So many great posts last week on conscious and meaningful phone usage. Sarah came up with scrolling alternatives (scroll down toward the end of her post) and Elizabeth reflected on her phone usage as well.

I am now curious. Let’s examine this.

Meaningful

1. Insight Timer: every morning during “golden hour”
2. Google maps
3. Camera
4. WhatsApp for connection (can be great, can be bad- see below)
5. Libby + Kindle (need to remember that I own an actual Kindle, so try to use more of that instead of the phone.
6. Alarm
7. Email: personal, and not much there
8. Banking
9. Chrome: looking up stuff I need – opening hours, price comparisons, etc
10. Spotify!
11. Google Keep- for capturing thoughts
12. WordPress (since last month). Self-expression, connection, and community building

Time sucking

1. Chrome – can be a rabbit hole. Reading a book, then all of a sudden “how does a flag of Malta look like?”
2. WhatsApp – I open it when I need connection and validation and hope for a message from a friend
3. Pinterest: used rarely but when I do, tend to binge before bed.
4. Amazon+ Nordstroms+Bloomingdales: these three activate my “I want” receptors and make me feel bad. Prime is cancelled so it’s going away at the end of May.

Other

Facebook – don’t have an app, barely use the desktop version and only have about 4 friends. Insta, TikTok, Twitter, etc- don’t have them and not planning on getting them.

Alternatives to scrolling