How to Stop Being Addicted to Your Mobile Phone

Remedies for mobile phone addiction: Mobile Phone is a very productive technological communication tool. After the advent of Apps, Internet connectivity and social media, mobile phones have become the go-to tool in our daily life. These advances in mobile phone technology created new kinds of habits, crises, uses, and operations that look impossible to stop. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that due to certain reasons many people are addicted to mobile phones in a compulsive manner.

Not all addictions are as bad as others, a person addicted to his work is a workaholic but at least he is doing something productive with his obsession. Such addiction is a good thing in some cases if it’s making people and society healthy, and wealthy and increasing their intellectual property.

For example, someone addicted to learning, addicted to protecting the environment, addicted to saving water, addicted to writing, addicted to marketing, addicted to business development, etc. I think addiction is the highest level of focus that disables people from thinking about anything else. Just as some people focus on hard work to become rich, but later the level of focus turns into greed. I call this addiction and overuse of resources and tapping into tools. Everything works great within limits, but people start going towards unlimited indulgence in the same way they do unlimited recharge packs.

If you’re one of those people who is feeling addicted to your phone, then this post will break your thought process of obsession and will pull you out of the mobile bog. These ideas are based on inventive and practical methodology, it is meant to be for educational purposes, kindly use sound judgment on your own or compare the ideas before taking the right decision.

So let’s start:

1. Don’t think you’re addicted, just find out if you have a good reason to use or not to use.

The first thing to get out of any addiction is to stop thinking about it that way. I mean don’t think you’re addicted to a mobile phone, think like you’re just overusing it more than others. The less you focus and think about the mobile addiction symptoms and side effects, the sooner you will get out of this.

For example, if the overuse of mobile phones, apps, social media, and videos is turning into an addiction that you can’t stop, then it is like a quicksand bog. The more you try to come out of it, the deeper you sink into it. A few minutes browsing social media can turn into an hour and several hours spent like this can ruin your entire day.

The mobile device by itself, the internet or social media is not responsible for your addiction. But your focus, purpose of use, knowledge of use, and habits matter. The same resources and tools are used by many others to achieve great things in work and life. All that is needed is a sense of purpose and setting limits on things.

Mobile is a very useful tool, but setting a schedule, or using app blockers or disconnecting yourself from the world is not a solution for mobile addiction. These are just secondary diversion methods that will also take up your time. The solution to mobile addiction is in setting priorities and purpose of use, and these things are inside you. Not in the mobile or its functionality to control the features.

So the first step is: Stop thinking that you’re addicted. Stop thinking that mobile is making you unproductive and wasting your time. Think positive and be optimistic. The lesser you think about the bad side, the higher you create chances of getting out of mobile addiction.

2. Set Productive Priorities for life and career before you use the mobile phone for entertainment:-

When you stop thinking about addiction and the negative side of mobile then you will be able to think about what is the most productive thing for your career, business, or personal development. This will open up a whole new world of possibilities for you, all of which will benefit you in some way.

If we consider this from a student’s perspective, your productive priorities can be to use the mobile phone for learning. For example, every morning students can watch English-speaking videos on mobile on youtube to improve grammar, vocabulary, and fluency. They can get a better understanding of maths, physics, and chemistry by watching animated videos that explain the concepts in a technical but easy way.

They can use it for learning and improving mental strength and leadership skills, instead of just chatting for short-term pleasure. A healthy habit of studying on a mobile phone can help them to replace the focus of the brain from the negative side to the positive side.

3. Lose the social bond and its trappings:-

We think society and social media is important for our life. Yes, it is no doubt. But don’t try to impress it, be yourself and act natural. A lot of people spend hours taking the perfect selfie for Facebook or clicking on food items before eating at restaurants so that they can Instagram it. Then they spend hours in tension after editing and posting thinking about how people will respond.

It’s because it consumes more time to find posts that will be likable by more people. But at the same time, other people in society are also trying to impress each other with selfies, sharing achievements, travel destinations, etc. and your brain starts to compare your social status with other people’s status.

