Smartphone addiction is a growing problem amongst people of all ages. A smartphone can be very helpful and convenient, but it can also be extremely time consuming. Being addicted to your smartphone may result in damaging your real life relationships with people and your own goals and interests. This article outlines 4 ways that you break your smartphone addiction.

Set designated off times
There are certain times when your phone should be off without question. When you’re having any meal with another person, during family nights, and dates are just a few times when your phone should be off. It might not be easy to get into the habit of leaving your phone off, but it will benefit your relationship with other people greatly. Turn your phone off when you’re reading a book. If your phone is constantly distracting you, you’re not going to retain what you’re reading or be able to relax. Remember that you’re not going to miss anything life-changing in an hour. It’s more exciting to come back after a break to see a few new things than to constantly be checking and finding nothing.

Reduce the number of apps you use
The more apps you have on your smartphone, the more often you are going to feel compelled to check them. This is going to suck up a lot of your time. Remove any apps that you really don’t need. If you haven’t played a game in months, delete it. If there is an app that you only resort to when you’re waiting for texts to come in, delete it. Don’t clutter your phone, and your life, with apps you don’t need.

Don’t text when you can call
Texting might be the way that most people communicate these days, but you don’t have to do it every single time you want to talk to someone. It’s nice to hear people’s voices, so give people a call now and then. If you want to ask someone out, don’t text them. If you want to invite someone to a party, call them. If you have ever texted someone that is in the same house as you, that’s a sign your texting addiction has gone overboard. Make it a habit to actually get up and walk to someone who is nearby in order to speak to them.

Don’t start your day by checking your phone
Instead of laying in bed checking your phone and saying “good morning” to all of your friends via text message, get up and do productive things like working out, showering, and eating breakfast in peace. You have all day to reply to text messages and play games, but once you start it seems harder to stop, so put it off as long as you can. You’ll get more important things done before you begin getting distracted by your smartphone.

Breaking your smartphone addiction is all about creating new habits. Remind yourself that you can still do things that don’t involve its use and enjoy your time away from it. It’s much more enjoyable to take an hour away and come back to a handful of messages than to be checking every two minutes and finding nothing new.