There's no point in depriving kids of technology and getting angry at them because they're always on their tablets. We live in a technological world. A world, might I add, that's only going to become filled with more and more devices as the days go by. But we've become seriously addicted to scrolling and it's a problem. I can't (and I know a lot of other people can't) watch a 90-minute movie without picking up my phone and having an aimless scroll through Facebook/Twitter/Snapchat, just in case I missed any notifications.
While writing the above paragraph, I picked up my phone at least twice just to see if there were any notifications on my lock screen that I could have possibly missed. Our attention spans have been reduced so much. We flick and flick, stop, watch a 6-second video, flick, read, flick. Everything is short and fast and snappy and we just can't focus on anything for a long time.
So hopefully these eight little tips will help you regain control of your life because our phones have taken control of us. Plus, it'd be nice to be able to not look down at my hand every five bloody minutes...
1) Get a watch.
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A lot of the time when we look at our lock screen we look at it to check the time and we get sucked back into unlocking it and having a swipe through Instagram, Facebook, Tinder and then forget what time it is altogether. If you have a watch, fucking wear it, and if you don't, just go out and buy one. It'll stop you from checking your phone a lot more. And most of them are shiny. Ooohhhhh!
2) Stop bringing it with you everywhere.
Now, don't go losing your tits, still bring your phone with you when you're leaving the house. But, if you're moving from the sitting room to the kitchen just to get a sandwich, I think your phone will be okay for five minutes. God forbid you miss an invite to play Farmville or anything...
3) Leave it out of the room.
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Leave your phone in a different room when you're doing your homework, studying or watching a film. Unless your homework is to look at the same 50 Facebook posts every five minutes, I don't think you'll need it for the foreseeable future, to be honest.
4) Don't put it on silent.
If you're so anxious about missing any "exciting" online activity, then don't bother having your phone on silent. I doubt you'll have a new notification every couple of minutes, so I don't think it'll be disrupting you too much. No offence or anything....
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5) Leave it in your bag or pocket.
When you're out to eat, just don't take it out. Leave it in your bag and talk to the people you're out with, for the love of God. You'll start to realise how much more fun actually speaking to people and soon you'll forget about it completely. Hopefully.
6) Clear out your social media collection.
Uninstall as much as your addiction will let you. Only keep the essentials. The holy trinity; Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. That way, you're instantly cutting down on the level of choice and therefore, time, spent on your phone.
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7) Read a book.
When was the last time you read a book that wasn't shoved into your face by school and college? It's really hard to get into a book, but once you get through one you'll start to enjoy it. It will lengthen your attention span and help you stay off your phone. And you don't have to charge a book (Kindles are not books).
8) Turn off your notifications.
There's a setting there that means you'll get a notification, but it won't light up your screen. At the start you'll be checking your phone constantly until you see just how unpopular you are and you'll stop. Sharpish.
