Try these 5 tips for a smartphone-free day

A recent study revealed that on average, millennials spend 3 hours a day looking at their smartphones. It’s no secret that this “addiction” has some serious consequences for mental health. Here are some tips to help you keep your phone in your pocket, or if you’re feeling really brave, to leave it at home altogether.

What you don’t know won’t hurt you

Put that thing on silent. In most cases, all it takes is a simple swipe or push of a button, so just do it. This way you won’t be bombarded with notifications whenever you get a message. In other words: you decide when to react to WhatsApp, text messages and Facebook friend requests, not your phone. Nice and relaxed.

Go low-tech

This one is pretty easy, but extremely effective. We know it’s convenient to set an alarm on your phone to wake you up in the morning. But unfortunately, this also means that it’s easier to pick up the phone for other reasons. Whether it’s the middle of the night or right after you wake up, checking your telephone is probably the first thing you do. Buy a clock radio, set it next to your bed, and leave your phone alone.

Treat your bedroom like a no-go zone

Remember that you’re not supposed to bring your laptop to bed with you, because then you’ll be reminded of work when you should be resting. Having your phone in your bedroom can affect your sleep just as negatively. Make a routine of checking social media and your e-mail before you go to bed and leave your phone in the living room.

Let them wait

This one is connected to our first tip: you decide. Setting your phone on “airplane mode” is a good start, but you can do even better. Stop thinking that people are expecting you to react immediately to their messages. They’ll be fine if they have to wait a bit. Start dedicating only three or four times a day to checking social media and answering messages. You’ll notice that this gives you a lot more peace throughout the day.

You’re not missing out. Really.

Yes, we know it’s difficult to accept. But try disabling all notifications and their corresponding icons. This won’t just declutter your screen, it will also take away the sense of urgency you may feel about your phone. Take a moment and really think about this: how many times has an icon compelled you to open an app, out of fear that you may be missing something? Exactly. No more icons, no more fear. Easy, right?

Ok, we’ve done your prep work for you. Now the rest is up to you. 24 hours without your smartphone. Leave it at home, turn it off, put it on silent, disable notifications—whatever you want. As long as you keep doing it. Otherwise, you’ll never become a true modern Samurai.