Smartphones give us our morning alarm, map, text messages and so much more all in one place, and while they’re convenient and make our lives easier, they do have some downsides. Research suggests they’re changing our brains for the worse, including one study that finds just the presence of a smartphone can reduce the quality of in-person conversations we have with others. And according to another study, the average American checks their phone 144 times per day.
If you find yourself checking your phone more often than you’d like, setting some boundaries may help. Catherine Price digs into actionable ways to help curb phone usage in her book, “How to Break Up With Your Phone.” And this one takes less than a minute and doesn’t require much effort on your part, aside from changing your lock screen.
Price explains that mindfulness can really help when trying to cut down on smartphone use. One way she suggests doing that is asking yourself “What do you want to pay attention to?” the next time you pick up your phone. To help you remember, she recommends writing that question down and taking a photo of it, then turning it into your lock screen image. That way, anytime you reach for your phone, you’ll see it and may put that phone right back down before you start scrolling.
Source: CNBC