Money Rehab with Nicole Lapin - Boost Productivity, Go on a Digital Diet

Episode Date: November 22, 2021

Want to kick your productivity up a notch? Have you tried… putting your phone down? We know, we know, that’s not what you want to hear. But don’t worry, you don’t have to do this cold-turkey. Today, Nicole shares her seven-day schedule for a digital detox. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Money rehabbers, you get it. When you're trying to have it all, you end up doing a lot of juggling. You have to balance your work, your friends, and everything in between. So when it comes to your finances, the last thing you need is more juggling. That's where Bank of America steps in. With Bank of America, you can manage your banking, borrowing, and even investing all in one place. Their digital tools bring everything together under one roof, giving you a clear view of your finances whenever you need it. Plus, with Bank of America's wealth of expert guidance available at any time, you can feel confident that your

money is working as hard as you do. So why overcomplicate your money? Keep it simple with Bank of America, your one-stop shop for everything you need today and the goals you're working toward tomorrow. To get started, visit bofa.com slash newprosmedia. That's b-o-f-a dot com slash n-e-w pros p-r-o-s media. bfa.com slash newprosmedia. Hey guys, are you ready for some money rehab? Wall Street has been completely upended by an unlikely player, GameStop. And should I have a 401k? You don't do it? No, I never will. You think the whole world revolves around you and your money.

Well, it doesn't. Charge for wasting our time. I will take a check. Like an old school check. You recognize her from anchoring on CNN, CNBC, and Bloomberg. The only financial expert you don't need a dictionary to understand. Nicole Lappin. A huge part of being a boss at work is staying productive.

I know that productivity normally is synonymous with working hard, which is true. But productivity is also a tool for work-life balance. If you're super productive during work hours, you'll hopefully be able to shut your computer down at the end of the business day and focus on some much-deserved self-care time. But let's be real, it's been hard to stay productive during this here pandemic of ours. Many of us have had to transition to working from home and balancing work and child care, not to mention it's hard to stay on task when it feels like the world is falling apart around you. I have a ton of tips

and tricks I use to stay productive, but if you want to kickstart your productivity, I have a strong suggestion. Ready? Here it is. A digital diet. I know, you were hoping I wouldn't say that, right? We know that social media is a productivity killer, but do you know how much time your phone is actually costing you? The average adult touches his or her phone 80 times per day. I can't think of anything else you do voluntarily 80 times a day. Not eat, not hug, especially now, not even smile. The average number of smiles per day for adults is 20. Your productivity will advance leaps and bounds if you cut down on your screen time. But it's no surprise that there's an addictive quality to your phone. If you can't quit your phone cold turkey, it's time for a detox. But don't worry,

Can't quit your phone cold turkey? It's time for a detox. But don't worry, I'll tell you exactly how to do it. Here's my seven-day schedule for a digital detox. Day one. Take little timeouts. Don't look at your phone for a time frame that includes two meals, either from breakfast through lunch or lunch through dinner. For extra credit, turn it off completely. If you're traveling on a juice cleanse or anything that messes with your regular meal schedule, then take four consecutive hours off your phone. Day two. Clean out the online riffraff. Go through the people you follow on Instagram and Twitter and remove anyone you aren't friends with anymore or don't have an interest in following. Apply the same principle that Marie Kondo talks about in her popular book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, only this time for your online life instead of your home life. Anyone you follow must spark joy or at least interest.

or at least interest. Unfriend Facebook friends who aren't actually friends and set your timeline settings to only see 20 or so people's updates at a time. Like, seriously, do you really need to be wasting any brain cells on what your 7th grade music teacher's daughter is eating for dinner? Um, no. Day 3. Master your settings. Go into the settings section of your phone and take control. Do an audit of the push notifications you have on your phone.

Which do you really need? I choose to receive only human notifications like phone calls and turn off any non-human notifications like updates from apps or alerts from retailers. Do you really need to know when Nordstrom is having another anniversary sale? Or do you need to know the very second someone comments on your photo? Do you really need to see every time someone messages you on Tinder? I know, you must be getting lots and lots of messages. Our producer Mike gets all of them. But remember, if you become on demand,

you won't be in demand. Hold on to your wallets, boys and girls. Money Rehab will be right back. Now for some more Money Rehab. Day four. Clear the app articles off your phone and untether from subscriptions. Honestly, this is going to be a multi-hour time investment, but it will save your sanity for much longer. Start by looking at the apps you have on your phone. The average person has 60 to 90 apps on their phone, but only uses nine. It's like your closet is stuffed with clothes, but you pretty much only stick to two pairs of jeans, one hoodie, a black shirt, and sweatpants, let's be real. To get a sense of your personal app usage, check the battery settings on your phone, which show the percentage of time you

