12 Ways to Spend Less Time On Your Phone and Reclaim Your Day

How to Overcome Phone Addiction and Live in the Moment

In today’s hyper-connected world, our phones have become one of the biggest distractions preventing us from being productive and present. The average American picks up their phone a whopping 58 times every day and spends over 4 hours on it, according to a recent study.

While our phones provide us with many useful functions, they also serve as a source of endless distraction. Every notification, text message, and app icon beckons us to check our screens, pulling our focus away from meaningful tasks and interactions. This constant distraction comes at a cost — research shows it can take us up to 25 minutes to fully re-focus after being interrupted.

If you feel like you’re spending too much time mindlessly scrolling and checking your phone, it may be time for an intervention. Below are 12 effective strategies you can use to curb your phone habits and spend more time engaged in activities that truly matter to you.

1. Track Your Screen Time

The first step is awareness — monitor how much time you’re actually spending on your phone each day. Modern phones have built-in screen time tracking tools that provide helpful analytics on your device usage. Simply go to “Settings” and find the “Screen Time” or “Digital Wellbeing” menu.

Here, you’ll find tools to view:

• Your daily average screen time
• How frequently you pick up your phone
• Which apps you use the most

Seeing the cold, hard numbers laid out may surprise you. Many of us underestimate how often we reach for our phones.

Tracking your stats will illuminate areas for improvement. You may notice you spend 2+ hours per day in low-value social media apps, for example. Armed with this knowledge, you can start to reduce your usage.

Use Phone-Free Blocks

Another useful screen time feature is the ability to set “App Limits” or “Focus Mode” blocks where certain apps are disabled for a set period.

For example, you could set Instagram to be disabled from 9am-5pm on weekdays so you’re not tempted during work hours. Or set your entire phone on Focus Mode from 8pm onwards so you can unwind before bed.

Experiment with temporary phone-free blocks that make sense for your schedule. Even small tweaks like disabling social media during work can reclaim chunks of time.

2. Turn Off Notifications

Notifications are one of the worst phone distractions. Every buzz, chime, and popup pulls our attention away from meaningful activities and back to our screens.

Go through your notification settings and turn off notifications for apps that don’t need them. Social media apps, shopping apps, news apps, and other non-essential services can usually stand to lose their notification privileges.

Evaluate Which Apps Actually Need Notifications

Which apps might actually need notifications? Look for tools that provide timely info related to your work, health, or safety. Examples include:

• Calendar/schedule apps
• Email
• Text messages
• Phone calls
• Maps/transportation
• Fitness trackers
• Security apps

Use “Do Not Disturb” Mode

Another handy tool is Do Not Disturb mode on iPhones or Zen Mode on Android. This allows you to mute all alerts for a designated period of time so you can focus.

You can tailor DND to still allow calls or messages from certain contacts. Set it on during work hours, dinner time, or your evening routine to eliminate distractions.

Without all the pings and buzzes tempting you, you’ll be shocked how much more you can concentrate on each task.

3. Delete Infinity Pool Apps

“Infinity pool” apps provide an endless stream of fresh content that sucks you in. Social media and news apps are designed to keep you continually scrolling and refreshing.

Take a hard look at which apps you mindlessly click just to have something new to look at. These are often the biggest time-wasters.

Cut Out Distracting Social Media

Social media apps like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok can be huge distractions. If you find them to be a productivity black hole, consider deleting them from your phone. You can still access them on your computer browser when you want to post content.

Without the apps at your fingertips, you won’t instinctually reach for them whenever you have a spare moment.

Reduce News Overload

Reading news headlines all day can also disrupt your focus. Instead of glancing at news apps throughout the day, set aside specific times to catch up on important headlines. Or try consolidating your news sources into one trustworthy morning and evening digest.

This helps avoid the overwhelm of 24/7 breaking news notifications.

Note Other Apps That Waste Your Time

Take notes on any other apps that suck up time with no clear benefit. Shopping apps, streaming platforms, random puzzle games — evaluate if they serve your goals or not. Remove the distractions from your home screen.

