For most of us, smartphones are invaluable parts of our everyday lives but it is possible to have too much of a good thing. Spending too much time on one’s phone doesn’t just cause procrastination problems – it can also lead to poor posture and even negatively affect our mood!

If you’re looking to make a positive lifestyle change and cut down on your smartphone screen time, look no further. We’ve put together some great tips to help you spend less time on the phone and improve your general wellbeing.

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The modern smartphone is an incredibly useful tool and according to Deloitte, a whopping 89% of Aussies own a smartphone. With most of us using our phones every day, we’re certainly no strangers to mobile apps and the notifications that come with them.

At times, these notifications can be very useful – who among us hasn’t saved face at the last minute thanks to a handy birthday reminder for an acquaintance on Facebook? Other times, not so much. No one really needs a banner on the home screen of their phone to remind them to play more Candy Crush, or that so-and-so or such-and-such has posted on social media.

The hard truth is that most mobile apps on the market today are padding out their notifications with unnecessary information. It’s so prevalent that even satire news website, The Onion, is joking about it. These little pop-ups and badges just aren’t telling us anything important or useful; all they’re doing is trying to get your attention so you open the app again. That’s why it’s a good New Years’ resolution to nip these useless notifications in the bud so you can stay focused on the stuff that matters.

We’ve put together some handy advice on how to trim down your mobile notifications and keep the useful stuff and get rid of the junk!

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We’ve previously covered educational software for children, but what about teenagers? In the digital age, high school can be particularly stressful with a broad curriculum, competitive exams and hours of homework every week. Not to mention all the usual social challenges of being a teenager in general! Fortunately, there are tools out there on the web that can help students get on top of their responsibilities and keep a cool head.

If you have any high school age students in your household or family, then you may find this handy list of apps and online resources useful. Have a read through and see if any are worth passing along the grape vine.

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