Are you texting as many as a few hundred text messages a day? Are you wondering how to stop your addiction to texting? Here are a few quick tips for cutting down your daily text messages.
Turn off your phone or put it on silent
When you are doing something that will keep you busy, turn off your phone during that time period, or silence it. That way, you are not looking at the texts at all times during the day and therefore returning all of them.
When you are done with your activity, then look at your text messages. This will greatly curtail your text count since you won’t be responding to every single text you get. If your phone is on 24/7 and you’re responding 24/7, then you’ll get ten texts and respond to each of the ten texts. If you silence your phone or turn it off then you’ll read those texts all at once instead. It’s more likely that you can respond to 10 texts with just one or two, thereby reducing your overall text count.
Only respond to half your texts
If you only respond to half of your texts then you will reduce your total text messages by some 25%. This is a great strategy for the serious text addict because it cuts you back without making you quit completely. You may find that your texts go down because once your friends realize that you don’t always respond, they will stop sending you as many useless texts.
Only respond to texts that are action oriented
You don’t have to respond to frivolous banter. If you only respond to texts having to do with setting up times to meet or making plans, you are likely to text less. Don’t always give attention to people because that way when you do get around to them, they will value it more. Try to respond to texts that have a purpose or when there is a point in responding to them. This will cut down on the fluff and number of your texts in general.
Don’t always start conversations
Try to respond to conversations more than you initiate them. This will not only make you appear less needy, it will reduce your total number of texts. Keep yourself busy doing other activities and let your friends text you instead. This can drastically reduce your texts. If you text too much it is almost a certainty that you are the one starting up text conversations too often.
Wait and respond with one longer text
Another easy way to reduce your text count is to wait before you respond. Then, when you respond, make it a bit longer and have it cover what you used to say in several messages. If you can say something that you used to say in 15 small texts with 3 longer text messages or an email even, do that. By doing this, you can reduce your text messages by some 70%!
Practice the 24 hour no texting rule
Check your will power periodically and see if you can go 24 hours without texting someone. This will greatly reduce your text count also. Being able to pass the 24 test is like a sanity check on your texting. Take a day off from texting for example, and skip Mondays. The mere exercise of not texting for 24 hours shows you that you can control your text message impulse.
Put the biggest texter friends on a silent ring tone
Are you in a fight with your girlfriend? Or is someone stalking you or going crazy mad over you? One thing you can do is to put their text on silent ring tone and don’t read them until you get around to it. If you have someone that texts you constantly just give them a silent ring tone. That way, you can let their texts accumulate and read them all at once, sending one longer but well thought out response.
You aren’t ignoring them, just managing how much time you are willing to invest in texting with them. If they get their compulsive texting back in check, you can always give them back their ring tone. It’s best not to let them know that they are being singled out however. If they ask why you are not responding just say that you silenced the phone because you were at work or not able to be distracted. You don’t have to make it personal. Just let them know that you aren’t able to respond all the time.
You can also let someone know that you are busy when they start up with texts. This might cut them off from texting you once you’ve told them not to. Just be sure that you do get back to them later on so that they don’t feel totally blown off and text you a bunch of times over that. Why haven’t you texted me back texts are the worst.
Block them
If you are getting too many texts from one person you can always block their number. Note that this might infuriate them and cost you a friendship. If you know this person and have a pretty good idea that they will calm down eventually it may be nicer to let them vent and then respond succinctly. If a girlfriend or parent, etc is texting you nonstop you can always preemptively give them a call and then let them vent it out over the phone.
If someone is bothering you then the last thing you want to do is call them up, but this approach can save you a ton of unnecessary texts from them. Have you broken plans or ignored them or cut them off or cut contact in a ruthless manner? Is there a reason why they are texting you like crazy? They may feel abandoned and be texting you for just that reason. Ask them what their issue is and listen, then let them know that they are texting you too much and its all becoming noise to you and causing you to tune them out. Maybe they will get it and back off. At least if they want to keep you as a friend you’ve told them its bothering you.
If you have moved on and your ex is still texting, you can let them know that you’ve decided to move on and don’t want to respond. They might text you like crazy wanting some sort of closure or to make up. In general, if you are going through a breakup and the person won’t leave you alone its best to just ignore them. Stop responding completely. Eventually they will move on to a different target and if they just won’t stop you can block their number or write them a polite cease and desist request if you need to in an email. If they are scaring you its good to document definititiely that you’ve asked them to stop. If they are threatening you make sure your loved ones know and contact authorities if you feel your safety is threatened.
Reduce your boredom by becoming more active
Some text addicts text because they have too much time on their hands or because they are bored or because they are procrastinating what they need to be doing. They might text out of an obsession over one particular person. If this is you, try to develop other more healthier activities. Work out and get a life so that you aren’t always obsessing in cyber la-la land.
Follow your cell phone bill usage
Every month your carrier will give you a summary of your total text message usage. Create a text message usage document and put it in a file. Make a table and each month put your total text messages used into the table. Once you are tracking the figures you can reduce the texts slowly each month. This is extremely useful. If you sent 2000 text messages a month take note and try to cut back the following month. This makes you way more aware of how much you really are text messaging. it’s a reality check to see that actual usage totals.
Every time you want to send a message you will ask yourself if you really need to send it and you will think about your usage. Just becoming aware will help you cut back on sending texts that are useless. It’s a well kept secret that if you text a bit less then people will value their conversations that they do get to have with you more. The added benefit to texting less is that people will appreciate it more when you do text them. Double benefit!
Hopefully these tips will help you stop texting. Nobody should be texting over a hundred messages a day on an ongoing basis. Enough is enough.
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