How to regain control of your phone and your life in less than 10 minutes

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What can we learn from a former smoker about wrestling back control over our phones?

There are just 6 weeks left in this decade. I wonder what the 2010’s will end up being known for? I think it could be information overload.

The intersection of the Internet, smartphones and social media added a whole new dimension to our daily lives. But these amazing technologies are a double edged sword.

They say beware when something is free because you are probably the product. In this decade a price tag has been slapped onto our minds and eyeballs. Developers and algorithms have one goal in mind. To keep our attention.

You can’t buy a cigarette that is both stimulating and healthy. But as a former smoker I can tell you that with effort it is possible to quit. Likewise you can wrestle back some amount of control over your phone.

My phone is permanently on silent and I’ve also disabled those dreaded red badges for all my apps. I’m talking about those little circles that show the number of unread items or notifications inside the app. The only exceptions are old school text messages and missed calls.

My smart watch mirrors this crisp, clean and quiet setup. When I get a call my wrist vibrates silently. If someone needs to urgently get my attention they just need to pick up the phone.

It takes just 10 minutes. Open your settings and try it right now! You’ll thank me later.