Make Your Smartphone Work For You, Not Against You
and Take Back Control of Your Life.
Technology is a blessing, only if you use it wisely, else it becomes a curse. You always have a choice. — Unknown
The Idea
Last year, I wrote a story about how I transformed my smartphone into a productivity machine, and you guys thoroughly enjoyed it.
So here it is. The modified version of that story.
For the past few months, I have been consistently modifying my smartphone to help me work at my peak.
So let's dive in.
The Changes I Made
Replacing YouTube
I don’t use YouTube now. I explained about it in one of my stories on "How I Cured My YouTube Addiction".
In case you haven’t read that one, then please save it for later. You’re missing out on a lot of value.
Replacing YouTube has been a game-changer for me.
The app that I replaced YouTube with is "NewPipe".
- A clone of YouTube but a less addictive one.
- This app doesn’t have a shorts tab on the home screen.
- It doesn’t have a stupid recommendation system.
Far better features than YouTube.
Hiding other social media apps from the home screen
I tried deleting the social media apps. I tried social media detox, but nothing worked.
Because social media has become a necessity in today's world, you cannot simply live without it.
Now this is a bold statement, and I know that I may be wrong here, but I am saying this from my experience.
It is a harsh reality now that you cannot directly cut off social media from your life.
Because your mind is now wired to live with it.
So instead of eliminating it completely from your life, simply schedule it for later.
I have all the popular social media apps installed on my smartphone, but I don't keep them on the home screen.
All these apps are hidden in the app lock, and I unhide them only when I want.
- I use Twitter.
- I use LinkedIn.
- I use Instagram.
But only when I want.
I have been following this for the past 6 months, and it literally cut my app usage time by half.
How can it help?
You don't get triggers anymore.
So whenever you suddenly remember about these apps, you can use them there and then come back to work.
Optimizing the Home Screen
Since last time, I have made a few changes to my home screen.
New Widgets
- Google Keep Widget: Earlier, I was using Notion Quick Capture, but recently I shifted to Google Keep for capturing quick notes.
- Insight Timer Quote Widget: This widget regularly comes up with new and inspiring quotes about life. This pushes me to complete all my tasks in a day.
- Google Calendar Widget: It tells me about the recent day schedule that I had planned in advance.
- World Clock Widget: I am a writer, so posting time plays a crucial factor. Therefore, I have kept a widget on my home screen with the times of different countries. This helps me schedule my posts at a particular time, which can be applicable to all countries.
Keeping only the necessary apps on the home screen
I have created a separate folder on my home screen where I have kept only the apps that I need in my daily life.
Adding Quotes to Carousels
Earlier, I was using a glance carousel for my lock screen.
It basically comes up with random images and news.
But I turned it off and created a personalized lock screen carousel for my phone.
I added a bunch of inspirational quotes there; they basically keep coming back repeatedly.
Which I think was a great move instead of seeing those random images.
Turning off Google Discover
Google Discover usually comes up with useless news articles.
So I have intentionally turned it off.
The Purpose
The purpose here is not to turn your smartphone into a dumb phone but to make it productive.
I see people turning their phones completely into dumb phones.
But I personally think it will not work long-term.
Because I don't believe in 75 hard challenges, but in something that will work for 75 years of my life.
and this is something that keeps me going.
Don't take massive steps. Instead, take small steps and create a routine that will eventually bring about a massive change in your life.
Thank you for reading.
Let me know in the comments, do you control your smartphone or it controls your life?
P.S: If you genuinely find the story helpful, then follow me for more. Join 100+ readers to never miss an update on my upcoming stories.
