10 Best Apps to Stop Smartphone Addiction and Boost Productivity

Are you struggling with smartphone addiction and can’t focus on the more important things in life? If yes, you’re not alone.

We are living in a world where almost everything is going digital. From making cashless payments to watching movies to buying groceries – everything is available on the internet.

While smartphones have made our lives easier, they have made people increasingly reliant on them for even the most trivial tasks. Plus, smartphones have opened up the vista to endless entertainment, making people develop an addiction that is hard to cure.

You can beat this addiction and make your life more fruitful with proper measures. Luckily, several apps out there can reduce your smartphone obsession. This article will list some of the best apps to stop smartphone addiction and boost productivity.

How Does Smartphone Addiction Disturb Your Health?

Smartphone addiction causes several health difficulties. Using phones for too long causes your sleep quality to decrease. Besides, it can reduce the function of your immune system and is a major reason behind maladaptive behavior issues.

Besides physical health, excessive smartphone usage can also hamper your mental health. Dr. Hyung Suk Seo of Korea University has warned that smartphone addiction gives rise to a chemical imbalance in their brains, making them more vulnerable to depression and anxiety.       

Signs of Smartphone Addiction

If you are unsure of whether you are addicted to your smartphone or not, try to look for the below signs. A person with smartphone addiction will show some or most of these signs:

Constant urge to use the cell phone at all times 
Persistent failure to limit smartphone usage, even after thinking about that a lot
Feelings of anger, frustration, impatience, irritation, tension, etc., when the smartphone is inaccessible 
Strain on eyes 
Neck pain and decreased mobility   
Sleep disturbances 
Isolation from family and dear ones 
Strong sense of absence of connection
Lack of focus 
Non-existence of social life

Next, we will understand the health problems associated with smartphone addiction.

Health Problems Associated With Smartphone Addiction

In case you were unaware, smartphone addiction can have numerous negative effects on your life. Here are some of them: 

#1. Neck Problems

Looking at your smartphone screen all day long puts excessive strain on your neck and spine. This can give rise to a condition known as ‘Text Neck,’ causing neck pain and reducing mobility. 

#2. Eye Strain 

By staring at your mobile screen for a prolonged period, you are overstimulating your eyes. Such overstimulation can strain your eyes and end up irritating them.   

#3. Anxiety 

Excessive exposure to your smartphone may make it almost customary to respond instantly to any text, call, or mail you receive. It can give rise to social anxiety and increase your stress levels.  

#4. Concentration Problem

Smartphone addiction can shorten our attention span. A study conducted by Microsoft found the digital multitaskers participating in the study had an average attention span of eight seconds, one second lesser than even a goldfish. Such a short attention span can make you struggle to concentrate and be less productive.

#5. Brain Structure Alteration 

Research conducted by PLoS One found that digital multitasking can alter your brain’s physical structure. People addicted to smartphones have smaller grey matter density in their anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), making them have hampered cognition and socioemotional well-being.      

What Should Be the Key Features of an App Claiming to Curb Smartphone Addiction?

Today, you would hardly find any smartphone addiction-stopping app not boasting about its abilities. But not all of them are effective.

So how do you know whether an app claiming to break your smartphone obsession will work? Well, check out the below must-have features before downloading any such applications: 

The app should have a detailed analysis of your smartphone and app usage times.
The app should integrate Google’s digital well-being features to enhance productivity.
It should have the ability to block apps that are the most distracting. 
The app must have a focus mode to give you a distraction-free environment. 
It should keep track of the notification received during the focus time, so you never lose something important. 
There should be an option to choose to receive calls from your loved ones if need be, even during the focus period.

Now, we will see how we can stop smartphone addiction by being productive.

How Can Be Productive Help Stop Smartphone Addiction?

Smartphone addiction is related to procrastination. We feel bored when we have nothing to do and turn to our smartphones for entertainment.

Therefore, being productive can help you break this addiction. When doing something meaningful, your mind is completely focused on that task. It doesn’t have time to think about something else. 

You have to be cautious, though. As your mind is so used to smartphones, even a little notification from a social media app can hamper your productive phase, and you may end up spending an hour on your phone again.

That’s why it’s vital to limit your smartphone exposure to get things done. For this purpose, dedicated apps capable of managing your usage time can be beneficial. 

Now that you have an idea about how prolonged exposure to smartphones harms well-being and how being productive helps curb it. Let us see some apps that can come to your aid.   

Freedom

Freedom is an effective app that helps you stop your obsessions with smartphones. If you are constantly getting distracted whenever you are trying to focus, Freedom is perfect for eliminating such distractions.

Available on both iOS and Android platforms, this app lets you block sites and apps when you need to concentrate. 

You can select apps and sites from its pre-made block list for easier blocking or making your custom list. You can also block your smartphone’s internet connectivity for increased efficiency.

Other features of the app include syncing across multiple devices, scheduling your blocks, focusing sounds, locked mode, etc. 

Nonetheless, Freedom doesn’t block important calls or messages. Hence, people can still reach you if it is urgent. Users have reported gaining about 2.5 hours of spare time daily. So, it is worth a try. 

Although Freedom has a free trial of seven sessions, you must purchase their premium subscription by paying $39.99/year after the trial period ends.   