Seven apps for digital detox

Author : Dr.Tulika | 30 Nov 2022

Technology is a double-edged sword. The internet and social media have become an inseparable part of our lives. We need our smart phones for almost everything – to check time, to set alarm, to call, to send and receive text messages, to send and receive emails, to take pictures and videos, to store documents. In addition to such work related things, we also use our smart phones to stay in touch with our friends and family, post on social media, watch movies, listen to songs, play games. The list goes on. There is an app for each and every thing. And our smartphone is now not just a luxury but a necessity. We need the social messaging sites to receive important work-related messages. But at the same time, we all have become addicted to our cell phones. We can’t survive without our phones. We need to carry them with us every waking moment. However, this excessive use of phones is dangerous. Whenever we get bored, it has become a habit of ours to keep checking our smartphones for messages, updates, reels, videos. All of this creates stress for us, disturbs night sleep, causes strain in relationships, reduces constructive productivity, is bad for our eyes, and is overall deleterious for our mental peace.

So how do you get rid of that habit of yours of checking the phone every other minute? How do you stop getting disturbed every time your cell phone beeps to alert you about an incoming message or an update on a social media site? Ironically, there are apps designed for this very purpose – for digital detoxification. Lets take a look at some of them.

1. Moment 

Moment is an app that keeps a track of your screen time. You can keep a track of how frequently you are unlocking your phone to check for messages and updates, and how long you use your cell-phone each time. that way, you become aware of the excessive and unnecessary time spent by you in front of the mobile screen. In this app, you can also join groups and see how others fare in their journey of digital detox. Families can together be a part of the group so as to keep a tab on each other’s screen time and online activity. 

 2. AppDetox 

This is also a good detox app which helps you limit your screen time. you can set rules for each and every app, as in you can set a particular time when you want to use certain apps, and you can completely block certain apps during a specified period so as to improve productivity. This app also shows you the total usage and gives an analysis of your total screen time. 

3. Forest 

This is a very unique kind of app. Instead of just showing you how much time you have spent on screen, this app is a kind of game that you play to keep you away from your mobile. So there is a forest, and whenever you have a certain task at hand that you need to complete without being distracted with your cell phone, you plant a seed in the forest and start the timer. With the timer, the seed slowly grows into a tree. The process of the seed growing into the tree stops if you open your cell phone to check anything. The app warns you that if you use your mobile, the cute tree you planted will die. If you still go ahead and use the mobile, the tree really dies and you have to start all over again by planting a seed. When you grow trees, you get virtual coins which you can spend. And Forest also plants a real tree somewhere when you grow a tree in your app. This app also shows you your progress in the form of the trees in the forest that you have planted. This is one of the best apps for a digital detox.

4. Flipd 

With this app, you can set your own limit of screen time. once that limit is reached, the app automatically shuts down all other apps, allowing you to access only calls and texts on your mobile. With this app, you can join groups and take up challenges with your friends or family members. The app also has amazing music tracks that can help you calm and smoothe your mind. It also encourages you by giving free gifts and vouchers. It is also one of the best apps for a digital detox. 

5. Siempo 

This app works in many different ways to keep you away from screen time. it lets you set a time slot to receive notifications. It changes your home screen to make it look beautiful with a nice panorama as the background. It changes the colour of all apps to make them appear ugly. it makes the most commonly used apps more tedious to access. So basically it works on your psyche in keeping you away from wating to open your mobile rather than forcing you to do the same.  

 6. Screen time 

This is a digital detox app for iOS (iPhones). This app is similar to Moment in that it keeps a track of the number of times the mobile is unlocked, the time for which the screen is used, and keeps giving you the update about the same, for each and every app you use on the phone. With this app, you can set a time limit for every app, and you are warned to close that app once you reach the time limit. You can choose to ignore and extend the time, but doing so frequently awakens your guilt conscience and makes you aware of the need for digital detox. 

 7. Cleverest 

This app is built on the basis of the Pomodoro Technique, which is basically breaking down the bigger tasks into smaller chunks and helping us stay focused. Here you can set a time interval and finish your task without getting distracted by the mobile during that time period. If you are successful, your avatar in the app grows. Thus, there are many apps, that can help you with a digital detox, which is a need of the hour to make us more focused and concentrated on our work, more productive, and less stressful and distractable.

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