7 Ideas For How To Reduce Digital Distraction (And Be More Present to God)
Let's start 2022 off on a more practical note.
Below are 7 ways I find helpful to reduce the digital distractions in my life, which often compete for my time with God.
1. Give Your Phone a Bedtime
83% of Americans use their phone as an alarm clock and spend an average of 50 minutes on their phones before bed.(1)
What if, instead, you and I put our phones on Do Not Disturb an hour before bed - only allowing access to our most essential apps. And while we are at it, let's kick our phones out of the bedroom. These simple but clearly unpopular acts create space for us to pray and process our day before bed. Additionally, they will help us remove the temptation to look at our phones in the middle of the night, avoid unnecessary anxiety, and help us get a better night's sleep.
2. Start Your Day in a Screen-Free Zone
80% of Americans say they check their phones within the first 10 minutes of waking up.(1)
Instead of diving into the digital world first, what if we started our day practicing solitude and silence in the presence of God.
While setting up your evening Do Not Disturb mode, why not set your phone to wake up an hour after you do, creating space for solitude and silence.
Making this one change to your morning routine will help you be fully present to God and your family.
3. Use a Physical Bible During Your Quiet Time With God
In 2021, sales of the Bible far exceeded any other book, selling an estimated 100 million copies.
I have nothing against Bible apps like YouVersion or Bible Hub. But to avoid unwanted distractions during my quiet time with God, I prefer to use a physical Bible, journal, and pen. So dust off your old Bible or purchase a new one.
4. Remove Social Media From Your Phone
Studies estimate the average person spends two and a half hours per day on social media apps.(2)
To avoid distraction and be more present to the moment, we need to bring this number down.
Try removing your social media apps from your primary device and then scheduling times to check them on a secondary device throughout the week.
5. Remove Email From Your Phone
Nothing blurs the lines of work and home life more than having easy access to your personal and work email on your phone (or worse yet, on your watch).
Instead, try removing all email apps from your phone and then schedule one or more time intervals each day to check them on your work computer and a secondary personal device.
6. Create Custom FOCUS Zones
Not ready to remove all social media and email apps from your phone. I get it. Instead, try a new feature from Apple called "Focus." You can hide apps, customize your home screen, and so much more.
Focus areas can even be automatically scheduled by time and location. For example, you could create a Focus zone called "Family" that automatically turns on when you are home and hides all of your social media and email apps. Click here for more details.
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7. Turn Off Notifications
The average person receives 63.5 notifications per day on their phone.(3)
Each time you get a notification, it is like your local Amazon driver ringing your doorbell with a new package. The first few deliveries might be exciting, but by the 50th one, you want to pull your hair out.
My advice is to go into your phone's settings and turn off all unnecessary notifications.
One Final Thought
Still not convinced that you and I need to take steps to be less distracted by our technology - this disturbing stat might change your mind - "on average, Americans check their phones 262 times per day - that's once every 5.5 minutes (including the eight hours we are supposed to be sleeping)."(1)
So there you have it—7 ways to reduce distraction and turn down the noise in 2022.
Pick one or two of these ideas and give them a try. I am confident that you will feel less anxious and more present to the moment. Present to God. Present to other people.
And isn't that what we all really want this new year?
Notes:
(1) Reviews.org, Cell Phone Behavior in 2021: How Obsessed Are We?, Trevor Wheelwright
(2) Techjury.net, How Much Time Do People Spend on Social Media in 2021?, Deyan G
(3) Wired.co.uk, How to take back control of your notifications and get more done, Sean Hargrave
