Do you have a closer relationship with your smartphone than with those that are closest to you? If so, it is probably time to take some time away from this little brick. But if you’re not ready to make such a brutal and radical decision, there is another trick that could help you.
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According to the webzine Lifehacker, it was thought up by Tristan Harris, an engineer who left his job at Google in 2016. After he left, he decided to dedicate his life on bringing the public face to face with their addictions to their smartphones. To limit the use of our connected phones, Tristan Harris recommends above all putting your screen in black and white.
How can you do it if you have an iPhone?
Click on the “Settings” icon and go into the “General” sub-folder. Then go into “Accessibility” > “Accessibility shortcut” > “Greyscale”.
From then on, when you click three times on the home button on your iPhone, the colouring of your phone background will be changed to black and white. If you want to put your phone back into colour, simply click the button three times again.
And for Android users?
The steps to follow are slightly more complicated for Android. First of all, click on the following buttons “Settings” > “About device”. Then press “Build number” seven times, until the message “Developer mode has been enabled” appears on your screen.
You then have to return to the “Settings” screen, and go into the “Developer options” folder that will have just appeared below the “About device” option. Click on “Simulate colour space” and make sure that “Monochromacy” is selected. If you want to change the settings back, just follow the same steps above and make sure that “Disabled” is selected.
Does this trick really work?
Michaël Stora, the psychologist who co-authored the book Hyper Connexion, gave his point of view on this technique. “It is true that all applications include their small coloured logos that are well-known for drawing the eye” he said before adding, “I don’t believe that by merely suppressing these colours is enough to control this type of behaviour. It obviously works for some, but it is not the solution for everyone.”
This trick may not be enough if you are addicted to your smartphone and want to detach yourself from it. If that is the case, it may be worth considering deactivating your notifications. This technique is clearly more radical but it allows you to properly cut off from your phone. If you do this, you won’t be tempted to constantly look at your screen every 30 seconds, on the lookout for likes on Instagram or a response on Whatsapp.
Check out the video above for more details...
