how to create an intentional smartphone (digital minimalism)
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- Опубліковано 22 тра 2024
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In today’s video, I’m sharing how to create a more intentional smartphone. I’ll walk you through the steps I took to customize my phone with only apps that support my goals. It’s an ongoing process! In the next episode, I’ll share exactly what’s on my iPhone as a digital minimalist.
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Excellent Video + Tips! If you want to "delete" Safari, here's how to get it off your screen: Go to Settings -> Screen Time -> Content & Privacy Restrictions-> Allowed Apps and Uncheck Safari. Technically it's not deleted for good, but it will no longer be accessible anywhere on the home screen and if you click on a URL, nothing happens. I highly recommend doing it, it will 100% change your relationship with your phone for the better!
Cannot express how thankful I am for your comment. This tip is going to be the thing that really drives the next chapter of my life and cuts multiple addictions, finally. Thank you.
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Haven't gotten a smartphone yet, but if I were to make a list of what I would want my cellphone for:
1. Calling
2. Sending and receiving sms
3. possible to schedule alarms and reminders, that I can make repeat daily/weekly/monthly.
4. Writing down notes for my self, like if someone tells me about a movie or a band, I can write it down so I can check it out when I have the opportunity.
Thanks! I got a flip phone and it was actually more difficult to use than just minimizing my iPhone. It’s still important to me to be able to talk to my mom for example. She would send me a text and I’d spend more time trying to text her back then I would have with my beloved talk to text. That was truly my only hurdle. Nobody calls anymore and my children constantly saw me taking three minutes to respond to important text messages instead of a quick talk to text
😂😂😂
It's so inspiring to know that you're not only with this feeling, "stay away from distracted apps". Thank you for tips. You got a new sub 👍
It's always great to follow your videos and exchange tips here in the comments, but today I'll just pass by once again to thank you from the bottom of my heart for how much your experience and the way to convey this in your videos, transforming and a great motivation to keep searching every day increasingly combat hyperconnectivity with a more intentional use
I'm very glad to have come across your videos on mindful use of phones, Ashton. I've been debating whether to make the move to a flip phone. It is a bit ironic that I'm watching this on my phone now. Most social media is not a problem for me, but I have realized over the past few days that I use my phone to watch YT videos more than I'd like to admit. I need to find some self-control on that count.
Still, your channel is a breath of fresh air - genuine, human, and informative.
Same here. YT and other video related sites really eat up a big chunk of my time. I deleted the YT app, but use the browser instead *facepalm*
I'll need to try an old smartphone and really dumb it down. Let's get through this!
I hope it makes you feel better that it is not a matter of self-control on your part, or a flaw of any sort. Companies have designed these apps to be incredibly addictive! Please do not beat yourself up. I've been away from a smartphone for months now and it still gets me sometimes.
These are great tips, Ashton. Like I've said, I'm also really into digital minimalism. I don't have any social media and my home page is super basic, too. Also, not treating your phone as a "personalized" thing (attractive wallpapers, filling it up with pictures) is also a great way to just see it as a tool. Love the content.
Omar
so true! have a great week, Omar!
@@ashtonwomack I just revived an old Huawei y6 ll (2016) by replacing it's dying 3100 mah battery by a Samsung (galaxy a51) 4000 mah battery and soldered the old BMS on the new working battery, now it has a second life and it's pretty much average since it's a 7 yrs old smartphone . My thing is fitting bigger battery in place of the small original ones, a bigger battery would mean that it will always outlast a smaller one, and you will charge the device less since the newer cell can hold charge for days with minimal use.
For someone like me who uses budget entry level smartphone as a daily driver, I'm not into social media, I rarely take pictures, I don't do video recording, I don't do gaming either, therefore I can easily make a 4000 mah smartphone last a week easily on a single charge.
I remember the days where smartphones were fun devices, they were quite laggy, few of them had OTG support, they had chunky bezels with their logo on the front, but there were no such thing like tiktok. Tiktok these days has turned clever people into complete idiots, they're even worse than junkies. Even elders now have the smartphone fever.
