Clever ways to beat your smartphone addiction

Breaking the habit of checking your phone can be hard, especially for those who fear missing or losing out. Help is at hand with these no-brainers tricks and apps that will enforce some self-control

Thr frustrating thing about a phone addiction is that unlike actual substance abuse, the solution is not a quit cold turkey. Instead, we have to find ways to use this technology responsibly, fighting apps overtly designed to steal our time. Here are ten habits that help you control your smartphone use.

1. Stop checking your phone when in line: For most of us, this is exactly what mobile phones are for. But if you want to lean into the bedroom that's essential for creativity and reflection, then stop checking your phone just because you are not doing anything for a minute. This might mean keeping your phone in a different pocket, so you can't pull it out quite so unconsciously.
2. Turn off the notifications: Turn off all notifications that don't require immediate action. You can probably leave calls and texts on, but turn off everything and every app with 'follow' function. Turn off your email notifications too. When you download a new app, disable notifications.
3. Don't use your phone in bed: Establish a no-phone time in the morning or evening. To enforce it, use Freedom (iOS) or Offtime (iOS/Android) to turn off all the access to domains like Facebook and Instagram. That way you can pick up your phone to check for important updates while shielding yourself from your social feeds.
4. Stop checking your phone in the car: Stick your phone in the glove compartment. Android handsets come with a driving mode that switches you to voice controls. iOS11 also includes an automatic 'Do Not Disturb While Driving' mode. If Google Assistant isn't enough, download Drivemode for Android for a 'no-look' interface that automatically launches when you start driving.
5. Break the 'checking' cycle: Once you have checked your email, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and so on, it's tempting to start the loop all over again. Instead, check just one app at a time. Train yourself to put your phone down after your intended action. Close apps as soon as you use them. And hide all your distracting apps off the home screen.
6. Choose an endpoint for your browsing session: Put your clock app on your home screen.When you open your phone, set a time for how long you want to spend on your phone. Use QualityTime (Android) to limit how long you spend on specific apps. Also, try turning your phone off when you are done using it. This may be drastic. But try it just for a day and see the result.
7. Move your phone else-where when you watch TV or read: When you are out and about it, it makes sense to keep your phone in your pocket. But when you get home, take it out. Leave it to charge, and try treating it like a home phone. The less often you check your phone, the less you get sucked into Twitter.
8. Don't expect a quick fix: It's difficult to find the right balance. We appreciate the advantages of a smartphone, and most of us use it more than we want to. These tricks work as long as you are paying attention to them, and apps keep finding new ways to invade your space. So, keep finding ways to trick your brain out of bad behavior.

originally posted Akib Ali

Ten Tricks for Checking Your Phone Less

Photo by Toshiyuki IMAI

The most frustrating thing about a phone addiction is that unlike actual substance abuse, the solution is not to stop using it completely. Instead, we have to find ways to use this technology responsibly, fighting apps overtly designed to steal our time.

Marketer Josh Spector wrote about ten habits that help him control his phone use. Acquiring these habits is hard, so we’re adding some tricks and apps that will enforce your self-control.

1. Stop checking your phone in the car.

Stick your phone in the glove compartment.

Android and Windows Mobile come with a driving mode that switches you to voice controls. iOS 11, coming out September 12, will include an automatic “Do Not Disturb While Driving” mode. (AT&T customers can already use the AT&T DriveMode app).

 

If Google Assistant isn’t enough, download Drivemode for Android for a “no-look” interface that automatically launches when you start driving.

Drivemode Responds to Texts with Your Voice in Hangouts, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and More

Android: Previously mentioned hands-free driving app Drivemode has a lot of great features, but it…

Read more

2-3. Move your phone elsewhere when you watch TV or read.

When you’re out and about, it makes sense to keep your phone in your pocket. But when you get home, take it out. Leave it to charge, and try treating it like a home phone. The less often you check your phone for “just one thing,” the less often you get sucked into an hour of Twitter.

When you get up and check your phone, try leaving it plugged in, and/or standing right over the outlet. That’ll make it harder to accidentally pocket it and break the habit.

4. Turn off notifications.

Specifically, turn off all notifications that don’t require immediate action. You can probably leave calls and texts on, but turn off everything from Twitter, Facebook, and every app with a “follow” function.

Turn off your email notifications too. It’s not as if you don’t check your email every 20 minutes anyway. If you need, establish a “call/text if it’s an emergency” policy.

When you download a new app, disable notifications (or just never enable them). Let the app earn your attention.

If some notifications kind of matter, make them silent and hide them from your lock screen. They still might suck you in once you open your phone, but at least they won’t trigger a new browsing session.

You Don't Always Have to Be Up to Date On Everything

According to local news reports, an area man stopped checking Twitter for a few minutes yesterday…

Read more

5. Choose an end point for your browsing session.

Put your clock app on your home screen. When you open your phone, before anything else, set a timer for how long you want to spend on your phone.

Android offers some more automatic solutions. Use QualityTime to limit the time you spend on specific apps.

Try turning your phone off—like, really off—when you’re done using it. For most of us, this will prove a little too drastic. But try it just for a day and see what you gain. Everyone’s phone needs are different, so it’s normal to try a few tricks that don’t work out. That’s not failure, it’s just experimentation.

