In need of a digital detox? Try these productivity apps

Ah, the sweet ping of a notification on your phone. It can easily distract you from your work or studying, and, although you only meant to have a quick look, before you know it you’ve had a Fortnite battle and have scrolled through Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter and Instagram twice.

Spending what feels like just a couple of minutes checking your phone every day soon adds up, and it might be taking up more of your day than you think.

Surveys have shown that the average user spends 25 hours a week online. Here in the UK, we check our phones almost once every 6 ½ minutes with 73% of us saying we’d find it hard to go a day without checking our phone.

If you’re like us, you read that and thought ‘nah, I don’t use my phone that much.’ It got us thinking though; how much time are we really spending on our phones and is it time for a digital detox?

With more people choosing to take some time away from their phones, digital detoxes – completely giving up your phone or turning it off for 24 hours or more – are becoming more and more popular.

We’ve found some tried and tested productivity apps that can help you take a break from your phone, letting you focus your energy on the more important stuff. After all, phones are good and with these handy apps, you can make sure you’re always feeling peppy and productive with your mobile, rather than drained and distracted.

App Detox Android

Once you know how much time you really spend on your phone and which apps are eating up most of your time, it’s easier to do something about it. If you need some help weaning yourself off certain apps, that’s where App Detox comes in.

You can set up usage limits to stop yourself from spending more time than you meant to on individual apps. If you go over your set time, the app will remind you to take a break.

Forest iOS/ Android

If you want an app that motivates you to take a break from your phone and can also help the environment, look no further than Forest. With the tag line ‘stay focused, be present’, the Forest app helps you put your phone down and focus on the more important things like work, studying or just spending time with friends and family without being guilty of phubbing – snubbing someone in favour of your phone.

When you need time to focus, set the time limit – from 10 minutes to 2 hours to plant a seed. The longer you spend with the app open – stopping you from getting distracted by the lure of social media – the more your tree will grow and flourish. But, if you give in to temptation and close the app, the tree will die.

Your fully grown trees will start to make up your forest, with each tree being a happy reminder of the time you’ve spent focused.

What’s more, you earn virtual coins with every virtual tree you grow. These coins can then be used to grow trees in real life, thanks to Forest’s partnership with real tree-planting organisation, Trees for the Future. Not only will you become more productive, you’ll be helping the environment too.

Once you’ve cut down the time you spend stalking people on Facebook, you can make the time you spend on your phone really count. So, why not set an hour or two aside each day when you can relax and watch a movie, or connect with people that matter. Remember, phones are good and they’re here to make life easier, not harder.