4 apps to beat your smartphone addiction

Do you take your phone to the bathroom? Do you sleep next to it? Do you space out in the middle of conversations because you have to check notifications every 10 seconds?

If all of the above apply to you, it is time to take back charge of your personal life. And your phone can help you do that. Here are four apps to help you break the habit.

1. If you check it first thing in the morning

Do work emails stress you out before even you have stepped into the office? Try BreakFree, an app that tracks how much time you spend on your phone and gives you reminders to limit your usage. You can set times to disable the internet so that even if you forgot to turn the WiFi off before going to bed, you are not harangued by menacing emails from your boss at the start of the day.

2. If you have it in your hand at all times

Is your phone screen is constantly lit because you do not leave it alone long enough to go on standby? Get a couple of friends and check out the Forest app. You get a tiny seed that you have to nourish into a tree by leaving your phone alone. The longer you resist, the quicker it grows. It works because you get to compete with your friends and stay on top of table.

3. If you are constantly charging it

Do you keep a backup charger in your office drawer besides the power bank in your bag and the other one in your pocket? Download Moment to find out exactly what apps you have been spending too much time on and cut back accordingly. If you cannot get yourself to cut back, use it to set usage limits for you.

4. If you sleep with it

You do not need to sleep with your phone five centimetres away from your face to hear the alarm go off. It is probably just an excuse to not miss a notification as long as you can help it. Get OFFTIME and schedule times to turn off your apps. This way you will not miss your mum's angry calls to get home right now without ending up on Facebook for hours at a stretch.

The writer is In-charge of the career publication of The Daily Star