Without easy access to your go-to time-wasters, you’ll choose better activities to fill your time.

4. Move Apps Off Your Home Screen

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Out of sight, out of mind. Your home screen apps act as visual cues, inviting you to tap on them.

Try organizing your home screen with only necessary, productivity-focused apps. Then tuck away your distracting apps into folders buried in your app tray.

Having to search for them creates an extra step before mindlessly opening them. You’ll be less likely to waste time on unimportant apps.

Tailor Your Home Screen to Your Goals

Look at your daily habits and goals, then edit your home screen to match. Some ideas:

• If you’re trying to exercise more, keep your fitness app on your home screen.
• If you want to contact friends and family more, keep your communication apps front and center.
• If you tend to online shop impulsively, bury those shopping apps deep in your tray.

Use the App Library on iPhones

The App Library on newer iPhones is also handy for hiding apps. Anything stored in your Library won’t show up on your home screen. Try stashing distracting apps here so they’re tucked out of habitual reach.

Again, adding an extra step before opening them creates a speed bump. You’ll be less likely to waste time on apps hidden out of sight.

5. Use “Do Not Disturb” Mode During Focused Work

When you really need to buckle down and concentrate, turn on Do Not Disturb mode on your phone. This allows you to silence all notifications so you aren’t interrupted.

Schedule specific “Deep Focus” time blocks where you enable DND and get absorbed in meaningful work. You’ll be amazed at how much you can accomplish without constant pings pulling you off track.

Take Advantage of DND Customization

As mentioned before, DND allows you to tailor your preferences:

• Silence all notifications
• Allow calls or messages from favorite contacts
• Allow repeated calls in case of emergency -Disable visual notifications, but allow sounds

Figure out what works best for your concentration needs. Use hours-long DND blocks for heads-down work sessions to prevent distractions.

Schedule it in Advance

Plan out when you’ll use DND focus hours and add them to your calendar. Setting predetermined distraction-free blocks means you won’t waste time debating when to enter focus mode.

Let colleagues know you’ll be unreachable during these periods so they don’t disturb you. Then simply turn on DND and dive into meaningful work.

6. Set Reminders to Put Your Phone Away

It’s easy to lose track of time once you start scrolling and clicking around on your phone. Suddenly an hour has gone by and you don’t know where it went.

Set reminders or alarms prompting you to put your phone away at certain times. This could be once an hour, at the end of a work session, when you arrive home, or before bed.

Find Triggers That Remind You

Any consistent trigger or milestone event can serve as a reminder. For example:

• When you’ve finished eating a meal
• Arrived at an appointment
• Completed an errand or household chore
• Wrapped up an exercise class

Use these built-in triggers as cues to put down your device and move on with your day.

Make Sure Reminders Are Difficult to Ignore

For your reminders to work, make sure they actually grab your attention and aren’t easy to snooze or dismiss.

Some ideas for hard-to-ignore alerts:

• Loud, jarring alarm sound
• LED light flash
• Wearable device buzz
• Message from an accountability partner

You want prompts that insist you stop what you’re doing on your phone and put it out of reach. When reminders are tuned to maximum annoyance level, you’ll actually follow through.

7. Restrict Access to Distracting Apps and Features

We often lack the self-control to close apps and websites that endlessly suck us in. So it’s smart to create external barriers restricting access.

Use Parental Control Type Settings

Many phones now allow you to limit screen time and block apps using parental control-style settings.

For example, on iPhones you can:

• Set total daily time limits for app categories, like social media
• Schedule when you can’t access certain apps
• Block websites on your browser
• Require approval before installing new apps

Meanwhile on Android, tools like Family Link let you:

• Block specific apps
• Limit daily screen time
• Restrict content via filters

Use these tools to create “speed bumps” and deter your ability to access time-wasting apps and sites.

Enlist Friends or Family to Restrict Access

For additional accountability, you can recruit others to restrict your access by holding your passcodes.

Ask your significant other, close friend, or even your kids to set and manage your parental controls. This prevents you from overriding the settings when your willpower lapses.

