You don’t always have to use your phone for entertainment. Instead of mindlessly scrolling, you can use the time to be more productive by cleaning out your photos, inbox, and apps and starting fresh with a new wallpaper.
The next time you pick up your phone, instead of scrolling mindlessly through social media or getting lost in news headlines, you can try doing something more productive.
That’s right — you can use your screen time to be productive (say goodbye to doomscrolling!). Here are some ideas.
If you take a lot of photos, now’s the time to go through them.
You can probably delete those random screenshots, accidental photos or videos of the ground, and any pictures that otherwise don’t have a deeper meaning or purpose to you.
If you’re running low on phone storage, this is a great starting point, as photos and videos tend to occupy a lot of your smartphone’s memory.
You could also arrange your photos into albums to help you locate certain ones more easily.
It can be difficult trying to stay ahead of all the emails you’ll get. Even in just a day, this number can get quite high!
But if your inbox looks like it could use some extra attention, you might want to consider cleaning it out.
While you’re at it, you might also unsubscribe from service or business emails that you just end up ignoring or deleting anyway. A lot of times, these emails can explain why your inbox gets so full so quickly.
Depending on the state of your inbox, this may take a few sessions, but you’ll likely feel less overwhelmed the next time you open the mail app.
Take inventory of the apps you keep on your smartphone. Which do you use every day? You’ll probably want to keep these around.
Which apps haven’t you touched in the past few months? Consider hitting the “delete” button on those. Apps that you don’t frequently use just clutter your home screen and suck up storage.
Of the remaining apps, perhaps you can place them into folders to help you locate them more easily. Some ways to organize apps are by utility, such as
- social media
- messaging
- photography
- health
- travel
- entertainment
If you’re bored with your current wallpaper, consider setting a new one.
You could choose from a photo from an album (that you just organized) or search the web for something that will pleasantly surprise you whenever you pick up your phone.
Some ideas to get you started are:
- an inspirational or favorite quote
- a pet or animal
- a loved one
- a pattern with your favorite colors
Helpful tips
Many apps can help make the decluttering process easier, especially when cleaning out your photo app. Sure, you’ll have to download another app, but for the convenience, it might be worth it. Plus, you can always delete it once you finish.
You can also filter spam or promotional emails from your inbox (most automatically filter, but some can still make it through). The directions for this vary depending on which email service you use, but an internet search may be able to help.
According to a study from 2023, excessive screen time can affect your physical health, mental health, and overall well-being.
But all of this depends on exactly how you use your phone.
Visual clutter on your phone takes up phone storage, and it can also take up mental storage.
Using your screen time in a more productive way, instead of solely for entertainment purposes, may help relieve some of the overwhelm caused by a cluttered phone.
If you frequently turn to your smartphone to mindlessly scroll through social media or for entertainment, consider using it for more productive purposes.
Cleaning out your old photos, unused apps, and inbox can help free up some storage and relieve some overwhelm that having a cluttered phone may cause.
You can even set a new wallpaper to signify a fresh start.