With apple releasing it's vision pro glasses, I think we might now go to a point of no return 😢
I just got my first smartphone, so this is excellent timing! I look forward to hearing more about keeping my phone minimal and intentional.
Great video! It actually IS possible to remove the Safari web browser from an iPhone. Just go to Settings -> Screen Time (make sure it's turned on) -> Content & Privacy Restrictions (turn it on) -> Allowed Apps -> then toggle the switch next to Safari. Now it's gone :)
Yep and you can delete the App Store completely too by going to Content & Privacy Restrictions -> iTunes & App Store Purchases -> disallow Installing Apps, and then you can also require a passcode to change this setting (skip the change passcode with Apple ID) and work it out with a friend to set your passcode if you need that level of restriction for being able to download apps, which I think I might do! I love your digital minimalism series btw @Ashton Womack !!
@@laudemgloriae3 Definitely! I do this as well - I need that extra restriction or I end up downloading some non-Safari mobile browser like Firefox or Chrome.
I love this idea and will definitely be incorporating this! Awesome video 💖👍
This is great! I also like to send photos and this has been a struggle for me as I've had a flip phone for over a year. My solution is a bit janky but I will email pics from my computer (I use a point and shoot camera) to people I know actually check their email and I'll log into my texting service online through Verizon to send pictures there. They get compressed but the quality is better than nothing. It doesn't sync with my phone so I have to remember I sent stuff to someone when they reply. Lol. But thats how I've been doing it. I also share pictures with family of my kids through an app called tiny beans. Only family can see that. I also just send really bad flip phone pics to people and just embrace the low resolution pics.
Really love your phone minimalism videos 😊
Cant wait for the next video.. thanks much for this..
Super awesome advice. I will definitely follow this well reasoned and persuasive presentation. I believe most people would also benefit!😀
This is a great video overall. The part about deleting stuff. If you have an android phone, put a minimalist launcher on it and do the process she is doing of deleting all apps. In my launcher, I hid all the apps I don't need
Hey Ashton! I love your channel, I too have gotten rid of my smart phone for a brick Nokia, and it is quite the journey. What I can say that helps me is having a dumb phone, and a smart phone, and switching your sim out every couple of weeks between them. It helps to regain a sense of balance, while also being current. We adapt to anything, and if we keep these stimuluses from being our only option, it prevents them from taking over. Keep experimenting!
that's such a great point - it's so easy to adapt. it's an ongoing journey, for sure!
I do that too. At the beginning, I tried to use my smartphone less, delete social media and other many apps but then I gradually switched to surfing the internet and watching YT videos. So I decided to go cold turkey and use a dumbphone. After just a week (and a hard abstinence syndrome) I felt calmer and more centered. After a couple of weeks I returned to my smart and noticed that my time using it decreased a lot. But it lasted only some weeks. So now I try to alternate between smart and dumb phones to maintain a balance and have some control.
Thanks for the tips. I’m trying to be more digital minimalist, but I work with social media…
Sorry if my English is not that good, greetings from Brazil! Great channel, love it
Just to say I found this video super helpful because of th intention behind it as well as it's practicality! Thank you
thank you - i'm so glad!
Wish I could like this video a 1000 times. I have been doing this things progressively through 2022. I first left all useless whatsapp groups, then I removed almost all app notifications, then I removed apps from my homescreen. This has helped to focus somewhat but not enough. Yesterday I removed the IG app and this should have a lot of impact on my focus. I’m just glad to see I’m not the only one who can see the total destruction this things are causing.
Hey Ashton, I really enjoy your videos! I personally was very tempted to go the flip phone route after watching your original videos about it, but the truth is, I already have a phone, yes, it's a smart phone, but it still works and I'm not going to go and buy a new one just because I want less stuff, it sounds like an oxymoron.
