Broken all your resolutions for 2023 already? Need some easier to accomplish ones for the New Year that involve your most prized possession? Here’re some ideas for 2023 to make you and your relationship with that certain special black metal and glass rectangle more meaningful and maybe add some sanity to your life.
- Explore new features on your phone to become more efficient and productive. Knowing what your phone can actually do also reduces phone envy.
- Set aside dedicated times for phone usage to improve focus and reduce distractions. Turn off the notifications that keep dividing your attention and turning your experience into a dinging memory.
- Dedicate time to use your phone to connect with others, maintain and build meaningful relationships. Love takes work and time. You can hit the social media all day, but make sure there’s some time explicitly carved out to check in on your loved ones and you’re not just hoping for the Facebook algorithm to show you updates of people you care about.
- Make a conscious effort to use your phone with a purpose. Any purpose. I am going to take photos. I am going to use it to level the TV properly. I am going to use it to measure out a room. I am using this tool for a reason, not just because it dinged at me.
- Utilize your phone’s calendar and reminders to stay organized and keep track of things to free up your mental space. You don’t have to remember everything, and this little thing that keeps making you forget things due to all the notifications can make you remember them.
- The internet is huge – sit down and devote time to learn and expand your knowledge about the world around you. Put a book on it. Read it.
- Use your beloved to stay active and healthy by utilizing fitness apps and tracking your progress. Let that rectangle notify you into moving.
- Take time to personalize your phone. Customize it to fit your preferences. You don’t have to have every icon you’ve ever installed on your home screen. You don’t have to keep those old garbage apps installed. Clean it up. Make it yours.
- Use your phone to create and express yourself, whether it be through writing, art, or music. Even if it’s just a little bit of expression and customization, make it yours.
- Make a budget, track it with some finance apps. When you’re worried you are on the right or wrong track you’ll know. No wondering.
- Set a time to disconnect from it all. However don’t beat yourself up if you don’t, because that doesn’t help anyone. You don’t have to be tethered and reachable at all times 24/7/365. Similarly not being down in downtime isn’t death.
- Stop playing that garbage game that you can’t figure out why you’re still playing.
- Try out a lot of apps. Delete the apps that you don’t like immediately. You have our permission – delete crap.
- That dream project you have – do it – set the goals, set the timeline, schedule it on your phone… let the annoying notifications goad you into action for yourself rather than an advertising partner of some app you installed.
- Document your life. The memories you make need to be there. You have no idea how much memory can fade in traumatic times, or just being away for far too long (like with my oldest daughter, I did not sleep more than 3 hours for 8 months 17 days.)
- Install affirming apps that tell you you’re doing ok. Realize goals are a trip, not always a destination.
That’s what I’ve got – realize that goals like “less screen time,” are self punishments, but “devoted screen time” is a task and usually results in less screen time because you’re not searching around like a golden retriever when someone yells “squirrel” every 36 seconds. Take what you see as a negative improvement and find the way to make it positive.
