

- #APPS TO AVOID DISTRACTIONS HOW TO#
- #APPS TO AVOID DISTRACTIONS UPDATE#
- #APPS TO AVOID DISTRACTIONS TV#
I ended up using the simplest technique: create an iOS shortcut for each “action” to open the right app at the right place and export this shortcut to the homepage picking a monochromatic icon. I tried a few techniques, some of them simple, some of them more advanced. IOS is pretty limited in terms of what can be done to customize app icons and the layout but there are work arounds.
#APPS TO AVOID DISTRACTIONS HOW TO#
How to set up a custom homescreen on your iPhone? This home screen would not give a dopamine rush to a sloth. Bonus: you don’t have any red badges neither that will make you want to open an app to make it go away.ĭesigned to be un-rewarding Last but not least, you’ve probably noticed that this home screen is pretty plain.

You can use a shortut to get you straight to your Youtube Yoga video without even seeing a feed. iOS shortcuts are a great way to get directly to the aisle with the mayo without walking through the other aisles. But throw the first stone if you have never opened Youtube wanting to find this Yoga routine but never got there because you ended up following a bunch of expertly well chosen videos recommended by the Youtube algorithm. For example, Youtube has some great videos for practicing Yoga routine. You come in to buy a jar of mayo but you have to fight with yourselft to avoid getting distracted as you walk through all the aisles on your way to the mayo. Most apps out there are designed like a grocery store.
#APPS TO AVOID DISTRACTIONS UPDATE#
I will just have to update the shortcut and I won’t need to relearn a habit, as the home screen will remain exactly the same.ĭesigned to remove distractions Pushing this concept even further, I found it very useful to use iOS shortcuts not only to open an app, but to open it right where I need it to start doing what I need it to do immediately.

Tomorrow, I could change it to start a white noise app. The “sleep” shortcut starts a Youtube white noise playlist. Tomorrow, I could change it to start a timer. Today the “meditate” shortcut starts the “Oak” app. But what if we “unbranded” the apps and created a shortcut named as a “verb” that simply indicates the activity we want to do and points to the current app of the moment? So this is why most “apps” on the homepage are actually shortcuts named “meditate”, or “scan”, or “sleep”. Before this setup, I had to relearn a new habit everytime I made a change. For example, I have cycled through quite a few meditation apps (Headspace, 100% Happier, Wake up, Insight Timer, Oak, etc).

I imagine that like me, you iterate on apps over time. I carefully selected the apps that help me live a joyfull and generous life: start a meditation session, write down a fleeting thought, do deep work by cutting off the noise with background sound, journal my day, check my fitness and sleep metrics, start a soundtrack to sleep, etc.ĭesigned to reduce decision fatigue This concept is a bit more subtle. It’s like putting the healthy food in the cabinets that are easy to reach and the bad food far from sight. A distraction-free homescreenĪfter iterating a few times, I ended up with the homescreen below.īefore we go into how you can customize your iphone to look like this, here is why this design works well for me.ĭesigned to encourage positive behaviors When I pick up my phone, I only see things that are good for me. And take your guitar out of your closet and put it at the center of the room you spend most time in so it takes less than 20 seconds to start playing.
#APPS TO AVOID DISTRACTIONS TV#
For example, if you want to build a habit of playing the guitar and watch less TV, take the batteries out of your TV remote and move them to another room so it now takes more than 20 seconds to start the TV. Happiness researcher Shawn Achor coined the term “ 20 second rule ” to describe a simple way to break bad habits and create good ones, without relying on will power.Ĭhange your environment so it takes more than 20 seconds to engage into a bad habit, and lower the time to less than 20 seconds for doing the right habit. You’ll find here a simple setup that drastically changed how I use my phone and my relationship to it. We’re smart too and we can use UX to our advantage as well. That some clever engineers have deliberatly designed the UI/UX of phones to encourage a slot-machine-like addiction (yes, I am looking at you little nice red bubbles and homepage widgets).īut we’re not helpless. Some people say this is not an unfortunate side-effect of technology. If you’re like the average American, you’re checking your phone 344 times per day. Remove the clutter and distractions with a Minimalist iPhone