So I started doing basically what you describe here, keeping only messaging apps to communicate with friends and family, and I actually have notifications off, so I'll purposefully check my messages when I feel like it instead of reacting to notifications, I only have call notifications since I believe a phone call is a more urgent matter usually.
I do have my web browser and I use it mostly for recipes since I enjoy cooking and I send recipes I want to try to my phone to be able to see them while cooking.
Keeping my phone always at my desk is now also something I started doing a few months ago, which sometimes is annoying, but I know the benefits way outdo the trouble it generates me.
depending on the version of iOS you can either delete the browser like any other app or, hidden in the settings app there is a toggle to remove the browser. I don't have an older phone running previous versions of iOS to pinpoint exactly where it is but it is defo there. perhaps a google search might help. Also, I believe (in newer versions) if you move the app to the main home page it will give you the option to delete the app
Great video thank you, I use an old iphone se with only texting and phone on it, I also have the block unknown numbers function activated. I prefer to use a camera for photos so that setup works for me
A tip I've picked up is setting your phone to be in black and white in the developer section. Any time you open an app all the colours being plain grayscale really helps to stop the mental stimulation you get from your phone a surprising amount, and it just becomes less interesting to look at.
Thank you Ashton. My mind was blown away by how many apps that I don't need and even didn't use it! But there is 17 apps that didn't let me uninstall it, crazy how important smartphones and its user to big companies. I can't believe that I only need whatsapp, call and sms!
A very good approach to using the phone. We are the ones who are supposed to use the phone and not it us! That's why I've been using UNLAUNCHER - a minimalist launcher for a smartphone - for some time. It has given me a lot of time, I am less distracted and I use social media less and less :) Greetings :)
I'm jealous of people who can do it. I personally can't. I've gone over to the CAT S22 Flip. It can do all of the smart phone stuff, but it's a hassle and the screen is so small that it isn't worth it. It's done a lot for me. I wind up just redownloading the things I shouldn't have. I had to pitch the phone eventually or I'd cave. It's sitting in a drawer, but I've learned my limits.
i've done this yesterday!!! and now you post a video. i like your suggestion of listing the things i wanna be. i've never done stuff like this, and i've always thought new year's resolutions to be a bad thing for me because i didn't have the courage to change and was suffering more with mental health. but now i'm actually done with my therapy, and i'm so much better and feel motivated to change myself for bettering my life and the life of the people around me. and i want to use my phone for that! i'm thinking about using a dumb phone like you, but i've started with what i have and maybe i'll stick to my smart-dumbed-down phone.
gotta say that deleting even web browser was hard.
there is a way that you can "delete" it and keep you from using it!
Settings > Screen time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > Allowed Apps, and then you disable Safari (and any other you want)!
oh my gosh, i didn't know you could delete safari! thank you for the tip - that's gonna be life changing 😅
Thank you.
good stuff.
I suspect a large portion of people who attempt this are going to learn a lot about themselves, their self-control, and how addicting the apps are these days.
I have a couple of Pixel phones which both has GraphenOS on, one is stripped to basics and the other has music and navigation for example. GraphenOS comes very bare with apps, even the web browser can be deleted.
My journey is perhaps more privacy based, however I do prefer the phone’s purpose is chosen by me rather than the phone. If something is on the phone the temptation is there is my thought, so mine is a win for me as I dictate how the phone works for me, even to the camera software and how I view that away from the IOS and Google eyes….. Just my experience
Great video! You actually can delete Safari by going into Screen Time in Settings, Content and Privacy Restrictions
Thank you, i just got back to an iPhone a month ago and still feel great. I think one boundary is to be set in my inner-self not to spend too much time on this iphone and not to be too judmental over myself if i occasionnaly "play a game" (even if this doesn't really happen), or something else. I think the concept of boundary is very important in general, i'd say "garde-fou" in french which kind of means "to keep fools away" as long as you don't judge yourself. By the way to read the bible there's a great app called NeuBible (really great app)
by the way garde-fou is french for guardrail.
