You heard that right. Downgrading my phone actually helped me get rid of my phone addiction and unwanted distractions. How? The answer is quite simple: Minimalism. If you have read my last article, you know what I’m talking about, and if not go check it out here.

What do you need?

Of course not specifically an iPhone 5s. You just need any old, under-performing phone. I chose the iPhone 5s because it’s so compact that single-handed operation is a breeze, and that gives me one free hand 🙋🏻‍♂. Any phone of a similar size will do.

What about your current phone?

Throw it away!! Nah… just kidding 😀. You have to use it too, but it will be your secondary phone now onward, only to be used in your free time. Even if you bring it with you everywhere, better keep it in your backpack or purse. The old phone is your primary phone now.

How to start?

So you just cleaned up your old phone and are ready to be 110% more productive, yeah? Great, let’s go🏃🏻‍♂️.

Step 1 The Checkup 🛠 : Check if your old phone is functioning properly. Because if there is indeed a problem, you’ll just get frustrated and end up using your new phone. Make sure the basic functions like speakers, mic(s), camera, etc. are working fine. Oh, and don’t forget the internet🤓.

Step 2 The Shifting 🚚 : Now you need to choose the apps that you cannot go a day without. Pick stuff like your banking app, email app, productivity tracker, fitness map, etc. That doesn’t include FACEBOOK, okay😡? If you still need to connect with your friends, just keep Messenger. Also shift all the necessary data.

Step 3 The Fight 🔥: This is the most important part. Fight the urge to install any unnecessary apps on your phone. Your phone should not contain more than 10 basic apps. This means no Games or Social Media. Keeping 5 different types of productivity apps is also a big NO. Always remember, Minimalism is the key. You can always use your secondary phone in your free time to use all those apps. Whenever you come across an interesting new game or anything else that has the potential to distract you, better install it on your secondary phone.

Step 4 The Tracking 👀: Keep track of how many times you use your secondary phone and for what reason. Then see if there any particular apps you use very often that don’t distract you from your work. You can shift them to you primary phone, but don’t do this for more than one or two apps. Remember, the objective here is use your secondary phone as little as possible in your workspace.

Why this will work ?

It will work because of one simple thing that you need to understand.

Phones are made to distract you and they seek your attention.

Even if you use your phone to see the time, you will see notifications from Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, and a multitude of other apps. Why? Just to trigger you curiosity. Instinct takes over and you end up wasting 10–20 minutes mindlessly scrolling through you newsfeed even after you’ve checked the notification. This idea breaks that cycle. Now all the distracting apps are on you secondary phone. When you’re working, you will only see the notifications that matter. Boom!😎