Reclaim Your Attention
The list below was inspired by Kyle Westaway's Weekend Briefing on Rest & Reflection and the Attention Economy.
This is not an anti-phone campaign, it is a conscious choice campaign. The habit of checking your phone was created, and not by you. This list is about reclaiming choice and being in the driver's seat.
The easy/medium/hard list is not for everyone. I've made this a game so it's fun and challenging. If you choose to dive in, be kind to yourself. Give yourself time, and experiment. Don't be hard on yourself or others, rather be playful and enjoy the process.
This is not an anti-phone campaign, it is a conscious choice campaign. The habit of checking your phone was created, and not by you. This list is about reclaiming choice and being in the driver's seat.
The easy/medium/hard list is not for everyone. I've made this a game so it's fun and challenging. If you choose to dive in, be kind to yourself. Give yourself time, and experiment. Don't be hard on yourself or others, rather be playful and enjoy the process.
EASY
MEDIUM
HARD
- Turn off all non-priority push notifications
- Turn off all non-priority red dots (especially with #'s and counters)
- Turn on "Do Not Disturb" after ___pm and before ___am
- Keep your phone on vibrate or silent most of the time
- Put your phone in the side console while driving
- Batch your social media check-ins to five times a day
- Unsubscribe to all non-priority newsletters in your email
MEDIUM
- Turn off all push notifications
- Turn off all red dots
- Turn on "Do Not Disturb" during meetings and when eating
- Keep your phone on vibrate all the time
- Get an alarm clock to replace the alarm on your phone
- Get a wristwatch to replace looking at your phone for the time
- Stop looking at your phone/computer 1 hour before bedtime
- Put your phone face side down on a table during meetings and when eating
- Batch your social media check-ins to three times a day
- Put all phones in a tupperware container during dinner
HARD
- Keep your phone on silent all the time
- Put your phone in a tupperware container after ___pm
- Put your phone in your purse/bag (out of your pocket) during meetings and when eating
- Turn text notifications and alerts off
- Batch your social media check-ins to once a day
- Ask yourself, "WHY?" every time you take out your phone or sit in front of your computer
- Delete social media apps on your phone
- Leave your phone at home for specific occasions and notify loved ones
Sources
The Economist - Monetizing Eyeballs
Guardian - Former Facebook Executive: Social media is ripping society apart society
NYTimes - How Tiny Red Dots Took Over Your Life
NYTimes - Hooked on our smartphones
NYTimes - How to break up with your phone
Frontiers in Psychology - Hypernatural Monitoring
Cory Doctorow - Persuasion, Adaptation, and the Arms Race for Your Attention
LifeHacker - Ten tricks for checking your phone less
This Panda is Dancing
The Economist - Monetizing Eyeballs
Guardian - Former Facebook Executive: Social media is ripping society apart society
NYTimes - How Tiny Red Dots Took Over Your Life
NYTimes - Hooked on our smartphones
NYTimes - How to break up with your phone
Frontiers in Psychology - Hypernatural Monitoring
Cory Doctorow - Persuasion, Adaptation, and the Arms Race for Your Attention
LifeHacker - Ten tricks for checking your phone less
This Panda is Dancing