Spring cleaning your iPhone
A key concept behind ObjectSpaces is that your iPhone can be a personal computer — it just needs to be used as a space for thinking and experiencing on your own terms.
This guide helps you reclaim space from noisy apps. We look at each screen in iOS as a room dedicated to a specific function and discuss how the room can be organized for a more calm and efficient use.
Home Screen
Let's dive in with a fresh idea: you only need one page of apps on your Home Screen.
Even with a single page, you're presented with nearly 30 apps each time you open your iPhone. This is still enough to induce cognitive overload and slow you down.
Remove most apps from the Home Screen and rely on the App Library and Search to find them as needed. You can get to your App Library with a single swipe and find apps much faster this way versus swiping through pages of apps.
Our recommendation is to reserve your Home Screen for your most important personal data and needs. Generally, this means social networking and entertainment apps need to go. Also, any app that's used once in a while — like food, travel, shopping, and miscellaneous utility apps — are good candidates for offloading.
Here's the fastest way to downsize your Home Screen to just one page:
Long-press on any empty space on your Home Screen to enter Edit Mode (or long-press on an app and select "Edit Home Screen").
Tap the minus button (-) on an app and select "Remove from Home Screen" or "Delete App". Repeat until you're down to a single page of apps.
To prevent your Home Screen from growing again over time, make sure newly downloaded apps are sent to the App Library using the following setting in Settings > Home Screen & App Library:
Now, if you're a heavy widgets user, you might be wondering how you can get down to a single Home Screen page. Read on to the next section to find the answer!
Today View
Here's another fresh idea: (most) widgets don't belong on your Home Screen.
When we see the same ambient information repeatedly, our brains tend to ignore it to focus on more immediately relevant information. If you have widgets on your Home Screen, you might have noticed that you often scroll past them without processing what's shown. You tend not to actually "see it" unless you're looking for it.
There's an under-utilized screen in iOS called the Today View. You can conveniently access it by swiping right from the Lock Screen or the Home Screen, which makes it the perfect place to visit to get quick updates with at-a-glance information.
If you haven't been taking advantage of the Today View, it's probably filled with default widgets you don't use, so simply replace them with widgets you want as follows:
From the Home Screen, long-press on any empty space to enter Edit Mode (or swipe right to the Today View, scroll to the bottom, and tap "Edit").
Tap the minus button (-) on a widget to remove. Repeat until you've removed all unnecessary widgets.
Go back to the Home Screen and drag over any existing widgets.
Tap the plus button (+) on the top left corner to add widgets.
At this point, you should already start to feel a big difference in how you use your iPhone, but there's one final “room” we should tidy up to bring it home!
Lock Screen & Notification Center
Now, this idea probably isn't new to you: don't let apps spam you with notifications. But it's hard to put this idea into practice because many apps cleverly send you a mix of spam and messages you actually want to receive.
Your Lock Screen is the entryway to your iPhone — it's the first "room" you enter when you use your phone. It should be a calm space where you enjoy your favorite wallpaper and catch up on any important new messages or updates.
Our recommendation is to err on the side of missing out on notifications rather than put up with spam. If they really need to get ahold of you, they'll find a way.
If you receive even a single spammy promotion from an app, turn off notifications completely for that app as follows:
Swipe left on the notification.
Tap "Options" and then tap "Turn Off".
Bringing it all together
Congratulations! Your iPhone should feel much more like your own space now. You’ve successfully cleared out clutter and distractions, and taken important steps to protect your personal space.
Plus, now you’re much more efficient! You can get to any "room" in your iPhone with a single gesture, and each “room” serves a specific purpose that allows you to find any app or information you need instantly.
Now you’re ready to extend your personal space with many new “rooms” using ObjectSpaces. Enjoy your new personal computer!