The Plan to Limit My Phone Use

Dear Conscience,

I’m still working out the details of how to implement this goal of using my phone as a tool, rather than a passtime. I want my usage to be very limited, but without downgrading my use to a dumb-phone experience.

1. I have some utility apps that are always allowed: maps, email, messing, notes, and similar. I’ve also added separate apps for unit and currency converter, so that I don’t have to open my browser for such common questions.

2. The browser and search engines are tricky, as I definitely need them as a tool, but they can be used to circumvent any other limits. I want to allow myself 5min of browsing the news in the morning. And then only questions that have an immediate follow up action (meaning, for cases where it doesn’t make sense to look it up later from my laptop)

3. Video apps: Netflix, YouTube and similar. I use my phone to stream videos to watch on my TV. This is a separate non-phone activity, underlying separate rules. But this means no watching videos on my phone unless there is an immediate follow-up action: watching a video someone sent me before I respond, or an instructional video for something I’m about to do (i.e. not dumme I might do at some point).

I expect two consequences: more constructive time, more action, and also allowing more boredom, which are all good things (yes, including the boredom – which is actually a space for thinking).

The question is how successful I become at implementing it. Today could be the first day, but it’s only early afternoon still. It’s been a good day so far. I have high hopes.

Sincerely,

B.