Give your Phone a Minimalist Makeover

If 2018 taught me anything it’s that I am way too dependent on technology and increasingly addicted to mindless scrolling through all social media and news outlets…and I wonder WHY I feel overwhelmed most of the time.

At the end of 2018 I took stock of what was draining my energy and joy the most and it’s definitely my relationship with my phone (and the subsequent domino effect of social media and constantly being connected). So I knew it was time for a healthy and loving shift in the way I interact with technology. This is something we ALL could do in the new year to simplify our lives and lessen the overwhelm.

1. Change your background.

Giving your phone a new look for the new year starts with a new background. I like putting sayings and motivational quotes against simple yet inspiring images. Pictures of nature or where there is a lot of white space are my main “go-to” backgrounds of choice. Recently, picking a word for the new year has been really popular, so I decided to make some backgrounds that I can switch up that contain words that I want to embody during the new year

P.S. If you want these wallpapers for yourself head over to my instagram @caroline.snow.wellness I will be posting them on 1/1/19 and will have them saved in my highlights!

2. Clear your home screen.

Clearing away the clutter from the very first thing you see when you open your phone is like a breath of fresh air. We all need more SPACE in all aspects of our lives and this is the perfect place to do it, given how many times a day we all lookout our phones. On the bottom of my screen I have the 3 apps I use most (that are NOT social media or work related). My home screen now looks like this…

3. Organize your apps into folders.

This is helpful for several reasons. One is because it’s just easier to find things, duh, #organizationforthewin! But also, going back to the idea of space, there’s less for you to be looking at. Less to be distracted by, and less apps to sort through before you find what you’re looking for.

I also find that when apps are in folders it’s just one more “step” to go through which may be helpful when you’re mindlessly opening apps like Facebook, Gmail, and Instagram, and you’re like “wait…how did I get here?” It requires a bit more effort and it gives your brain a chance to think “wait do I really want to open this app?”

And while you’re at it, ditch any apps that you don’t use or don’t bring you any sort of joy. You can live with a lot less than you think.

4. Set Boundaries around your phone and app usage

There is a new (or at least new to me) function on iPhone (I know there is a similar version on android) that lets you set boundaries around how much time you spend on certain apps.

Go to Settings >Screen Time

Here are some cool things you can do…

Downtime: Allows you to set “off hours” for certain apps. You can choose when to start and end your Downtime. I set mine to start at 9:00 PM so I’m not temped to scroll mindlessly when I’m trying to fall asleep, and end at 8 AM, so I’m not scrolling Instagram or checking my email the very first thing when I wake up (which has been my routine for the past few years).

*You also have the option under Always Allowed, to set apps that don’t shut off during Downtime such as text, phone, alarm, and other necessities.*

App Limits: Lets you set a timer for how long you want to be allowed to use each app per day. I only use this for my social media apps, and I have it set for 30 minutes a day for weekdays and an hour for weekends. This allows me to create time boundaries and post or scroll more intentionally without wasting hours and hours of my time.