Each week, Aussies spend an average of a DAY online, that’s 32 mins more than a year ago! Through COVID last year, the internet kept us connected but bad habits were formed. Our devices have become an essential part of our lives, so much so, that if we don’t have our phones with us, our anxiety skyrockets!

It can be really hard to ignore the constant notifications, so how do we break free from our devices and regain control? It can be really hard to ignore the constant notifications, so how do we break free from our devices and regain control? Here are some tips to help you free yourself from your devices and live life more positively.

Get help from … your phone

Yes, you read correctly! Our phones now have a built-in function that tracks how long we spend on our devices. Utilise it, breakdown where you spend all your time and work out ways to reduce it.

If you’re looking for something to get you off your phone, we recommend Forest and StayFocusd.

Forest is an app that helps you stay focused by planting a virtual seed and setting a timer for your task, during which time your seed will grow into a tree. However, if you can’t resist the urge to use your phone while the timer is running, the tree will die. StayFocusd is a Google Chrome extension that restricts the amount of time you can spend on selected websites and if you exceed the allocated time, the sites you’ve blocked will be inaccessible for the rest of the day.

Manage your notifications

The constant pinging of notifications can create anxiety and stress, but by taking control of them, you can take the power back. It’s actually quite simple! Go into settings, choose which notifications you want to stop and enjoy the sweet sound of silence.

On a side note, do you REALLY need your work email on your phone? If you do, set some parameters. 52% of people work outside designated work hours. Change your work email habits! Set up an out-of-hours autoresponder and clock off!

Invest in an alarm clock

So many of us rely on our phone alarm to wake us up in the morning (before writing this article, I was one of those people) but what happened to the age of actual alarm clocks! By relying on our phone alarms, we wake up bleary-eyed and immediately start responding to notifications or scrolling on social media. Invest in an alarm clock and move your phone out of the room, so you don’t start your day looking at your phone.

Switch out for some analog alternatives

Notes → pen and paper

Clock → watch

Game apps → board and card games

Ebook → paperback book

Reconnect with others offline

During lockdowns, group chats were great to keep us connected, no matter the restrictions or how far away we were from each other. However we’ve kept these bad habits, so why not invest some time to meet with people face-to-face.

Each day, we spend an average of 8 hours 41 minutes a day on screens, that’s more than we sleep! Try moving offline and give people your undivided attention. Research also shows that bonds feel significantly stronger from just talking on the phone instead of text-based methods like emails and messages.

It’s pretty scary but we check our phones every 6.5 minutes! Make a change! Implement some of our tips and free yourself from your devices.