We're bombarded with stimuli all day long. Flashing phone screens, email pop-ups, news notifications, or simply colleagues who know how to contact you even while working from home. Stimuli, stimuli, and more stimuli. And sometimes it's okay to have a little less. Fortunately, you can help yourself. These apps are worth their weight in gold for more stimulus-free hours each day, in my opinion.
Tip 1 - To Do
From the book "Fokking Druk" (Fucking Busy) , I learned that every random thought that pops into your head is essentially a new "loop." You open new doors in your brain and have to do something with that emerging thought before it dies. Fortunately, there's a pretty simple way to quickly get that random thought out of your head: write it down. The To Do app , for example, is super handy for this. Write down the things that make you think, "I still need to do something about that." Because the beauty is: once they're on paper, you can easily forget about them. At a fixed time each day, glance at your to-do list and check it off. It'll clear your head.
Tip 2 - Forest
Can you manage to leave your phone alone for half an hour while working on a task? You'll see a beautiful tree. If you still give in to the temptation to check your phone, your little tree will die. A good way to resist the temptation to reach for your phone every time a thought or notification pops up.
Another handy (and app-free) way to work in time blocks is the Pomodoro Technique. You work for a set number of minutes at a time using a (tomato) timer , then take a short break. Then you work for that number of minutes again, then take another break, and so on. This helps you stay productive and focused, and also helps you remember your essential breaks.
Tip 3 - Sleep Cycle
Sleep is quite underrated . For a long time, I also thought that all the time you spend sleeping was taken away from doing fun or useful things. Wrong! A good night's sleep is essential for better resilience to external stimuli and stress. And for getting through the day feeling somewhat positive and productive. The Sleep Cycle app helps you improve your sleep pattern . This app measures your sleep pattern and sets the alarm to go off at exactly the right time. This way, you're truly rested before you dive into the onslaught of stimuli on another day.
Fun fact : On the Sleep Cycle website, you can find a real-time map of where people go to sleep and wake up.
Tip 4 - Freedom
As an iPhone owner, you're the lucky bastard who can take advantage of this. Using the Freedom app , you can enable access to a specific app or website only at certain times . For example, you can restrict Instagram from being accessed during the day, or set a time when you receive email notifications, but not during the day. Sounds ideal!
Block
Luckily, there's a similar solution for Android users like me: Block . This app, too, as the name suggests, lets you block certain apps at specific times . Useful, for example, if your resolution to never check Instagram after 10 p.m. fails every day. With this app, you'll succeed.
Tip 5 - Insight timer
My biggest recommendation for reducing stimulation: start meditating. I always thought it was just spiriwiri nonsense. But focusing on your thoughts and breathing is actually incredibly down-to-earth. It helps me immensely to stay more grounded and to forget about the speeding traffic, my busy schedule, or my constantly flashing screen. And all you need for meditation is a handy app. A free app, even. With Insight Timer, you can follow tons of free mindfulness meditations . You'll find both Dutch and English meditations in this app, and the selection is vast. So, I'd say: give meditation a try.
Not convinced? Check out this video from Headspace (also a super cool meditation app!).
💛 Oh yeah, want to make meditation even more fun? Then invest in a cheerful and colorful yoga mat (like this one !). It's great for mindfulness, but also for yoga. Because yes, yoga is also recommended for letting stimuli pass you by.
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