Want to cut down on your phone use? Here's how to change your habits.

I needed to detox.

When I first said that in the middle of the pandemic, I didn’t mean that I needed a diet. I needed a phone detox.

I found myself always picking up my phone in moments when nothing was happening. My phone use wasn’t intentional; it was a subconscious habit.

My hand would reach for my phone if I was transitioning work tasks or locations or just sitting there planning what I would do next in my day. Sometimes my phone would keep me from getting outside and doing the things I enjoyed. My phone was no longer a means of communication. It was a distraction, a way to cope and fill a void, and it was controlling me more than I was controlling it.

If my work was hard or I was having a hard time brainstorming, I’d pick up my phone.

If I was walking to the store and didn’t want to stare at the entry way while I walk 400 meters, I’d grab my phone and check it.

I found that I had become so bored of the small moments, and maybe even unsure of how to act when nothing was happening, that I picked up my phone to avoid it. I picked up my phone to entertain me.

My unintentional phone use made my days feel more hectic than they really were. When I made my brain switch from one work task to social media back to work, I constantly asked my brain to change thought processes. It left me feeling exhausted, even when I hadn’t really done anything.

When we ask our brains to constantly complete multiple tasks or switch quickly from one thing to the other, it makes us a bit scatter brained. So, I set out to change my habits so I could feel more intentional and energetic throughout my day.

First, I started by setting the app timer on the apps that I used most. For example, in the phone settings under “App notifications and Settings,” it gave me the option to set a daily timer for each app. That means, when I’ve used an app for a certain amount of time, my phone will no longer let me access the app. This has helped me cut down on mindless scrolling because my phone will only let me do so much of that per day. With my limited time on apps, I’ve noticed an increase in well being and focus throughout my day.

The second thing I did to help me limit my phone use was make my phone background and apps a black and white color. Yes, my phone is greyed out—all of it.

Each app designer typically designs their app to be visually appealing to the user so that they will click on it and use it. But I’ve made their designs powerless to my mind by turning everything grey. Since I’ve changed the color of my phone, I’ve used my phone 20% less while my colleague has used hers 83% less.

After changing the background color, I also turned all of my notifications off! All of them, except the ones that I absolutely needed.

With these small changes, I’m no longer allowing my phone to use me. I’ve cut out the sneaky ways that app designers make their phones addictive, and I’m happier because of it. I’m no longer a robot frantically answering the dinging of my phone. I’m choosing when and how I want to use my phone, which is allowing me to make more empowering choices with the way I spend my time.

I’ve said goodbye to mindless scrolling, and now, if I intentionally want to scroll for a couple minutes, I let myself do it—as long as I’m not mindlessly reaching for my phone out of habit. The key here isn’t quitting my phone cold turkey. The key is becoming more present to it and the ways it’s controlled my life.

Setting myself up for intentional phone use has been a game changer in the way I live my life.