How I Turned My iPhone Into a Simple, Distraction-Free Device

When people see my iPhone they’re like, “My God, man, do you have some kind of crazy phone virus?”…

Read more

6. Stop checking your phone when in line.

For most of us, this is exactly what mobile phones are for. But if you really want to lean into the boredom that’s essential for creativity and reflection, then stop checking your phone just because you’re not doing anything for a minute.

Practically, this might mean keeping your phone in a different pocket, so you can’t pull it out quite so unconsciously. Get a wallpaper that reminds you to put down your phone. Add a fresh one weekly. Practice stopping and looking around you.

Why You Need Boredom, Distraction, and Procrastination in Your Life

Most of us—no matter how many time-saving techniques we employ—don’t have enough time to waste. But …

Read more

7. Don’t use your phone in bed.

Establish a no-phone time in the morning and evening. To enforce it—or to only block the less essential functions—use Freedom (iOS) or Offtime(iOS/Android) to turn off all access to domains like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. That way you can pick up your phone to check for actually important updates, while shielding yourself from drifting on over to your social feeds.

This may sound too stringent if your job occasionally involves social media. But even as a blogger, I’ve kept Freedom on, blocking Twitter between 9:30 PM and 7:30 AM. If I ever actually need to tweet at night, I could always go to my computer. At least five times a week I check my phone in bed, realize Twitter is blocked, and go back to my book.

Freedom Blocks Distractions In Sync Across Every Device You Own

Windows/Mac/Android/iOS: What good is blocking distractions on your computer if you can pick up…

Read more

8-9. Break the “checking” cycle.

Once you’ve checked your email, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and so on, it’s tempting to start the loop all over again. Instead check just one app at a time. Train yourself to put your phone down after your intended action.

It’s pretty hard to break the “what’s next” habit, so do anything you can to make switching apps less automatic. Close apps as soon as you use them, so you’d have to boot them up again. And hide all your distracting apps off of the home screen, putting them in folders so you have to dig for them or type their names to open.

Try deleting one social app at a time, for just a day or a week, to see whether you really need it. If you end up keeping one distracting app off your phone, it’ll be worth it.

Use the "Stopping Rule" To Break Your Social Media Loop

You pick up your phone, glance at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, then peek in on your email. By the…

Read more

10. Don’t expect a quick fix.

It’s difficult to find the right balance. Most of us really appreciate the advantages of a smart phone, and most of us also use it more than we want to. Most of these tricks only work as long as you’re paying attention to them, and apps keep finding new ways to invade your space, so you need to keep finding fresh ways to trick your brain out of bad behavior.

As Spector points out, the answer isn’t a one-time “digital detox.” It’s learning to live with, and earn the privilege of (as contributor Jake Knapp put it) “infinity in your pocket.” When you realize how big that obstacle is, it makes sense that there’s no quick fix—just regular habits, trial and error, and ups and downs.

h/t swissmiss via lifehacker

Improve the battery life on the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 with these 17 tips and tricks

The Galaxy Note 8 is the hottest new Samsung super-phone in town. This handset is the latest representative of the company's new design approach which emphasizes on keeping the displays big and bezels small. 

The results from this philosophy are quite impressive - the latest Note packs a massive 6.3-inch panel at the front which is easily one of the largest screens we've seen on a high-end smartphone to date. The majority of its specs and features are equally awe-inspiring: the powerful Snapdragon 835 chipset, an advanced dual-camera composition, loads of RAM, and a new and more precise S-Pen. 

However, the Galaxy Note 8 does have one key area that isn't all that breathtaking - the battery. Its 3,300 mAh capacity would have been more than enough for many other mobile devices, but it does look a bit underwhelming for a phablet of this stature. Of course, there's a very good reason for that - Samsung tried to cram a 3,500mAh cell in the Note 7, and we all know how that ended. Still, let's take a look at the numbers before we jump to conclusions. 

WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT FROM THE NOTE 8 IN TERMS OF BATTERY LIFE?

BENCHMARK

Battery life (hours)  HIGHER IS BETTER

LG G66h 9 min (Average) Google Pixel XL7h 19 min (Good) Samsung Galaxy Note 87h 50 min (Good) Samsung Galaxy S8+8h (Excellent) Sony Xperia XZ Premium8h 15 min (Excellent) Apple iPhone 7 Plus9h 5 min (Excellent) OnePlus 59h 18 min (Excellent)

VIEW ALL

The Note 8 clocked in at 7 hours and 50 minutes in our custom battery test. That's better than the LG G6 and the Pixel XL, but the iPhone 7 Plus, OnePlus 5, Sony Xperia XZ Premium, and Galaxy S8+ all performed better in this department. Overall, one might argue that the score is decent and that we're nitpicking a bit here. However, we have to remember that this phone costs nearly $1,000, so more should be expected of it. 

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO INCREASE TIME BETWEEN CHARGES?

Odds are that the Note 8 will be able to last through a busy day, but what can you do if you'd like to get even more time between charges? 

Below, we've compiled a number of tricks and tips that will improve the battery life on Samsung's latest and greatest. Some of them are rather obvious, others - not so much.

Nobody expects you to adopt all of them as they include turning certain functionalities off, but you can test them out and decide what works for you. A good rule of thumb here is: If one of the methods takes away features that you consider essential, just don't bother using it. With no further ado, let's see what's on the list.