That’s why some people are going back to simpler “distraction-free” analog watches.
You shouldn’t blame the smartwatch for your bad habits.
The story is similar to what has happened with smartphones.
Joe Fedewa / How-To Geek
The phone isn’t really the problem, though, and neither is your smartwatch.
Your smartwatch is the same as your smartphone, tablet, and computer—it’s a tool.
Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide how to use it.
Apple
You are in full control over what happens on your wrist.
Everything that might be annoying about a smartwatch can be turned off permanently or temporarily.
The key to finding that balance is to be more intentional about how you use your smartwatch.
You don’t have to take the nuclear option and go back to an analog watch.
Take Back Control
In all honesty, it’s pretty easy to make a smartwatch less annoying.
You just have to care enough to take the time to do it.
Fitbit
The big thing that most people find annoying about smartwatches is notifications—so turn them off.
That probably sounds pretty obvious, and, well, yeah, it is.
There’s no need to be inundated with notifications on your wrist from every single app on your phone.
It’s a much better idea to enable notifications for only the most important apps.
Everything else will be waiting for you when you check your phone.
TheApple Watch, for example, offers several ways to wrangle notifications.
Samsung Galaxy Watches and Wear OS devices also have a “Watch Only” mode.
You have a lot of options at your disposal.
The temptation to use every last feature at your fingertips is too hard to pass up.
Using a “dumb” analog watch is similar to throwing away all the junk food in your house.
Out of sight, out of mind.
TheFitbit VersaandSense seriesare good examples.
They’re primarily fitness-focused devices with a fewsmartwatch-y features thrown in(Google Maps, Google Wallet).
If that’s still too distracting, you’ve got the option to go for aWithings ScanWatch.
It’s an analog watch with a small round display on the watch face.
It can be a genuinely useful, positive part of your daily life—or a nuisance.
It’s up to you to decide which one it will be.
