If you find that technology sometimes makes you feel regretful or disconnected from your spiritual well-being, consider using it as a tool for personal growth. You don't need to install any app, I will give the easiest tips that require no installation just the basic mobile phone features. And here they are:
Set alarms to remind you to engage in meditation, yoga, or other calming practices.
We all have heard of using reminders for important office or home tasks. But you should use reminders for important well-being habits. I set daily reminders whenever I start a new habit something like "Drink lemon water", "Drink milk and sleep" etc.
Keep track of your daily progress with notes. Since notes are synced with Gmail, you can access your notes data for years. I write day-to-day updates about my health or dieting habits, something like. "Less sleep yesterday", "Woke up 2 times post midnight for water", "Lot of period pain at midnight", "Ate an extra cup of ice cream today", "Didn't meditate today" etc. With these notes for over two years, I have managed to track my period cycle. I plan my work or family functions to keep myself in sync with my mind and body. Through self-reflection of my habits, I make changes in my schedule or lifestyle wherever I see a consistent problem.
Be smart on social media. Whenever I'm mindful, I unfollow or mark as "not interested" those profiles or content that might distract me and eat up my time. Now, when I open any social media app, my feed is filled with educational content. Even if I end up scrolling without much thought, I still pick up something valuable instead of wasting time on pointless music reels or shorts.
Personally, my most effective practice is seizing those moments of peak motivation (which come and go) to schedule my long-term, monthly, and weekly reminders with motivational quotes or thought-provoking questions. For example:
Weekly reminders: every Monday morning "Have I completed my weekly tasks?"
Three months reminder for new habits: "Daily lemon water achieved?"
Annual reminders: "Go back to your goals. Don't lose track, you are on the right path!"
When these reminders pop up, they serve as a reality check, helping me get back on track if I've strayed off course, or they fuel my determination to stay on track. It's similar to having a personal trainer who periodically checks in on your progress. This is my way of talking to myself in a scheduled way.
The idea isn't to disconnect from technology entirely; rather, it's about harnessing its potential to intelligently support your overall well-being and spiritual development. Cutting off tech in today's age is ignoring its potential over its disadvantages. Smartness truly lies in using a smartphone to boost your well-being. How beneficial these new gadgets can prove is up to you.
So how smart are you in using tech to boost your self-discipline?