Do you use Sunbeam at anymore or did you completely back to a smart phone?
you can remove safari by doing this:
Settings > screen time > content & Privacy Restrictions > allowed apps > untoggle safari | if for any reason someone texts you a web link and you need to toggle it on really quick, just remember to search "restrictions" and you'll find it instead of memorizing the path. You're welcome!
I've plced 1000th like
I use an Android smartphone with divestos firmware, this OS is devoid of everything superfluous, in which only the programs I need are installed. For Android, there are still excellent launchers in the style of minimalism, for example, Ligt Android Launcher from f-droid, where instead of images of applications, it is just text.
I got a screen time widget on my home screen and give myself a time budget.
I love your digital minimalism videos! As a basic phone user (I own a lot of newer Nokia basic phones ATM), I can really relate on your journey in digital minimalism. It also made me more productive and more intentional in everything I do.
PS: also, you're very pretty. In case no one told you yet. :)
One thing though: I wonder why Apple and Google hasn't made a setting available that effectively turns your phone into essentially a feature phone, but also can add one messaging app, all with just one settings change. That way, you don't have to delete apps and all the potential complications of deleting apps.
There is ultra/super power saving mode on android which only has the essential apps
I tried this out but some of my career require social apps
Is it possible to not confuse that with daily screen time ?
My iPhone SE (2nd gen) doesn't have what I would classify as time-wasting apps such as social media. There are many pre-loaded apps that I never use and will never use so I left them on the phone. I never created email accounts on my phone so it's basically calls and texting. I still have a browser on the phone. I know I really should delete it but I'm procrastinating on this one! 😔 I'm almost there!
you don't want maps on your phone? how do you get to new places?
Been toying with the idea of switching back to a dumb phone for ages, but can't ever quite commit...
With the reintroduction of your iPhone, do you worry that the list of your self-permitted uses will just keep expanding gradually until you're using most functions again? Smart phones seem very insidious like that
definitely! I want my phone usage to support my goals and not slip into time-wasting territory. In my next video I'll share some of the ways I'm doing that!
@@ashtonwomack Okay I'll be keen to see that 👍👍 Good work, really insightful videos 😊
My friend Asthon, when possible record a again this video with a actualizion 2023. Please
? Does anyone still use blackberry? I heard they don’t work anymore.. I want a bb curve so bad. I heard theres a titan that has keys but is a cheap imported version and has security risks. Im not sure what dumb phone I would want besides a bb. Thank you for the encouragement. Another yter suggested twin sim cards. Theb you choose your phone for the day. But I would still need to dumb down my iphone so its not as fun to grab.
I so so want a phone with these features but without the Web browser, I always cave and use it :(
apple said "think different" and so she did
I have to have my work app and my email cuz that’s where my boss’s send me information and pay stubs. 💀 this lady who works with the company had to get a smart phone for this reason. I’ve been really thinking about helping her u sweat and how to use the work app. But I only ever read my emails when I get bills/work notifications
I set time limits on social media apps so I don’t get completely lost scrolling.
that's a great tip!
Why wouldn’t you want the GPS?
after living without gps for a while, it's become an unnecessary app for me!
I think you'll go back to Your flip phone sooner than You think;p
TOO MUCH (like this) is also wrong and not healthy.
How so? The way I see it, it's really healthy to set boundaries with your phone because then you'll have more control over your real life, for me not having boundaries with my phone has made me feel constantly overwhelmed with my phone, having bright colors shining at me all the time and feeling the constant need to have my phone next to me is not healthy. It's not healthy to feel the urge to grab my phone when I don't even know what I was gonna do with it
Why not just buying a Nokia 3310, and not making a smartphone not smart?
You fell into the trap of convenience again! Inconvenience is a tool for growth. Your bad habits will continue and you will again be in the same place. On a hamster wheel. There is more value in being bored with your thoughts than filling your mind with other voices from podcasts. Music can be heard at home. You got sucked into convenience and comfort this will not create growth for you.
For people wanting to do this I would recommend GrapheneOS.