Three ways to use your phone less
Phone-free times
A phone-free time is a stretch of your day when the phone is out of reach, so there is nothing to decide each time you think of it. Pick up to three:
- Meals
- The first 30 minutes after I get up
- One work or study block
- Time with people
- Walks
Or write your own. They print on your card, with the plan below them.
Speed bumps
A speed bump adds a step between you and the phone:
- Turn off non-essential notifications
- Switch my screen to grayscale
- Charge my phone outside the room I'm in
- Keep my phone out of reach at meals
Swaps
A swap gives the moment something else to do, so reaching for the phone has a rival:
- Read 1 page
- Look around and name 3 things I can see
- Jot down what I wanted to look up, and look it up later
- Fold one piece of laundry
- Ask the person next to me how their day is going
- Write a short list of what I want to do next
Why plan for the moment
Picking it up has a when
Habits form as people repeat the same response in the same context. So the plan starts from the moment you usually pick the phone up: a notification, waiting, the television, a bored minute, or the start of a task.
An if-then plan for that moment
A 2006 meta-analysis of 94 independent tests found that implementation intentions, plans that link a set situation to a set action (if this situation comes up, then I will do that), had a positive effect of medium-to-large size on reaching goals (d = .65). Your card is one of these plans: “If [the moment], then I will [the swap].”
Count the times you catch it
“Start tracking” adds the habit to the habit tracker with a “Caught it today” button. It counts the days you caught it; there is no streak to lose.
Who this plan is for
This planner is for adults' own phone use during the day. It does not cover children's screen time. Scrolling in bed is a sleep habit, and it has its own free site: goodsleep.today.
What happens to what you type
Your plan stays in this browser and is never sent anywhere. “Start tracking” saves the habit, its moment and your swap on this device only.
Related tools
- How to stop doomscrolling: the same idea for feed scrolling, with its own swaps
- Bad habit swap: the same plan for any habit you want to do less
- 5-minute start: when the phone comes out because a task feels hard
- Habits to track: phone and focus habits to build instead
- If-then plan: several if-then lines for one goal
If you need help now
These tools are for everyday habits. They are not a crisis service. If you are struggling or don't feel safe, you can contact:
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (US): call or text 988, or chat online. Free and confidential, 24/7.
Emergency services (911)
US: call 911 if you or someone you know is in immediate harm or danger.
Samaritans
Samaritans (UK and Ireland): call 116 123, free, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Emergency services (999 or A&E) · NHS 111, mental health option
England (NHS): call 999 or go to A&E now if someone's life is at risk or you do not feel you can keep yourself or someone else safe. If you need urgent help for your mental health, call 111 and choose the mental health option; NHS 111 online is available in England only, and Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own services.
Elsewhere, call your local emergency number.
Sources
- Wood W, Rünger D (2016). Psychology of Habit. Annual Review of Psychology 67:289–314. PMID 26361052
- Gollwitzer PM, Sheeran P (2006). Implementation intentions and goal achievement: a meta-analysis of effects and processes. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology 38:69–119. kops.uni-konstanz.de
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. 988lifeline.org
- Contact Us. 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. 988lifeline.org
- Contact a Samaritan. Samaritans. samaritans.org
- Where to get urgent help for mental health. NHS. nhs.uk
- Get help for your symptoms. NHS 111. 111.nhs.uk
- When to use NHS 111 online or call 111. NHS. nhs.uk