spend on each app. Keep those with crazy high percentages and delete the ones that have little to no use. I'll bet you can delete about half of your apps right there. Next, rethink the apps you're paying for. How much are they really worth to you? Would it be better to allocate that $4.99 a month to something else in your spending plan? The answer is probably yes. Now delete any apps that keep you on the clock 24-7. Yes, yes, you're super duper important. I get it, you're a big freaking deal. But do you really need the Google Drive app on your phone? Sure, writing a book on your phone is possible via Google Docs. But even as fast as you can text, I bet you can type faster on a computer. So, Miss Austin, perhaps save your polished prose for

proper computer time or good old pen and paper. Also, delete apps that depress you. Studies have shown that while social media might make you happy in the short term by giving you that sweet hit of dopamine, it makes frequent users depressed in the long run by triggering low self-esteem. Think about what most of your friends are posting on social media. Big life updates, photos from their travel adventures, selfies when they're full of makeup and contour and have millions of filters at their disposal. It's a curated view of their lives. It's not representative of who they actually are, but who they want to be perceived as

and geared toward instant liking gratification. And instead of avoiding this onslaught of staged fabulosity, research has shown that teens with poor mental health are actually greater users of social media, suggesting that they are seeking out interactions in order to feel less crappy and alone, which in turn only makes them feel more crappy and alone. I'll be the first to say that it's not just teens. In my adult years, I deleted photos that didn't get a lot of likes. I mean, what the fuck was that all about? And I was way hotter than I knew. I would walk around naked if I had my 18-year-old body that I hated so much. I was addicted to seeking admiration and obsessing over if and when I got it

while being jealous of others who had more of it. I'll be honest with myself, that's lame-ass behavior. If you find you're comparing yourself to others excessively, maybe it's also time to delete that app. Day five. Leave your phone in another room to charge while you're asleep. Don't look at it for an hour before bed and for the first hour after you wake up. Studies have shown that excessive phone use is detrimental to your health. The blue light emitted from your cell phone screen is a wavelength that boosts our attention, reaction times, and mood during the day. But it has been shown to throw

off your body's natural melatonin levels, making it more difficult for you to fall asleep at night, get that good yummy REM sleep, and wake up rested in the morning. So ban the blue around bedtime. Day six, take a social media fast. No social media usage for one full day. You're probably on social media sites that I'm not cool enough to even know about. So I'll trust that you're thinking of all the ones you use, from Instagram to Snapchat to LinkedIn to YouTube to Pinterest. And yes, other apps like Venmo are technically social media sites, which you might not realize. I no longer have social media apps on my phone and try to log in with a browser when I actually use social media. Not having such easy access to them makes me feel way happier.

What about you? When you're off social apps, do you feel happier? You'll never know until you try. Boss bitches like Emma Stone and Jennifer Lawrence don't even use social media, and they're doing just fine. Day seven. Unplug for the whole entire day. Like, no phone, no internet, no hashtag no filter, nada. And I don't mean keep your phone with you, but put it in your back pocket on vibrate or face it down on the table as that actually creates the same effect of being distracted

because you know it's there. So the only way to actually not be distracted is to not have it with you at all. You can do it. This is your final exam, but also the beginning of a new chapter of your digital life. Regardless of how and where you accomplish it, I promise you will make it out of this detox alive. So don't have FOMO, fear of missing out. Have JOMO, joy of missing out, because you're saving your time, your money, and your mood. For today's tip, you can take straight to the bank. Ironically enough, there are apps out there

that help you track your time on your phone and others that help with digital detox by sending you notifications when you've been sitting on one screen for too long, for instance. If you track your phone's settings and preferences, you might also have a way to manage screen time and schedule shutdown time. This idea might seem a little backward, but if you want to try these apps as part of your commitment to technology moderation, be my guest. If it works for you, it works for me.

Money Rehab is a production of iHeartRadio. I'm your host, Nicole Lappin. Our producers are Morgan Lavoie and Mike Coscarelli. Executive producers are Nikki Etor and Will Pearson. Our mascots are Penny and Mimsy. Huge thanks to OG Money Rehab team Michelle Lanz for her development work, Catherine Law for her production and writing magic, and Brandon Dickert for his editing, engineering, and sound design. And as always, thanks to you for finally investing in yourself so that you can get it together and get it all.