So social media has become a very competitive place where people pour in their personal life content for others to judge and comment on. This process takes more time because the brain is in a negative frame of mind and eventually it forces our negative minds to keep checking the status and keep seeing the likes and comments on our posts. Very soon this becomes a vicious cycle that eats up your time and breaks your focus from other important things in life.

It’s ok to use social media on a mobile phone with limits. But it’s dangerous when you take society and social networks to your bed inside the blanket using a mobile.

If you’re holding the phone in your hand and trying to impress everyone in society then it’s not a good thing. Because they are not going to get influenced by your theoretical thoughts. They will be influenced by your actions and achievement.

If you become an example, you can inspire the world. Never set goals to impress society, try to lead the society by setting an actionable example. If they like it, well and good. But if they don’t like it, don’t let it affect your peace of mind. Always stay open to constructive criticism but never take anything to heart on social media.

Just forget for a day or two that you even have an online social network, keep yourself away from all the things on your phone, and you will see that your presence or absence doesn’t matter to society. You matter to your parents, brother, sister, and close friends.

But if you think, everyone in society is your friend, then you’re wrong. They are also addicted to a mobile phone, and this is the way you also got influenced by mobile addiction.

Test your true influencer or social friend, and don’t share or use your phone for a few days. You will see how many care.

Try to become a leader, achieve something, try to make your parent’s dreams true, try to connect with good people, and be what you were meant to be, not what your mobile notification is trying to make you.

4. Be what you’re, not what they (Artificial Intelligence) want you to be:-

A mobile phone is an important tool, it’s making our life easy, but the truth is- you can’t become smart by using a smartphone. At least not in the way that most people are using it. You can be smart through your actions and thoughts.

I mean mobile technologies, apps, social networks and almost every existing Information technology present today is trying to operate your brain. The technology is operated by companies to control and manage your emotions. They will get profit when you keep using your mobile phone. But what you will get in return?

Virtually nothing is gained by you, even the shared content is yours, you paid for an internet data pack, and you’re spending time, but are you earning money from this? If yes, then ok, if not you need to think again. Basically, you are a puppet in the hands of these companies who in reality are dependent upon you to generate and promote content for their monetary benefit.

5. Do not react to every stimulus:–

Notifications, automated promotional emails, cold calls, and cross-selling is like an infection. Once you respond, then they keep asking you until you do not buy. And also when you keep waiting for other people to respond. You check again and again.

The common excuse why we use the internet, social media, and other things are to update ourselves. But if you’re one of those people using a mobile phone to update yourself about social activities, politics, friend’s activities, etc. then tell me, are you updating your career skills, and business skills? Are you using it for learning? How many of those notifications have actually benefited you in any way?

If your goal is to become skilled, then you don’t need to share and watch political debates. Unless your target is to become a politician, in this scenario if any viral thing matters to you, then it’s ok to share and respond. But this is only for those who have certain goals that can only be accomplished by using a mobile phone. For the rest of the people who think to curse the Prime Minister on Social Media will bring about change in society, then they are living in an illusion.

So the simple solution to avoid negative addiction is to redirect the mobile uses towards the fulfillment of your purposes and goals.

In this case, you will never feel like it’s an addiction, instead, you will say that you’re increasing your income by using the mobile phone as a means to an end. It will be a source of income, rather than a sink of time wastage.

6. Use the tool, but do not become a tool yourself:-

Mobile is a technological tool in which applications are automatically notifying you about your personal, professional and social activities. If you use it to share something with your clients then it’s good. If you use it to share certain important things with students then it’s great.

If you only use it, because you have to use it and there is nothing else for you to do. Then re-think. Don’t become an accessory for technology. Be a user of technology, don’t let them use you as a tool.

7. Be purposeful:-

The most successful people that the world recognizes today are busy achieving their purposes. How often do you see Mark Zuckerberg updated his status, how many times does Sachin Tendulkar post selfies, and how many times do the richest or wealthy people update their status?

I just mean people with pre-defined goals and purposes in life spend less time in pointless discussions and political debates and they spend more time taking action. The more focused you are on your goals, the more you connect with purposeful people, the more you connect with meaningful things, and the less you will be addicted to anything.

