No matter the major, school or country, your first year of college is one of the most jam-packed times of your life. Between having your social life at college, maintaining your relationships with friends and family at home, and staying on top of your academics, balancing everything can put a heavy weight on your shoulders and things can pile up quickly.
With this said, there is a major time vacuum present in your life – your phone. Hearing that your phone is, once again, to blame for the negative parts of your life is nothing new. As someone who grew up with a phone, I know I often heard that it was to blame for my inconsistencies. Regardless of how accurate it was in the moment, I can acknowledge that it is most certainly the case now – not just for me, but millions of college students across the United States. According to Pew Research Center, 63% of Americans ages 18 to 29 described their internet use as “almost constant.”
Living in today’s age is hard if you want to live in the moment – trying to avoid FOMO from social media, staying in the know about current events, and redirecting that “phone-focus” to other things can be very hard. However, it is still possible and only gets easier the longer you keep the phone down. As someone who has tried for years to focus on the present outside of my phone, here are five things that helped me forget about that dangerous rectangle in my pocket.
- Using screen time control apps like Opal
Opal is one of the most popular screen time control apps on the market and is available for IOS, Mac, and Android. The app features a minimalistic design, focus timers, daily and weekly insight receipts so you can track your screen time habits. I have used this specific app regularly for around two years and have found it very useful, but there are countless other options if you want something more interactive.
- Creating customized Do-Not-Disturb modes
Sometimes you want more (or less) flexibility with those who can reach you during study sessions or while you are sleeping. One of the handiest features preinstalled on my iPhone is the customizable Do-Not-Disturb settings. I use the default mode and customized family mode with my parents on bypass the most. I find that this helps with controlling the FOMO we all experience every now and then.
- Deleting social media platforms from my phone
Hear me out – I know it sounds scary. I don’t stay entirely offline, away from my friends and family. Whenever I have a particularly busy spell, I delete Instagram, the primary social media platform I use, off my phone, and only use the desktop version. I started doing this at the beginning of the school year with my roommate and it has been one of the most beneficial steps I have taken to reduce my screen time.
- Journaling and making physical note of my schedule
Investing in a pocket journal was something I did within the first week of being at Virginia Tech, and it was one of the best decisions I ever made. Not only have I been on my phone less, but I have been writing more and about the things that happen in my day-to-day life. It serves as a catch-all – receipts, tags from clothes I have bought, photos of my friends, you name it, and it is there. It is a creative representation that is made during time that I otherwise would have spent doomscrolling.
- Finding new study spots once a week/ studying with a friend
Finding new study spots has also been an effort made with friends, so these two points are grouped together. A common theme among my friend group has been that we all get bored easily – while our regular study spot is comfortable and welcoming, we often find ourselves too comfortable. Walking around campus or looking at a campus map for new buildings to study in not only helps us become more familiar with the place we call home but also helps us focus more on our studies.
Avoiding the scary rectangular device our lives revolve around can be a daunting step, and it is understandable to be attached to it. However, I hope the steps I have included here will help you as much as they helped me.