#xstudiousslytherin

[productiveborg]

Remember when we could travel?

[productiveborg]

I would give anything to go back to 2017 and Hawai’i

[productiveborg]

Phone Clutter

Recently I have been unhappy with my phone usage, especially Instagram. It can be overwhelming when you have too many apps that you don’t use, or that distract you. I found that I wasn’t keeping track of my habits or updating my calendar as frequently as I would like. A few days ago I came across videos by Thomas Frank and Yes Theory that inspired me to take control of this. 

Here are the steps I took: 

1. I deleted Instagram and put a reminder in my Google Calendar to download it every Saturday. I am giving myself 20 minutes to do what I want and then I will delete it again. Instagram was taking up so much of my time, and it became something I would use to procrastinate or compare myself to others. I think this will be a healthy change. 

2. I deleted any apps that I did not use anymore, or that I used on my iPad or laptop more frequently. For example, I have Notion on my iPad and I use it on my computer, but I never opened it on my phone. Although I love Notion, it was taking up space. 

3. I deconstructed the “organized” folders I had and decided what I actually needed and wanted there. What made sense to be grouped together? Did I really need the Weather Channel app? 

4. I went through my subscriptions and cancelled any that were outdated, and breathed a sigh of relief. 

5. I backed up my photos using the google photos app, and deleted pictures and screenshots that were just taking up space. 

6. I decided which apps I wanted on my “front page”, aka the first screen when I unlocked my phone. I wanted these to be the apps I use to track habits, my calendars, and work on goals (like reading and learning languages.) 

Here is my front page: 

I have my weather app first, because that is the first thing I look at every day. My notes app is accessible in case I get an idea or have something I want to write down quickly. Forest is next, as I use it when I have deep work session. Motivation is what I use to get my backgrounds and inspirational quotes. The rest are organized by their purpose. I have found myself reaching for my phone much less since making this change. 

My second page looks like this: 

This is for things I need from time to time (like food delivery or transport) and apps I like to use when I take a break (Crash Course for European History, Netflix/Youtube/etc, Webtoon). This allows me to still have fun on my phone, but in a controlled way. 

I hope this was somewhat helpful and I highly recommend checking out the two linked videos :)