My journey to intentional & mindful use of WhatsApp
As soon as I open my phone, the first thing I unconsciously check is my WhatsApp. This had become a default habit for me & something I haven’t been able to conquer.
Deep down, there were always these kind of ‘Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)’ feelings & thoughts:
That someone is trying to reach out to me
I need to reply quickly
Someone is waiting for my reply
I need to be always available
I need to get this work done ASAP by following up or dropping a message
How many views have I got on my story?
This really hampered my productivity, well being & offline relationships.
I realized that I needed to do something so that I’m more mindful when it comes to using my ‘WhatsApp’. It was something that was always on my home screen & easily available to use when I opened my phone. To give an analogy, if I keep a cookie jar in front of you, you are more likely to eat cookies frequently. WhatsApp had become like a Cookie Jar which was always in front of me (Home Screen) & easy to use.
Thus, I decided that I needed to make it tougher to use ‘WhatsApp’. I decided to keep it on the 8th screen of my phone so that its tougher to access it now. Now, I had to scroll 8 times to open my WhatsApp. However, while this did help, to increase more resistance & make it more tougher, I installed WhatsApp Web Application on my laptop & deleted on my phone. Now, I’m more mindful of my WhatsApp because I can only use it on my Laptop. I need to make extra efforts to login to my laptop & open WhatsApp.
Hence, I’m using WhatsApp more intentionally now & it’s not a default action anymore.
A common question I get asked: What if there’s an emergency while you are on the go? People will forget we also have text messaging in our phones or a feature to call people up ;) !
That being said, what works for me might not work for you. As everyone’s Digital Wellness is different as we have different routines & lifestyles.
But, we won’t find out unless we start experimenting with our Digital Wellness.
What is one step you want to take today to manage your ‘WhatsApp’ or text messaging apps so that you are able to focus & achieve your personal & professional goals?
