Our smartphones have become an indispensable tool for many people: we use them to work, study, communicate and take photos and videos of special moments. But sometimes we can overdo it and using the mobile phone for longer than we want.

And it is very easy to get distracted, because on our mobile phones we have access to an almost infinite number of games to enjoy, to series and movies to stream and, perhaps worst of all, to social networks. We can spend a lot of time every dayI admit that I spend a lot of time on my phone, but I found a solution that is very effective yet also helps me be more productive.

Detox is an app that prevents you from using your mobile phone

I know it’s a matter of discipline and self-control, but sometimes it’s not a bad thing to use a tool or technique that helps us be more productive. In my case, an app has been my ally when I wanted to avoid wasting time during the day: It’s called Detox and when activated, it prevents you from using your mobile phone..

This application is essentially It blocks our access to all mobile functions.or almost all. Its use is simple but effective: we choose the time during which we want not to have access to the mobile phone and activate the application. When you do this, a counter will appear on the screen and we will not be able to do anything on the mobile phone, we cannot check social networks, open WhatsApp to send messages or even play games.

APPLICATION It only allows us to searchIt is important in case of emergency. Otherwise, mobile phone almost completely locked until the countdown is over. Almostbecause I discovered that I can do some very basic things; for example, I can reply to messages from the notification panel and access the camera from the lock screen.

First, we choose the period for which we want to lock the mobile and click on the padlock. Then we confirm the action and the application prevents us from using the mobile freely during this period.

But the idea is to avoid giving in to temptation and that this application prevents us from wasting unnecessary time on our mobile, especially during important moments of our work day or when we want to work for an hour or two without interruption, for example. The idea is that it helps us disconnect from our mobile phone.Even if it is mandatory.

You can download Detox from Google Play Store from this link. After installing the app, the necessary permissions must be granted when accessing the app for the first time. From the app’s settings menu, we can configure other options, such as having the app play a sound at the end of each session.

We need to grant the necessary permissions for the application to work. Then we can start using it.

There are those who use a more traditional method, such as the Pomodoro technique, to be more productive, but personally, sometimes I need to take a more drastic measure, and blocking this app from accessing my phone helps me to disconnect and not waste time on important moments.

Cover photo | Xataka for Android by Eduardo Marín

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