In today’s generation, the enormous influence of technology on our lives is well-known . So many advancements have been made regarding technology since our parents or elders were kids. As kids ourselves, the biggest forms of technology at the time were blackberries and iPods. Today’s technology consists of laptops, smartphones, wireless headphones and so much more. Amongst most teens and adults today, these smartphones and devices are used almost in every second of our days. As helpful as technology can be, it can also turn into a problem, for these devices can become addicting. For one, procrastinating is so much easier because of all the things available on said devices, making getting actual work done difficult.

I myself have suffered from this extremely. I used to have to wake up early or stay up late to do work because I lost time just scrolling through the apps on my phone. However, a few months ago, when I went to change my phone one night, the charging icon went away seconds after. I tried every charger and outlet in the house, but nothing. Even though I was careful, I somehow broke my phone’s port and could only slowly charge it at a specific angle. So, for the two weeks before I received a wireless charger, I couldn’t use my phone. It would charge from the minute I got home from school to the minute I woke up. There were some nights my phone wouldn’t charge at all, leaving me phoneless. The weeks this occurred I had a lot of school work to do, but not every night. Without my phone, I started doing some old hobbies again and unsurprisingly became more productive. Now, even with my new wireless charger, I’m less attached to my phone. Here’s what you can do to spend less time on your phone without having to actually break it:

Try New Things

Maybe try some new or old hobbies. With summer break coming up, you will have more time to yourself due to the only work being summer reading and a possible job. Rather than wasting the break scrolling through your phone, try out something new and see what you like. If you like it, stick to it.

Go Outside!

Nowadays you can do just about anything with the touch of your phone. Everything but physical activity. Maybe put your phone down and just spend some time outside. Whether it’s swimming in the pool, playing a sport, or even just sitting in your backyard and talking to someone close, put down the phone and get some fresh air.

Throw Your Phone

This one is a bit weird, but just throw your phone in any direction. Or if you don’t wanna crack it, simply put your phone in some random place and leave the room. If and when you forget where it is, don’t look for it. Just act like it disappeared and do whatever pops into your head next.

Start a New Show

Although TV can be addicting, maybe sit down and start a new show. You’re gonna have so much more time to yourself, so you can catch up on or binge new shows.

Hang Out With Friends

As simple as it sounds, just pick up the phone, make some plans with a friend who’s free then just put your phone in a bag and give all your attention to spending time with them.

Do ANYTHING to Distract Yourself

Distractions are key. You can do any of the above suggestions or basically ANYTHING else that takes up time and gets you off your phone. To simply put it, put down your device and just do anything else. It doesn’t even have to be productive.

If any of these have worked for you, the final step is to keep it up. Maybe do this once a week at first, then start doing it more and more slowly. Distractions are a great way of getting your mind off of things, so if you want to be less attached to your phone, just start some new habits while doing things you thought you had no time for before.