Discover the power of iPhone focus modes as a tool to regain control over your digital life. Learn how to craft customized profiles that suit different routines, from deep work to gym sessions. Explore automated features that activate modes based on time or location, making distractions a thing of the past. Plus, discover the benefits of creating digital boundaries to enhance your concentration and mental clarity. It's all about maximizing productivity and carving out uninterrupted time for what truly matters.
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Inspired by Disney Trip
Joe Casabona started using focus modes after a Disney trip where he barely used his phone.
This experience inspired him to control his phone usage more intentionally.
insights INSIGHT
What Are Focus Modes?
Focus modes customize Do Not Disturb settings for different parts of your day.
They allow control over which people and apps can interrupt you, tailoring notifications to your needs.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Automate Context Switching
Use focus modes to switch contexts intentionally instead of fighting phone distractions.
Automate them by time, location, or app to protect your focus without manual effort.
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In 'The Anxious Generation', Jonathan Haidt examines the sudden decline in the mental health of adolescents starting in the early 2010s. He attributes this decline to the shift from a 'play-based childhood' to a 'phone-based childhood', highlighting mechanisms such as sleep deprivation, attention fragmentation, addiction, loneliness, social contagion, and perfectionism that interfere with children’s social and neurological development. Haidt proposes four simple rules to address this issue: no smartphones before high school, no social media before age 16, phone-free schools, and more opportunities for independence, free play, and responsibility. The book offers a clear call to action for parents, teachers, schools, tech companies, and governments to restore a more humane childhood and end the epidemic of mental illness among youth.
I've been on a mission to use my phone way less this year, sparked by reading The Anxious Generation and that magical Disney World trip where I barely touched my phone. The solution? iPhone focus modes - my secret weapon for controlling the fire hose of information instead of letting it control me.
Think about it: you finally sit down to get some real work done, and your phone starts buzzing with calendar alerts, group chats going off, and random notifications. It's enough to make you want to throw it out the window.
Focus modes let you take back control by choosing exactly who and what can reach you in different contexts.
I've crafted focus modes for every part of my day - from the gym to my ultra-strict "Green Zone" mode for deep work (where I can literally only see time tracking widgets). Each mode has custom home screens, specific apps, and even changes my Apple Watch face to match what I'm doing.
*Want a peek into how I’ve created more time? Check out my free automations database and AI swipe file at https://casabona.org/streamlined*
Top Takeaways
Focus modes are custom "Do Not Disturb" profiles that let you control which people and apps can interrupt you based on what you're doing - think of them as digital boundaries for different parts of your day.
You can automate focus modes to turn on based on time, location, or when you open specific apps, so you don't have to remember to switch them manually (my fitness mode turns on when I get to the gym, personal mode kicks in at 6 PM).
The goal isn't to be unreachable, it's to be present - focus modes help you context switch with intention instead of fighting your phone for the ability to concentrate on what matters in that moment.
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