Putting down our phones can be so difficult sometimes. Especially when you should be sleeping, it is very tempting to scroll through TikTok or Instagram. But before you know it, ‘a moment’ turns into several hours. This is how you can get better at putting your phone away at night.
Find out why you insist on being on your phone before going to bed
If you want to change your behavior, you first have to know why you are doing something. Once you know why you can’t put your phone down in the evening, you can come up with a targeted strategy to change this behavior. So take a moment to think about why you want to scroll through your social media so much in the evening. For example, you can do this because you want to fill up time before you go to sleep. Once you know this about yourself, you can draw up a game plan.
Make your phone less tempting for yourself
In order to put your phone away, you have to make it less attractive to yourself. For example, you can set your phone to black and white. Removing the color from your screen makes it a lot less visually interesting. Another trick you can use is to make your phone less attractive by putting a rubber band around it. This serves as a physical barrier between you and your phone that can reduce the amount of time you spend scrolling before going to sleep.
Ask someone to monitor your phone use in the evening
Sometimes we need someone else’s help to ensure that we really stick to our agreements. Appoint a housemate, family member or your partner as an ‘accountability buddy’. This person can tell you if you are on your phone for too long. And if this person is suffering from the same problem as you, you can return the favor for them. This way you can help each other. Also reward each other for good behavior. Are you able to put the phones away an hour earlier before you go to sleep? Then, for example, do something fun together. Come up with possible alternative activities for each other and encourage each other. Together you are stronger!
Do you live alone? Then you can also have a remote accountability buddy. For example, ask if someone wants to text you around a certain time to check if you are still on your phone. Just be careful that their app does not cause you to start doom scrolling when you should actually be sleeping.
