I’ve got a new phone; my family gave it to me but I don’t want to make that phone a new source of desire and craving (these new phones are full of unnecessary stimuli). How can I set it up in order to make it a useful tool and not a distraction, a source of desire and craving?
I’m open to your suggestions, thank you.
Note: my phone is an Android. I won’t give too much details about it because I’m aware this is not a technical forum. I’m just intent on reducing desire.
Javier, that’s a great intention, but the phone won’t do anything on its own. It’s you who will use it, and regardless of how you set it up now, if you don’t pay attention, in the future you will fill it up with all the useless and distracting stuff you now hope to avoid.
Install the things you need and those you know you’ll use. If you know what you were most addicted to before purchasing this new phone, maybe rethink those apps. It is up to you whether you install them or not. Most phones show you what apps drain your battery. Have a look at what you most use, and consider those. This ia great chance to start fresh, but you can’t do that without a healthy dose of sincerity.
It all still boils down to one’s awareness, self-control and discipline.
Thanks for pointing that out! I have to be sincere: I know it’s up to me, but, comparing this new device with the old one, I realized the difference was huuuge! That’s why I was a little bit afraid (I’m a young boy who seems like an oldie with technology)
Hi, Javier! Good question While what @Bion says is true, it’s also good to consider that phones and most apps you’ll be tempted to use are designed to be addictive. If we present someone with some heroine and tell them that ultimately it just boils down to self-restraint, we simplify the fact that heroine is an addictive substance. While it might sound overwrought, this is not an exaggeration or inappropriate comparison: smart phones and social media are not only literally addictive but also designed to hook you. Unlike heroine, apps will actively try and make you addicted in and of themselves; or rather, the people who designed them do with the programming of the app.
I’d recommend having time limits on when you use it (such as certain hours of the day) and a set place you keep it at home (such as at a particular desk), similar to a non-portable computer. It’s often recommended to have a cut off point at night time, and a space without in the morning is good too. Maybe try a mental routine before using it as well, such as taking a few moments to establish mindfulness and make clear your intention in opening an app, what you plan on accomplishing, and when you plan on closing the app.
Just be mindful… install the basics and forget about the apps that create fear of ¨probably missing out¨. Most of what phones have to offer is mindless scrolling and distorted information. Like @Vaddha points out wisely, most social media apps are designed to be addictive and keep you watching.
Switch your screen settings to black and white. On iOS this an accessibility feature.
Set your lock screen to a plain dark color with the clock as the same color. This forces you to use a manual watch. This means that you don’t check the time and get distracted.
Turn off notifications for everything that isn’t your primary messaging app
Set notification limits so that for certain hours of the day no notifications come through (focus modes on iOS)
Use a screen time limiting app like ScreenZen (all platforms, free) which has little mindfulness breaks built in to the ability to open apps/sites.
Leave your phone outside your bedroom when you go to bed. Use an old fashioned alarm clock or program your mind to wake you up
Just use an alarm clock! People used them for years instead of phones. Please, please don’t tell me that kids today have never seen an alarm clock that wasn’t an app on a phone.
I just think clearly about the time I want to wake up.
‘Ok I want be up at 5am and it 10.30pm so I will wake up in 6.5hrs’.
By taking the time to check the time and do the maths then I’ll usually wake up within a few minutes of the time I want to. The real problem is that you can’t hit snooze and you really need to just bounce out of bed. Not easy in the middle of winter!
While what 
