Today I’m going to tell you one stories that make you think and think. It certainly made me do it, and that’s why I’m writing here in Applesfera about it. It’s about the iPhone and the responsible use that we must make of it, often facilitated by tools present on the iPhone itself like “Screen Time” and other moments made difficult by social networks like Instagram or TikTok.
The case we are going to see today is that of a American writer Named Jake Knapp. Specializing in technology, he experienced the launch of the iPhone since 2007. And it was in 2012 that he realized that something had to change.
The more you use iPhone, the better you feel after buying it
Buy one The iPhone in 2007 was for the brave. A first generation that costs a lot more than usual for a phone. People have asked you why, and even you have wondered why. In Jake’s case, he “self-justified” by saying would improve his work being able to carry email with it and search in Safari.
Years later, applications like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram arrived… More applications to enjoy on iPhone and that they make you feel like you’re enjoying the device to the maximum.
Dad, why are you looking at your phone?
One afternoon in 2012, Jake Knapp was playing with his son assembling train tracks when his son asked him this question. The son did not do it with any harm, he simply I wanted to know why I stopped playing with him.. This sentence made a big impression on Jake, since he hadn’t even thought about picking up the iPhone.
I froze for a second, I was physically with my son but he wasn’t actually there.
After that question, Jake took action for the first time. He once felt bad for “using too much” his iPhone. However, at that very moment, he asked himself “why exactly did he have an iPhone?” » The answer was simple: He wanted a tool that would improve his life and it became a distraction of his real life.
Then he decided to delete the apps, and there wasn’t even Safari left
That same afternoon, Jake deleted Instagram, Facebook, Gmail and even disabled Safari. The Messages, Photos and Camera app pretty much remained. The feeling was strange: pleasant the first hours, overwhelming the following days. In his mind, he was proposing to let them last for a week and then reinstall them. After this “self-imposed” week, he realized that his attention span had expanded, that time had slowed down for the better and that his thoughts were freer.
This is how Jake was in 2014 and 2015… Enjoy music, podcasts, good photos. Many family members and friends told him that if he didn’t have self-control, there was no need to go from one extreme to the other. However, others have joined us to do the same.
Six years without distractions on iPhone where not everything was positive
Jake is also a realist, and being in the digital age with an iPhone with no apps has affected his work and personal life. He lost job opportunities and some friends after not having maintained contact with them on Facebook… However, by not having these “infinite friends” on social networks, he was able to devote more time to his family, his children and his real friends .
An iPhone with eight apps on the home screen is enough for Jake
Jake is aware that this requires a lot of effort, and that’s why he recommends doing it this way
Not all of us are ready to disconnect overnight. Many friends and family would be afraid, we would have problems at work. That’s why Jake After six years of writing with an iPhone without apps, he recommends Do it in this order and for two hours.
- First decide why you want to give more attention to other things.
- Let people know
- Delete social media apps
- Uninstall news apps
- No more streaming and gaming apps
- Finally, email managers and web browsers
On this scale, you can rate how you feel and start with two-hour periods. And of course, Jake recommends being flexible. Do you need an application for something specific? Install it, use it. But be honest with yourself. Do you really learn that much from Instagram? Are the conversations you have with so many people useful or are they just reactions to stories? You are the only owner of timeand time is also something that can never be recovered.
Original story | Jane Knapp
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