Most of us have a phone nearby, and it seems like we’re always connected to the internet. Phones have rapidly changed the way we interact with one another as individuals and as a society. They’ve opened up new opportunities for both socializing and staying in touch with distant friends and family. The downside is that phones can sometimes get in the way of our creative processes. Whether you’re writing a novel, short story, or script and need to keep your mind open for new ideas, it turns out that putting your phone on silent or on airplane mode can sometimes improve your creativity. So how can you incorporate your phone into your creative process without risking the flow of creative ideas? Fortunately, there are several ways to subtly incorporate your phone into your creative writing without hindering the creative process. Here are some of them.
Turn Off Your Phone
Some of the most prominent advocates of keeping phones off during the writing process say that it can prevent ideas and inspiration from popping up when you least expect it. When your phone is buzzing away, interrupting your concentration, it can keep the creative juices flowing. The problem is that if you’re not careful, this approach can easily turn into a digital addiction. When you get into the habit of constantly checking your phone for notifications, even when you don’t need to, the positive effects of putting your phone on silent can be overshadowed by the negative effects of becoming addicted to it. If this sounds like you, then I’d say it’s best to take a break every now and then, especially when you’re feeling creative. Otherwise, the constant presence of your phone could potentially stunt your creative growth.
Find a Compelling Reason
Another way to subtly incorporate your phone into your creative process is to find a compelling reason why you should keep your phone off. Perhaps you’re writing a story about the power of the internet and how it’s changed society. In this case, you could argue that keeping your phone off will give you a fresh perspective, enabling you to discover new ideas and insights. In order to do this, you’ll need to find a way to continuously remind yourself of why you’re putting your phone on silent. You could write down some inspiring thoughts or quotes in a journal, or create a short list of pros and cons for keeping your phone on and off. By doing this, you’ll find that putting your phone on mute can sometimes improve your creative process, depending on the task you’re working on. When you come back to the same task after a short pause, the ideas and insights you gained while your phone was off will still be there for you, enabling you to continue your creative process without any distractions.
Set Custom Ringtones
Setting custom ringtones is another great way to subtly incorporate your phone into your creative process. Instead of using the standard tones offered by your phone brand, you could choose a unique melody that will help you retain focus while you’re engrossed in your writing. The tones for these melodies should match the atmosphere you’re trying to create. For example, you could set a mood-setting ringtone for when you’re writing in order to evoke specific ideas in your head, or you could use a relaxing melody when you’re trying to let your mind wander and see what pops up. You could even use a tune from a film or piece of music to help you get into the mood of what you’re writing about. Letting a song play in the background as you work can also increase your productivity, so try this out if you’re feeling ambitious!
Make Use of Your Phone’s Hardware
Your phone’s hardware can also be used to improve your creative process. There are several features that can make use of your phone’s microphone, which is usually built into the device. This microphone can be used to record your voice, and the resulting audio can be used to write music or send messages. Some phones also have a video camera that can be used to record lectures and presentations, or to secretly film people without their knowledge. If you’re not already using your phone’s hardware in this way, there are several applications that can make use of it, such as Skype, WhatsApp, and Viber, to name a few. All of these applications can be used to call landlines and cell phones, meaning you can use them even when you don’t have internet access. Just remember that if you’re filming someone without their knowledge, don’t show them the video until the end, and only then if everything went well. Otherwise, you could find yourself in legal trouble.
Do The Following
These are just a few suggestions on how to incorporate your phone into your creative writing process. There are several other things you can do, like use your phone’s flashlight to see better in the dark or write in the rain and shine its built-in speaker on your work, so you can hear what you’re writing. If you’re feeling adventurous, you could even try out scissors writing, where you cut and paste images onto a piece of cardboard, and then write around the images as you’d normally do. The point is that your phone can be used in many different ways to improve your creative process, so try out whatever works for you! Good luck out there.