When I was an undergraduate, I took two of the most consequential classes of my life: Cognitive Psychology and Judgment and Decision Making. I also took them at the right time in my life; it was my second year of university and I began to hit my stride academically. I had a rough time transitioning into university-level classes in my first year and my study habits/methods were ineffectual.
I’ve been using the Brick, an actual piece of plastic in the shape of a small square brick that I have to touch my phone to to start/stop it. Via the Brick app, I select the apps I want to block, and then touch my phone to the device. When I want to access them, I have to touch the phone to the Brick again to in-brick the phone. Works like a champ when I use it diligently. I keep the brick itself in my garage so that I have to walk clear to the garage to un brick. It is on more than one occasion kept me from going to dangerous places online. Dangerous for me, that is. Only for iPhones for now, I think.
I've seen ads for Brick and I have been meaning to check it out, so thank you for commenting about it! Extracting the intention into a physical brick is a really cool concept. I can imagine all the places to hide the brick (e.g., a very inconvenient place like a safe). Glad to hear it is working for you!
I’ve really been struggling with screen time lately. Even after deleting all my social media apps, I still catch myself mindlessly scrolling through shopping apps—or even the reminders app. The issue isn’t just the apps; it’s the phone itself. I constantly feel the urge to pick it up and check it every few seconds. It’s exhausting and makes me feel unproductive. I’ll definitely give the downtime method a try on all the applications on my phone —it might help bring some balance.
Agreed! I also noticed feeling exhausted and unproductive, constantly checking my phone. Deleting the apps is a great start, but sometimes that extra nudge that discourages you, like downtime, might help start to gradually reduce this reward cycle. Be patient; you have to let your brain take time to adjust to this new habit! Best of luck and let me know how it goes for you!
This piece popped up at the perfect time! I’ve recently started using Jomo, an app that does exactly what screen time does. Yes, I could just use screen time but I like to use the app for it 😅. Anyways, I’ve found myself not picking my phone up as much as I used to. Granted it’s only been a week, but I’ve found significant difference in how I feel in the mornings when my first thought isn’t to open social media. Because of the restrictions, I’ve started to find more time to read articles I’ve always wanted to read, and that’s how I got on Substack too!
Hi Sarah, thank you so much for your comment! I'm glad to hear that you are taking steps to reclaim your attention and that you are starting to see the benefits. Since posting this article, I've had people reach out to say that Opal is also a great app to use. Whatever method it is, I'm glad that it's working for you. Cheers to reading more!
I use the app "opal!" You have to go into the app, wait 5 seconds (which feels longer than you think), and then you "unlock" the problem app for max 15 minutes at a time. Usually the app relocking itself gets me off my phone and back into real life. It also shows your screen time when you unlock problem app, so humbling. It's free!
I created a no instagram on weekends rule a few months ago and have been doing well with it. I decide last week that I should try a 30 day breather from it. I simply moved it to the back of the folder its in. Whenever I go to pick up my phone, I don't see it, so I have remembered "oh, right, it's gone." It's not actually gone, but my brain thinks it is. I too am picking it up just less in general, which was the intent! I want my phone to be a phone and my computer to be a computer. That's the big goal, I think.
Lauren, what you are describing is exactly what I find so fascinating about small behavioral changes making a huge difference. Simply moving the location of the app, so that you do not see it when picking up your phone, can make such a huge difference. I find that separating phone from computer is super helpful, and facilitates meaningful engagement rather than scrolling past. Thanks for reading and commenting!
I’m heading to my Settings right now! Thank you!
Awesome! Let me know how it works out for you. It's a little annoying to move most apps to the "allow" list, but you only have to do it once!
I will!
I’ve been using the Brick, an actual piece of plastic in the shape of a small square brick that I have to touch my phone to to start/stop it. Via the Brick app, I select the apps I want to block, and then touch my phone to the device. When I want to access them, I have to touch the phone to the Brick again to in-brick the phone. Works like a champ when I use it diligently. I keep the brick itself in my garage so that I have to walk clear to the garage to un brick. It is on more than one occasion kept me from going to dangerous places online. Dangerous for me, that is. Only for iPhones for now, I think.
I've seen ads for Brick and I have been meaning to check it out, so thank you for commenting about it! Extracting the intention into a physical brick is a really cool concept. I can imagine all the places to hide the brick (e.g., a very inconvenient place like a safe). Glad to hear it is working for you!
For anyone on android:
Settings > Digital Wellbeing and parental controls > Focus
You can also set screen time reminders which tell you how long you've been on an app which can be a useful reminder.
Thank you for posting the instructions for Android!
I’ve really been struggling with screen time lately. Even after deleting all my social media apps, I still catch myself mindlessly scrolling through shopping apps—or even the reminders app. The issue isn’t just the apps; it’s the phone itself. I constantly feel the urge to pick it up and check it every few seconds. It’s exhausting and makes me feel unproductive. I’ll definitely give the downtime method a try on all the applications on my phone —it might help bring some balance.
Agreed! I also noticed feeling exhausted and unproductive, constantly checking my phone. Deleting the apps is a great start, but sometimes that extra nudge that discourages you, like downtime, might help start to gradually reduce this reward cycle. Be patient; you have to let your brain take time to adjust to this new habit! Best of luck and let me know how it goes for you!
This piece popped up at the perfect time! I’ve recently started using Jomo, an app that does exactly what screen time does. Yes, I could just use screen time but I like to use the app for it 😅. Anyways, I’ve found myself not picking my phone up as much as I used to. Granted it’s only been a week, but I’ve found significant difference in how I feel in the mornings when my first thought isn’t to open social media. Because of the restrictions, I’ve started to find more time to read articles I’ve always wanted to read, and that’s how I got on Substack too!
Hi Sarah, thank you so much for your comment! I'm glad to hear that you are taking steps to reclaim your attention and that you are starting to see the benefits. Since posting this article, I've had people reach out to say that Opal is also a great app to use. Whatever method it is, I'm glad that it's working for you. Cheers to reading more!
Really helpful, thank you! I'm definitely trying this!
Awesome, let me know how it goes for you!
Great read!
Thank you!
I use the app "opal!" You have to go into the app, wait 5 seconds (which feels longer than you think), and then you "unlock" the problem app for max 15 minutes at a time. Usually the app relocking itself gets me off my phone and back into real life. It also shows your screen time when you unlock problem app, so humbling. It's free!
I've heard great things about opal! And I'm glad there is a free version out there that makes it annoying to open up apps.
I wrote about using Forest, which is another fun app to gamify screen time: https://mattkmiecik.substack.com/p/seeing-the-forest-for-the-trees
Thanks for reading and commenting!
I created a no instagram on weekends rule a few months ago and have been doing well with it. I decide last week that I should try a 30 day breather from it. I simply moved it to the back of the folder its in. Whenever I go to pick up my phone, I don't see it, so I have remembered "oh, right, it's gone." It's not actually gone, but my brain thinks it is. I too am picking it up just less in general, which was the intent! I want my phone to be a phone and my computer to be a computer. That's the big goal, I think.
Lauren, what you are describing is exactly what I find so fascinating about small behavioral changes making a huge difference. Simply moving the location of the app, so that you do not see it when picking up your phone, can make such a huge difference. I find that separating phone from computer is super helpful, and facilitates meaningful engagement rather than scrolling past. Thanks for reading and commenting!
This is so true!
Thanks for reading! Which part resonated most with you?
I use the free tier of opal and it works very well for me. Try it out. Same outcome. But without going through a long list or anything.
Very cool! Thanks for sharing; I'll check it out. I love that there are a variety of apps that help reduce your screen time.