My weekly screen time average is 41 minutes
because my phone is purely a communication tool.
I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about how technology fits into my life. Not in a “throw your phone in a lake” kind of way, but in a practical way. What do I actually need? What is stealing my attention without giving anything back? After years of experimenting with flip phones, various Android devices, and iPhones, I’ve landed on a setup that works. My phone does what I need and nothing more.
The reason most people reach for their phones, and why I also used to, is because you have nothing better to do or are procrastinating. I’ve greatly solved this by reading and journaling, but that is another topic. Just know that once you fill your real life with quality and interesting things, the little glowing screen becomes very boring and fake.
Here’s how I’ve configured mine.
The device itself:
Phones are increasingly engineered from a physical perspective to capture your attention: beautiful displays, larger screens so you can “multitask” (which I’m a firm hater of. I believe it’s a myth), longer batteries so you can doom scroll endlessly, and some even have multiple displays.
My tip: avoid all of that. Avoid wanting new phones, the upgrade cycle. There’s no need. That doesn’t mean you need a flip phone. I’ve tried flip phones, various Android devices, and iPhones. I settled on my old iPhone 13 mini with 94% battery capacity. Due to how little I use my phone, despite the battery being small for a smartphone, I still only charge it once a day. Which most people are doing anyway even though their phones have 2x to 3x more capacity than mine because they use their phone so damn much.
Use something that does everything you need and nothing more. The flip phone didn’t work for me because I do use calendars, to do lists, Citibike, and home security camera apps daily. I needed a device with access to those.
Write a list of things you 100% need and nothing more. Social media should not be on there. Media consumption neither. If you’re honest with yourself, an older device that is purely enough to be a communication tool is all that you need.
What I don’t do on my phone:
A phone can do everything. That doesn’t mean it should.
Music:
I don’t listen to music on my phone for two reasons. One, I have an iPod that I love. It allows me to listen with intent and without distractions. Two, I hate streaming services because of how terribly they treat musicians. I prefer to buy music.
I acknowledge this might not be viable for everyone and that paying $15 a month for a streaming service could seem like the better deal. But you think you’re paying $15 for unlimited music. What you’re actually doing is paying for music to be algorithmically placed into your phone, which let’s face it, will always be in favor of the company.
With $15 a month you could totally buy an album or more and start to build your own personal music library. Just an idea.
Video:
I hate short form video but quite enjoy movies and YouTube essays. I don’t watch on my phone. I watch on my laptop or TV with intention. I only care to watch things that will require my attention and a phone is not a tool for that.
Social media:
I use social media. I’m literally posting this. I have Instagram and TikTok accounts, I just don’t really use them. I will delete them at some point, just haven’t bothered. I do have Snapchat on my phone only because my Gen Alpha sister will only talk to me on there. So hey, some social media is good I guess.
I also use Twitter (X) but only on my laptop. I have an extension that disables timelines, lives, spaces, and I only view posts via lists that I have manually created.
Settings that matter:
My main philosophy: my phone is always with the ringer on. So when it makes a sound, it 100% means it’s something I need to pay attention to. Sort of like a beeper.
This means a few things:
Only necessary apps on my phone in the first place.
Sound notifications for phone calls and calendar reminders only. Nothing else.
This is also quite nice because all intentional and important conversations happen through phone calls, which in my opinion is better than handling anything significant via text message. Text messages were created for quick one off things. I feel like we’ve lost that and have delegated so much important conversation to them, but as a communication mechanism, texting is subpar. It’s so easy to lose tone, intent, and other characteristics that a conversation should have.
When I’m not home, I have notifications on for my home security system. Easy to configure with focus profiles, which all smartphones have.
I do have apps I care to be notified on, like my cats’ feeding system when food is running low, but since this doesn’t require my attention right away, I have them deliver quietly. They go to my notification drawer and don’t alert me. I review the drawer maybe a couple times a week.
Disable the attention traps:
Tap to wake: off. I don’t want my phone screen turning on if I tap it accidentally.
Raise to wake: off. I don’t want my phone turning on if I pick it up to move it or put it in my pocket.
The only way to unlock my phone is pressing the lock button. As it should be.
Screen settings:
Reduce white point set to 30%. This reduces the intensity of colors, which I find makes using my phone more boring, but also better for the eyes.
True Tone and Night Shift scheduled from sunrise to sunset.
I’ve experimented with grayscale, but since I enjoy taking photos, I find these settings work better for me.
Home screen:
Keeping a minimal home screen is key. A few helpful things:
Put your Screen Time widget in the top corner. Every time you unlock your phone, you’re hit with the actual number of wasted time. It’s a great in your face reminder.
Add other widgets that help you remember your goals. This can be a picture of your loved ones or habit trackers. I personally have the GitHub contribution graph and my habit tracker.
The last thing you want on your home screen are distractions. Keep it clean.
That’s it
All of this is about living with intention. I still use my phone every day. I just use it for what it was meant to be used for.
41 minutes a week isn’t a flex. It’s just what happens when your phone stops competing for your attention.
I know you will probably just copy and paste this into ChatGPT and ask for an actionable list so here, I’ll save you the time:
Use an older phone that does what you need and nothing more
Write a list of apps you 100% need. Social media and media consumption should not be on it.
Keep your ringer on. Sound notifications for calls and calendar reminders only.
Have non urgent notifications deliver quietly to your notification drawer. Review it once or twice a week.
Use focus profiles for context specific alerts.
Disable tap to wake.
Disable raise to wake.
Reduce white point to 30%.
Turn on True Tone and Night Shift.
Put your Screen Time widget on your home screen.
Add widgets that remind you of your goals.
No distracting app icons on your home screen.
Don’t listen to music on your phone. Consider an iPod or buying albums instead.
Don’t watch videos on your phone. Use your laptop or TV with intention.
Don’t use social media on your phone. If you must, keep it to what’s essential.
appreciate how actionable the suggestions are instead of generic advice!
Multitask is a myth? Totally! My Pilates also confirms this.