Fun & Famous
WITH THIS HACK YOU CAN GET RID OF YOUR IPHONE ADDICTION IN ONE GO
I fought against it for a long time, but I can't help but admit that I'm addicted to my iPhone. Yes, you too. And don't say no, because you are. I see you busy. I see us busy. On the terrace, on the train, on the bike (!), in the car (!), in the supermarket, in the restaurant: we stare and stare and tap and scroll. We go from Facebook to Instagram to Snapchat to email to WhatsApp to Nu.nl to WeatherPro to Pinterest and back again. What happens around us actually escapes us – and isn't that quite a shame?
When I'm out to eat, I have to interrupt my meal for a photo of my plate. When I'm chilling at the campsite, I have to post my new patio sofa on Facebook instead of chilling. When I'm on the bike, I have to check my email. Or the weather report. Or Instagram. It's an urge, an uncontrollable need. Oh, and this one is also very bad: when I have to go abroad for work alone and sit alone in my hotel room at night, I secretly feel less alone with my iPhone next to me. I almost find it cozy, that thing next to me in bed. Like, why?
“But I'm not even five minutes awake or I've already finished the whole Facebook-Instagram-WhatsApp routine”
Every day I tell myself to cut back on that iPhone. And every morning I start with good intentions. But I'm not even five minutes awake or I've already finished the whole Facebook-Instagram-WhatsApp routine. Like a true addict, I postpone quitting again: tomorrow I will cut back. Tomorrow I can do it. Tomorrow I will do it. And so it simmered on for the past few months. Until last week I read a message on Marieclaire.co.uk: James Hamblin, editor of The Atlantic, supposedly found the golden hack to easily quit your iPhone. Here it comes (you have to imagine the drumroll): you simply set your iPhone screen to grayscale.
Settings – Accessibility – General – Grayscale – ON
The theory behind this trick is that you no longer see the red warning icons (that you have emails or messages). Or well, you still see them, but without the red color. They therefore no longer have an exciting effect. In other words: there is no addictive adrenaline rush. The appearance of your iPhone is much duller this way and makes you less likely to take action. And I can tell you: it works. I've been on grayscale for a few days now, and I feel a strange kind of relief when I look at my phone. Normally I'm always a bit frantic when I have that thing nearby, but there is more peace. Moreover, I pick it up less often, I'm more focused and more in the here and now. But, it must be said: Facebook and Instagram are really SUPER ANNOYING boring in black and white. I've heard a rather demanding inner bad voice several times that wants me to turn off the grayscale again. Yet I am currently keeping it on with all my strength: it gives me way too much (freedom). I really want to take the time to ‘reset‘ myself. Moreover, I am extremely hip and trendy with this new lifestyle, because living offline might just be the new luxury. And you don't say no to a bit of luxury in life, do you?
Also beauty-wise more in the mood for peace? Do a big clean-up of your beauty bag.