Knowing you’ll have to ask someone for the password adds an extra layer of friction before accessing blocked apps and sites. Peer pressure can be a powerful tool to help improve your habits!

8. Give Your Phone a Bedtime and Wake-Up Time

Treat your phone like a small child — set strict times when it should go to bed and wake up each day.

Create device curfews by putting your phone in another room to charge at set times. Ban it from your bedroom overnight and don’t check it for at least an hour after waking up.

This gives you separation between work and leisure time. Plus, not keeping your phone by your bedside improves sleep quality.

Stop Checking Your Phone Before Bed

Many of us are guilty of scrolling before bed, which negatively impacts sleep. The blue light from screens inhibits melatonin production, making it harder to fall and stay asleep.

Make a rule of no phones or screens in your bedroom within 1–2 hours of your desired bedtime. Spend this pre-sleep time reading a book or relaxing without tech.

Don’t Check Your Phone for the First 1–2 Hours of Your Day

Similarly, checking notifications first thing when you wake up puts you in reactive mode to start your day. You end up jumping into busywork instead of setting priorities.

Leave your phone outside the bedroom overnight to charge. After waking up, get ready and spend time on self-care. Eat breakfast, meditate, exercise, etc.

After 1–2 hours of morning rituals, engage with your phone intentionally instead of habitually.

9. Try Using Your Phone in Grayscale

Switching your screen to grayscale makes your phone much less enticing and visually stimulating.

Without the pops of color drawing your eye, you’ll be less likely to idly scroll and browse. Neuroscience research shows we’re less emotionally engaged when looking at grayscale images.

To enable grayscale:

iOS: Go to Settings > Accessibility > Color Filters and select “Grayscale”

Android: Go to Settings > Accessibility > Color Correction and select “Grayscale”

You can still toggle grayscale on and off as needed. But keeping it on by default removes some of your phone’s addictive visual allure.

Use Grayscale for Specific Apps

Another option is to just enable grayscale for particularly distracting apps like social media and news.

This allows you to keep using color for your productivity apps. But switching triggering apps to black and white makes them less eye-catching and addictive.

Give grayscale mode a try for your top distraction culprits. Even this slight visual change can curb mindless clicking and refocus you on real-world tasks.

10. Remove Email From Your Phone

Email is one of the biggest productivity killers. The urge to continually check and respond to messages keeps us tethered to our devices.

Consider removing your email app altogether from your smartphone. You can still access email on your computer when sitting down for focused work sessions. But eliminating it from your phone frees you from the compulsion to check constantly.

Be Intentional About Email Time

Without email on your phone, you can be more intentional about when you tackle messages. Set specific times each day to batch process emails, then disconnect your attention.

Scheduling email in contained blocks prevents you from getting pulled into reactive mode every time a new message pops up.

Know It Will Feel Uncomfortable at First

If you’ve always had 24/7 access to email on your phone, it may initially feel stressful to remove it. You’ll want to Instinctively check it throughout the day.

Push past this discomfort. Remind yourself that truly urgent communications will come via phone call or text.

Start by just deleting email from your home screen and app tray. See how it feels to add that extra step before checking it.

Eventually, ditch the app completely for a big boost in productivity and peace of mind.

11. Pre-Decide How You’ll Spend Your Free Time

Unscheduled open time often results in reflexively reaching for your phone to scroll and click aimlessly. You default to your device out of habit.

Beat this by pre-deciding activities to fill your free time. Have a plan ready so you don’t automatically waste time on low-value phone use.

Keep a List of Quick Offline Activities

Brainstorm go-to activities you can do anytime without needing your phone:

• Read a book or magazine
• Draw, color, or doodle
• Tackle items on your to-do list
• Play cards or a game
• Go for a quick walk or stretch
• Do mindful breathing
• Drink a cup of tea

Keep this list handy so you’ve always got options when 5, 15, or 30 spare minutes pop up.

Schedule Your Free Time in Advance When Possible

You can also pre-plan free time when your schedule allows. Calendar block off time for leisure activities, household tasks, self-care, etc.

