because my iPhone sits in my left pocket instead of the right one. I’m also guilty of reaching for my phone consciously or subconsciously The action action i’m likely to do when i’m idling is to reach into my pocket. It’s like an addiction, or an assurance, whichever way you look at it. Assurance because it keeps me occupied when i’m aimless.
It’s the habit we are cultivating that is dangerous. Thanks to the advancement of technology, being bored is the least of our worry. We are being entertained anytime, anywhere. And being bored is actually vital, and essential for creative work.
We lose track of our surrounding, only to be too focused on what’s happening inside our smartphone.
If twitter is taking up too much of your time, delete it. It’s drastic, but action has to be taken for the good of our well being. If the twitter app is right in your screen, you can put them in a folder.
This solves 2 issues:
1) If you can’t see them as much as you do now, you are less likely to have the urge to click it.
2) It takes more than one click to get into the app. In other words, it makes you work harder to get into the app.
On my screen, i have productivity apps like Dropbox, Simplenote, iA Writer and Day One on my main screen. All games are hidden in one folder, and they are not sorted according to genre.
When I stopped using Twitter in favor of App.net, I noticed that I just stopped caring about checking either that often. My App.net feed is so slow that I can catch up every few hours, in a few minutes.
With the abundance of apps craving for our attention, it is not surprise to note we are struggling to keep up with the hectic pace generated by our interests. Feeds unread, emails unopened, tweets unreplied, it all adds up.
We all have a choice, the choice to change our lifestyle.