Some days, weeks, and months, I choose to limit things in my digital life, especially with regard to my phone. I do this based on the situation that presents itself at that moment or during that period.
When I got this phone I'm currently using, I noticed that there was no app freezer, and that’s one particular feature that usually helps me shut down some apps temporarily—either for me to concentrate on something to avoid distractions or just to reduce my usage of the app(without uninstalling or force stop). I remember asking some people who own the same brand of phone how they manage to reduce or freeze apps they don’t want to use at the moment, and they couldn’t provide a solution. That’s because they’ve been using their phones like that without concern.
I have found a way to disable apps that I don’t want to uninstall but also don’t want to use at the moment, and that’s by turning off the connection settings and notifications. With this, the app can only function when I turn on the connection settings.
Why did I bring this up?
I have been using this method a lot to stay off certain apps that I’m somewhat addicted to and that have become distractions, only using them at the specified times I want. A typical example is my WhatsApp. WhatsApp is my major means of communication, but then, I get distracted a lot due to the endless messages. So, I turn off the connection settings once I feel I don’t want to be disturbed or get enchanted by it at that specific period. I know you want to suggest that turning off the notification alone would be okay. No, the turned off connection makes me offline completely
This may not sound like an ideal approach to digital dieting, but hey, turning off my WhatsApp for about six to seven hours a day is a big flex for me.
Another thing I do to cut down on my digital lifestyle comes from my earlier experience when I used a 2GB RAM phone. The truth is, anyone who used a 2GB RAM phone two to three years ago was once a natural space cleaner. Lol 😂. When I was using that phone, apps that were not in use were always uninstalled, and messages were constantly cleared just to free up space. I’m still on that lifestyle. On a regular basis, I go through my app list to clear off apps I haven’t been using and that are no longer important. This habit helps my phone operate freely without lagging. Yes, I mean even now, clearing off these little things, even when there is still space, makes my phone operate smoothly.
Also, it makes my life easier when selecting apps. I can’t imagine myself scrolling from heaven to earth just to find a particular app on my phone. No! Life is already hard enough, and my phone shouldn’t add to that.
This same principle applies to my operation in this Blockchain space. Once in a while, I scroll through my community list and unsubscribe from some of them to make my experience easier. The ones I unsubscribe from are those I haven’t been participating in for a very long time. Maybe I will need to subscribe to the community again in the future; when that time comes, I will do so. But for now, I let it go.
Another thing I reduce to the lowest is my notification bar. You won’t find my notification space piled up. No way! I clear notifications as they come in. Most times, I delete messages on the spot.
Thanks for reading.
This is my entry to Digi-prompts of the week
Photos are mine