Shocking Facts:

On average, children 8–18 spend 7.5 hours a day in front of screens for entertainment alone which amounts to 114 days a year.

In young adults, phone usage is up by 60–80% more than pre-pandemic levels.

47% of Americans admit they’re addicted to their phones.

Let’s just face it most of us are struggling with smartphone addiction. Passively consuming content, watching Instagram Reels and TikTok videos, and watching Netflix while procrastinating on tasks that we should be doing has become a new norm in our society.

The facts are baffling and scary, but I’m not here to scare you away, I’m writing this to provide you with a solution to get your time and life back. I'll be sharing five ways that I used to manage the distractions in the age of smartphones.

1. Remind Yourself of Your Goals Consistently:

The cost of mindless scrolling and binge-watching is significantly higher than you realize. It robs you of your capacity to focus and concentrate. The price is an unfulfilled life and unachieved goals.

Once you understand the costs. You can determine whether or not the transaction is worth it or not. Constantly reminding yourself of your goals will keep you alert and prevent you from getting lost in distractions.

Actionable Insight:

Write your goals or tasks where you can see them every day or find a way to remind yourself in any way that works for you. A constant reminder is the key here. It keeps you motivated while also making you aware of the cost.



2. The Five More Rule:

My gym trainer reminds me that the last few reps are the most difficult, but they also make a major impact on your muscles and mental resilience. This rule just doesn’t apply to physical exercises it can be used to retain focus and fight distractions.

Actionable Insight:



It’s as simple as it sounds whenever you are about to quit or reach out for your smartphone for another scrolling marathon. Do the same thing for just 5 more minutes or 5 more times.

It could be anything that requires mental effort, such as reading 5 more pages in a book, creating 5 more slides for a presentation, writing 5 more lines for a blog, etc. Just add five extra repetitions. It builds focus, resilience, delays gratification, and fights distractions.

3. Turn Off The Notifications For God’s Sake:

According to a University of California Irvine study, “it takes an average of 23 minutes and 15 seconds to get back to the task." This shows you that being distracted costs you significantly more time than you can imagine.