8. Set timings:-

If you think it’s impossible to follow the above ideas to stop being addicted to mobile phones and the internet then start by setting timings for yourself. Use 1 hour in the morning and then 1 hour in the evening. If there is an important thing people can call you, you don’t need to be in your social circle or society every time. You also have kids, family obligations, a career, business, and certain other important duties. You need to decide which things will help you. Do you think using mobile for 10 hours will give you 90% marks, if yes then keep using…

The best approach is to use 10% time for learning and spend 90% time on execution. Only the execution of lessons and ideas will help you. But if you’re spending 90% time on learning, and updating yourself and 10% on execution then it will take many years to achieve a single goal.

Consider this example, to understand what is the process of mobile addiction.

1. Day 1 – You have Updated your social profile picture and after that, you keep checking and counting your likes each day. Now you have generated 150 likes. Time consumed= 10 minutes every hour, Brain/Thought process- more likes mean you’re happy, fewer likes mean unhappy. It means every hour the state of mind is changed.
2. Day 2 – Do the same thing again, 140 likes. Same results.
3. Day 3 – 130
4. Day 4 – 70
5. Day 5 – 50
6. Day 6 – 30
7. Day 7 – 20
8. Day 8 – 10
9. Day 9 – 1
10. Day 10 – 0 (only you)

And now you’re thinking very badly about yourself on the basis of likes data. On another side, you’re great but the comparison leads you to negative actions.

Why? Because you’re making people bored. People are bored with watching you again and again with similar status updates. So you start trying to impress them with creative ideas, you start trying to generate more likes, and do the hard work to take selfies in more luxurious places, with stars and celebrities.

You’re trying to impress. And in this process, you spend your time showcasing that you’re rich and powerful and you’re enjoying your real life. But in reality, we all know how rich we are, how many real friends we have, and what good work we’re doing.

To manage your mobile applications wisely, not to impress others but to help others grow and not all day, just a few minutes in the morning and a few minutes in the evening. This way people don’t get bored with you and the content remains fresh and relevant and people look forward to it.

9. Invest your time in other creative works:-

Three things are very helpful in life- Power, Knowledge, and Money. In other words- will, skill and tools. You can’t become successful without these things in anything. So spend your time managing and nurturing the power of your body and brain when you wake up. Not opening notifications from social networks. Spend the money on books and tools that will help you to grow, instead of purchasing vanity items and mobile accessories. There are millions of people who have purchased Apple Mobile phones, but do you think all are able to access and utilize the productive features of the iPhone X? It’s known that mobile can help you to learn and earn. But most people are using it for social media and selfies.

Today, mobile is a communication tool. And you can run and use many technological tools inside it. So if you think it is essential for you, then use your imagination and do some creative work. Such as record or creating funny videos using mobile, taking photographs and selling on stock photos websites. Learn to create apps, educate others, and help others. But do everything within limits such that it doesn’t affect your priorities in life.

10. Do not operate your body and brain using a mobile phone:-

Mobile phones and apps are also working as reminder tools. People say it will reduce the pressure to hold memories in the brain. Yes, that may be true but it’s also reducing the power of the brain. The brain is like a muscle, the more we exercise it, the stronger and more efficient it becomes. If we don’t use it and simply rely on our phones to find and save information, we are dumbing down our own brain power.

Today, the brain is always divided between tasks, people are even using mobiles while they are driving, eating, and almost every time of the day and night. (In today’s newspaper I read an article where a father literally cut off his son’s right hand as he was addicted to the mobile phone, link here ). You can say that mobile has become the artificial brain+body of people. And it’s true that sometimes they lose control of this artificial brain and body.

But think, about which body is more important for your family. Do your parents love your phone more than you do? Do your kids love your phone more than you do?

No, They love you. What they will do with your phone? For them, you are everything in the world.

So my friends, just try to become disciplined in your lifestyle. Do not copy the crowd. Do not react to every notification. Try to become an example for your kids, and neighbors, the change starts with you.

Everything and almost all devices are machines, and there are certain limits and guidelines on which these machines operate. You can set and create similar limits and rules for yourself to stop being addicted to mobile phones. Don’t be a slave to your mobile phone, be a master of this tech world.

That’s it, friend. I hope these tips will help you to stop being addicted to mobile phones.

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