If cooking dinner or calling a relative is on your calendar, you’re less likely to default to scrolling your phone instead.

Treat your downtime with as much intention as you do your work time. You’ll end up making the most of every minute.

12. Try a Digital Detox

If you’ve tried everything but still struggle with phone overuse, it may be time for a full digital detox.

Commit to going completely phone- and computer-free for 24 hours, a weekend, or even a whole week.

With zero access to any screens, you’ll be forced to disconnect from the endless scrolling. You’ll also gain perspective on which technology use serves you versus harms you.

Inform Friends and Family First

Let close contacts know you’ll be 100% unreachable during your detox time period. Assure them you’ll contact them again once the detox is complete.

Having support and understanding from your inner circle makes a detox easier instead of provoking anxiety.

Lock Away Your Devices

During the detox, lock away your phone, computer, and any other screens somewhere extremely inconvenient to access. Resist the temptation to take even the briefest peek.

Observe How It Feels

Pay close attention to how you feel without your devices. Are you more relaxed? Antsy? Do you feel free or lost?

Notice when you instinctively reach for your phone and what triggers that impulse. Recognizing these habits is the first step in replacing them.

Reflect and Reset Your Habits

After your detox, reflect on what you learned. Which habits or usage seemed healthy versus harmful? How might you change your relationship to technology moving forward?

Use the experience to reset new habits and balanced phone use. You may decide to keep certain apps deleted, continue grayscale mode, or make device-free time daily.

Key Takeaways to Spend Less Time On Your Phone

Reclaiming your day from phone distractions is crucial for focusing on meaningful activities and being present. Use the strategies above to curb mindless usage and take back control of your time.

Here are some key tips to remember:

✔️ Track your screen time to illuminate bad habits. Monitoring usage is the first step.

✔️ Cut notifications to any apps that don’t need them. Disable buzzes, chimes, and popups.

✔️ Delete distracting apps like social media and news that suck you into infinity pools of content.

✔️ Move apps off your home screen so they’re inconvenient to access. Out of sight means out of mind.

✔️ Use “Do Not Disturb” mode during focused work and evenings. Mute alerts so you can concentrate.

✔️ Set phone reminders and timers prompting you to put your device down. Create triggers to unglue yourself throughout the day.

✔️ Restrict app access and functions using screen time limits, app blocking, and passcode managers.

✔️ Keep a morning and bedtime routine where your phone is out of reach for 1–2 hours after waking up and before bed.

✔️ Enable grayscale display to make your screen less stimulating and enticing.

✔️ Pre-plan activities to fill your free time so you don’t default to your phone.

Regaining control over how you spend your time is one of the best things you can do for your productivity and wellbeing. Start implementing one or two of these strategies today. Your ability to focus, create, and connect will thank you.

Frequently Asked Questions About Reducing Phone Use

Why is it so hard to put down our phones?

Our phones tap into powerful neuroscience and psychology concepts that get us hooked:

Variable rewards — We keep checking for notifications because we might get an exciting new like or comment. This unpredictability releases dopamine.

Fear of missing out — We constantly check social media and news to stay in the loop in case we miss something important.

Infinite content — Apps like social media and YouTube provide endless fresh content, triggering our innate curiosity.

Notifications — Buzzes and dings use psychological principles of conditioning. We’re trained to respond.

Boredom — Phones provide instant gratification when we’re bored. We struggle to just sit with idle moments.

Distraction from tasks — It’s easier to check our phones than focus on demanding work. Our devices provide an escape.

What are the negative impacts of phone overuse?

Excessive phone time has been linked to:

• Reduced focus and productivity — Constant task-switching and distractions make it hard to do deep work
• Greater anxiety and depression — Comparing ourselves to others on social media and consuming excessive news can harm mental health.
• Poor sleep — Phone use before bed delays and disrupts sleep, leading to daytime fatigue.
• Weakened relationships — We spend less quality time interacting with partners, kids, and friends when distracted on our phones.
• Physical effects — Back pain, eyestrain, headaches, and repetitive motion injuries can stem from phone overuse.
• Addiction — Problematic attachment to our phones shares similarities with recognized addictions. Withdrawal-type symptoms can occur.

