Phone use = productivity??
As we approach the last month of the semester, our time is precious. Between homework, campus events, social life, and studying for finals, this month needs us to be good time managers – our planners are practically begging us.
I am personally the kind of person who daily used to spends 8 hours on average on my phone. There would be 10-hour days too (I’m not proud of that). My phone was the source of my unproductivity and so many negative thoughts about my body image, how uninteresting my life was, etc. would be the outcome of those hours on Instagram and Tik Tok. Three weeks ago, I decided to take manners into my own hands. I am now averaging a daily average of three hours on my phone and have been able to use my time productively. For the past two weeks, I have been able to do 90% of my assignments for the week on Monday and Tuesday, which left me finishing off the week with less pressure and more time to nap and do fun stuff.
I was able to make my phone be for me, not against me.
Your phone can be your best study buddy if you know how to use it in your favor. Here are 5 things you can do to make your phone your key to success this month:
Download Forest
This is a productivity app that works as a timer and stopwatch. You can “plant” a tree according to how long you’ve been focused. The plants you grow are all on a forest, which you can see at a daily, monthly, and yearly view. I’ve been using Forest since 7th grade, and I love seeing how my forest grows throughout the years. It is a paid app, but it’s worth $4.99. You can also use the chrome extension when you are on your laptop. You can make a ‘blacklist’ of pages that you want to be unable to access while you focus for a set amount of time. I can’t recommend this app enough!
Put an App Limit on your most used apps
I have a limit of one 1hour on Instagram during the weekday and 1.5hr during the weekend. This has drastically decreased my screen time. I only go on when I really have nothing to do, whereas I used to go on my explore page to procrastinate my work.
Delete apps that don’t add any value to your life
I deleted Tik Tok and Snapchat months ago and I have survived (and tbh thrived) without them. Why waste your time on something that isn’t fruitful?
Turn notifications off social media apps
I know this works for many people. I tried turning off my notifications for Instagram, but it only made me more curious to check the app more. I now have the notifications on but have removed the notification sound. If you’ve seen that turning off notifications doesn’t work for you, try turning off the sound!
Maximize your use of the ‘Do not disturb’ feature on iOS 15
I was SHOOK! when the DND feature actually worked the first time I tried it out. It is now my bestie when it comes to entering the studious girl era. Turn that thang on and set your phone away from your workplace and check off that to-do list queen!
Distancing yourself from social media might be hard this month, but just know that it will fly by so fast, and your future self will appreciate you being on your productivity hot girl era this month.