We’ve spent the last week diving deep into how our phones suck us in, how they’re designed to hijack our attention, and what we can do to reclaim control.
Some of us, like me, zigzag our way up the mountain—making slow, steady progress. Others might prefer to sprint straight to the top, ready to ditch the distractions all at once.
If you’re feeling like you’re in that four-point stance, ready to sprint and take drastic action, here’s what I call the “kill switch approach”:
1. Delete social media apps: Move them to another device—maybe an iPad or something you only use in specific places. That way, you limit your access and your mind gets a break.
2. Clear your homescreen: Strip it down to the essentials. Keep only utility apps like the weather or your calendar. The fewer distractions, the better.
3. Make your phone ugly: Switch to black-and-white mode, dim the brightness, disable animations. The goal is to make your phone feel like a chore to use, not an endless source of dopamine hits.
4. Use automations: Set your phone to adjust settings automatically—grayscale for most apps, full color for work apps, and use location-based triggers so you can access only what’s necessary when you need it.
5. Set time limits: Give yourself a strict amount of time to doom scroll. Use app limits or screen time tools to keep yourself in check.
Writing these blogposts / emails has made me really reflect on my own phone addiction.
The truth is, I’ve let my phone take up way too much of my life.
The price we pay is high—our time, energy, and attention are constantly being sold back to us.
And time is our most valuable commodity, something we can never get back. It's a raw deal.
In a perfect world, my screen time would be no more than an hour a day. That’s my goal. Little by little, I’ll chip away at this, take small steps, and try harder each time.
Because every minute reclaimed is a minute I can spend being present, creating, or just living.
And if you’re with me on this journey, I know we can make it.
It won’t be perfect, and it won’t be immediate, but progress is progress.
I really hope this series has resonated with you. If you'd like more emails like this, let me know—I’d love to block out some time to create more content that helps us all navigate the craziness of modern life.
Thanks so much for reading and for being part of this.
Cheers,
Stef
P.S This blog is part of my new newlsetter series.
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