How much time on your phone is too much?

There are no definitive time limits that apply to everyone. Aim for mindful, intentional use focused on activities that benefit you rather than mindless, excessive scrolling and clicking.

That said, experts suggest the average person shouldn’t use their phone more than:

• 2–4 hours total per day — Beyond this often leads to negative impacts on sleep, relationships, productivity, and more.
• 30 minutes consecutively — After 30 minutes of continuous use, it’s wise to take a break.
• 5–15 minutes per use session — Try to limit each app session. Schedule breaks between them.
• No phones during socializing — Be fully present during meals, dates, family time, and hangs with friends.
• No phones 30–60 min before bed — Limit use before bedtime to prevent sleep disruption.

Again, find the right balance based on your individual habits and needs.

How can I stop distractedly checking my phone?

Here are some useful strategies to resist the urge to check your phone:

• When the impulse hits, take 5 deep breaths before reaching for your device. This allows the impulse to pass.
• Keep your hands busy with activities like knitting, puzzles, squeezing a stress ball, or taking notes. This redirects your hand’s habit to reach.
• Change your environment by stepping outside, walking to a new room, or tidying up. This disrupts your habitual phone checking location.
• Delay checking by setting a timer for 15 minutes. When the timer goes off, ask yourself if you still want to check your phone. Often the urge will have passed.
• When you feel the need to check your phone, ask yourself “What for?” Get clear on what need you’re trying to satisfy. Often it’s just boredom or distraction and you can choose a better activity.

How can I motivate myself to use my phone less?

Behavior change is difficult! Use these motivational techniques:

• Focus on the benefits you’ll gain like improved focus, more time for priorities, feeling less overwhelmed and healthier.
• Use reminders and tracking to stay aware of your habits. Seeing your usage helps you change.
• Start small by changing one habit at a time like no phones during dinner or turning off email notifications. Small steps accumulate.
• Involve others by getting friends and family to motivate you. Ask them to help restrict your access or send encouragement.
• Reward progress with fun outings, quality time with loved ones, or treats after phone-free milestones. Positive reinforcement works!
• Be patient and persistent. Change takes time! Stick with it through slip-ups. Focus on the long-term benefits.

What are some healthy ways to use your phone?

While excessive phone use is harmful, our devices still provide valuable functions when used intentionally. Here are some healthy phone habits to cultivate:

• Use phone calls to connect with important people in your life regularly. Don’t just rely on digital communication. Hearing voices is important.
• Limit social media use to 30–60 minutes total per day. Use it intentionally to connect, not just scroll endlessly.
• Disable notifications from apps that you just use for entertainment. Only allow notifications from truly essential services related to family, travel, work, health, safety, etc. Mute group chats.
• Have designated “no phone” zones like the dinner table, bedrooms, and time with friends and family. Be fully present.
• Take regular screen breaks by leaving your phone in another room. Give your eyes, hands, and mind a rest.
• Delete distracting apps and games. Only keep apps that serve your priorities and offer utility, not just mindless entertainment.
• Charge your phone outside your bedroom overnight. Don’t use phones within 1–2 hours of bed. Let your mind unwind.

Remember that you control your technology — don’t let it control you.

Conclusion

We often underestimate how much our smartphones have pervaded our daily lives. While amazing tools in many ways, they also serve as endless sources of distraction that disrupt productivity and wellbeing when misused.

By tracking your usage, analyzing your habits, and implementing boundaries, you can take back control of your time and attention. Small adjustments to how you engage with your devices can make a massive difference.

Commit to being more intentional about when and why you pick up your phone. Reduce endless scrolling in favor of meaningful activities and connections. You have the power to build healthier digital habits that serve your life.

Reclaiming just one to two hours a day previously spent lost in your phone can open up space for creativity, productivity, rest, and real world engagement. Prioritize the people and activities that matter most — not the glowing screen of distraction.

Your future self will thank you for taking control of your technology instead of letting it control you. Invest your precious time into living fully in the present moment.