7 Simple Changes that Support Using Your Phone Less

It’s not in your head. Your phone has been designed to make you reach for it. Not just the apps, but the phone itself.

As discouraging as it is that tech designers are using human psychology to keep us attached to our devices, there are some simple changes we can make to be less distracted. And you can use your phone to do it.

Any healthy relationship has clear boundaries. Your phone’s settings are the boundaries that make living an intentional online life possible. They take only a few minutes to set up and give you back hours of your day.

1. Sleep Mode: Protect Your Most Precious Resource

Anyone who has been sleep deprived can tell you how essential sleep is. It boosts morale, attention span, memory, immunity, recovery, and heart health.

Turning on your phone’s sleep mode silences notifications and dims your screen for uninterrupted rest.

Here’s how to set it up for iPhone, Samsung, and Google Pixel.

Enhancements:

• make dark mode part of your sleep mode

• allow emergency contacts only

2. Focus Mode: When Sleep Mode Isn’t Enough

If you set bedtime alarms and turn off notifications, but still ends up scrolling until 1 am, this feature is for you.

Downtime on iPhone or Focus Mode on Android blocks chosen apps at specific times, so you don’t mindlessly open them.

Most people have considered using app and website blockers during working hours, but not for leisure time. Willpower is scarce at the end of a long day. This feature creates a clear end point.

Here’s how to set it up for iPhone and Android.

Customize it:

• block all social media and browsers (be ruthless now, adjust later)

• set it to start 1–2 hours before bedtime to encourage wind down time

• consider trying it during work hours for focused tasks

3. Grayscale: The Unsexy Setting That Works

Most people resist this change, but it’s extremely effective. As a creative person who love color, I resisted it too, but came to love it.

Grayscale removes saturated colors and attention grabbing red notifications. Research shows it can reduce screen time by more than 4 hours per week.

Here’s how to set it up on any smartphone.

Recommended:

• try it for one week, then turn color back on — you’ll be shocked how bright your phone looks

4. Do Not Disturb: Keep Out Non-Essentials

Here’s a trick from my parent friends: Always use Do Not Disturb. It prevents unwanted calls from waking napping babies and helps you stay focused at work.

Do Not Disturb blocks calls and notifications from people and apps you haven’t approved. Nothing ruins focus like a robo call or political text. Especially the persistent ones. It also lets people know your notifications are silenced, so they can adjust their expectations.

Here’s how to set it up on iPhone, Samsung, and Google Pixel.

Customize it:

• allow your calendar app if you rely on it for reminders

• allow your inner circle — family, close friends, and key work contacts

  
  

5. Turn Off Notifications (or at least Batch Them)

Even with Do Not Disturb on permanently, notifications still appear sometimes. The fewer notifications you enable, the better.

With notifications off, you check apps intentionally instead of reactively. Red notification badges scatter your focus and derail your priorities. Simply removing notifications eliminates distractions.

If turning off notifications sounds extreme, just try it for a few days. It’s not permanent. You can also try silencing them or scheduling them instead. Choose when you see non-essential notifications instead of letting them constantly interrupting you.

Here’s how to turn off or batch notifications for iPhone, Samsung, and Google Pixel.

Recommendations:

• turn everything off for one week, then add back what you truly missed

• unsure about an app? Turn off notifications — you can always turn them back on later

• mute all notifications other than phone calls and calendar reminders

6. Use Desktop Instead

Healthy people generally don’t keep junk food in their house. They make it easy to stick to their plan by removing temptation.

The same principle applies to apps: the less accessible they are, the easier they are to avoid. If there’s a functional desktop version, use that.

Pro Tips:

• keep work off your phone — email, Teams, Slack, all of it

• be ruthless with social media — only Instagram and TikTok truly suck on desktop

• for apps you can’t part with, consider using the mobile website instead of the app

7. Screen Time Analytics: Audit Your Time

You think you know how much you use your phone. But the actual data might surprise you. Tracking your screen time removes the guesswork and shows you exactly where your time goes.

You’ll learn daily totals, pickup frequency, and which apps are the biggest time-sink. You’ll be able to track patterns by day of the week and notice changes over time. Use it to test which settings from this list work best for you.

Here’s how to turn on screen time for iPhone and Android.

Enhancements:

• don’t just turn them on, check your progress occasionally

• use the data for awareness, not self-judgment — habits can change

• establish your baseline, then track improvements as you implement other settings

Everyone’s digital struggles are different. I don’t use every feature on this list, and you don’t have to either. This isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to digital wellness.

That’s why I created a 2-minute Digital Wellness Quiz that reveals your biggest tech obstacles and what matters most to you. Plus, I’ll send you tailored recommendations for habits, practices, and mindset shifts that fit your specific goals.

Take the 2-minute quiz now and discover not just what to change about your phone — but why those changes will matter for the life you’re trying to build.

Using technology intentionally shouldn’t have to be so hard. That’s why I help values-driven people create a digital life that supports rather than distracts them.