6 Weird (But Effective) Screen Time Hacks to Stop Scrolling

Published Mar 10, 2025

In this post, you'll discover six screen time hacks to help you reduce screen time and stop mindless phone use. Combine them for maximum impact.

Let’s dive right in.

1. Stop carrying your phone in your pocket

One thing that makes our phones so addictive is that they're always within reach. Most of us carry ours in our pockets. It's always there.

Most of the time, we pick up our phones without thinking about them.

No one's calling us. But we're bored. So we seek distractions. We check notifications. We open Instagram. We scroll through photos from last weekend.

We don't give it a second thought. The motion of reaching and grabbing the phone in our pockets happens on autopilot.

So to break the habit of checking your phone, make it harder to reach.

Instead of carrying it in your pocket, keep it in your backpack or purse. Instead of keeping it on your desk, put it in a drawer or, better yet, in a different room.

This hack works because it creates friction. That fraction breaks your behavioral pattern and makes it less likely you'll pick up the phone.

"Where is my phone? Oh yeah, it's in my backpack. Ugh... Whatever. (Sighs)"

2. Delete content apps from your phone

There are really two types of apps out there: utility apps and content apps.

Utility apps help you do things. You use them. Content apps are for entertainment. You check them.

Thanks to utility apps, we can send money, calculate something, take photos, and remember appointments and to-dos. Content apps aren't useful even though we still enjoy them. Think about Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Reddit, and the like.

Utility apps aren't addictive. Content apps are. Content apps activate the release of dopamine in our brains. Engineers built them to keep us coming back for more.

In other words, content apps are the reason we use our phones so damn much.

So one way to reduce your screen time is to delete all content apps from your phone.

If you use an app to track your screen time, find the apps you spend the most time on. Then delete them.

This simple screen time hack will help you regain hours each day.

Once you delete content apps, your phone will be much less interesting. You won't feel as compelled to open it without reason.

3. Make your screen black and white

Colors are another feature of phones that make them incredibly addictive.

Designers don't create app icons just to make them pretty. They use colors and shapes that pull your eye, draw your attention.

One metric companies behind these apps track to measure success is "daily active users." The higher that number, the more valuable their company is. It's in their interest to make you tap their icon instead of another one when you unlock your phone.

Once you make your phone screen black and white, you won't enjoy being on your phone as much. The home screen won't feel as exciting. You'll have more control over how you use your phone.

To activate grayscale on an iPhone, go to your accessibility settings. Tap Display & Text Size, then Color Filters. Toggle the feature on and select Grayscale.

On Android, open the Settings app, tap Accessibility, and select Color and Motion. Tap Color Correction and choose Grayscale.

Want to take it a step further? Dumb down your iPhone entirely.

4. Keep your phone on Airplane Mode in the morning

Checking your phone first thing in the morning puts you in a reactive state.

Reacting to other people’s priorities first thing sets the tone for the rest of your day.

Instead, you want to start your day with more clarity, control, and intention. Win the morning, and it will help you fight distractions throughout the day.

Before going to bed, turn on Airplane Mode and put your phone in another room.

When you wake up, go through your morning routine without it. Check your phone at the earliest one hour after you wake up. I leave my phone on Airplane Mode until I arrive at work.

You want to decide when to engage with the outside world, not let your phone decide for you.

5. Batch phone use

Checking notifications is like checking email. It's helpful to a certain point. And most of us are way beyond that point. We check our phones on repeat. Every 10-15 minutes.

You receive a message. Check, respond, put the phone down, get back to work. A few minutes later, a response comes in. Check again, respond, put the phone down, get back to work. And so on.

That sort of loop is killing your energy and productivity. Constant interruptions are the enemy of flow and deep creative work.

So what's the alternative?

Have 3-4 dedicated phone times during your day. During those times, check all notifications and respond to everything that needs responding. Then put your phone away again.

This screen time hack will dramatically improve your focus.

I like to check my phone before I start work, again around lunchtime, and another time around 4 PM. Then again in the evening.

I've completely disabled notifications for WhatsApp and Signal and only check the apps during "phone times". If people need me for something urgent, they know to call me.

Take pride in being the person your friends know doesn't respond right away. Embrace the joy of missing out.

Combine this with the first tip in this post. Don't keep your phone on your desk and trust yourself to resist it until 12 PM. Put it out of reach and out of sight so you're not tempted to procrastinate.

6. Get a Commitment Device

For some, the strategies above won’t cut it. You need hard limits - something that physically stops you from cheating or bending your own rules.

If that’s you, try one of these:

Physical app blocker: I got a Brick back in December, and it’s been a game-changer. Unlike regular app blockers, this one requires a physical device to unlock apps. Lock them, leave the Brick at home or in your car, and enjoy a full day without distractions. Here’s how it works.
Distraction-free phone Some phones are built to protect your focus, not destroy it. My favorite is the Wisephone II—no social media, no browser, no email, no porn. But it still has essentials like maps, music, banking, and a camera. Read my full review.
Phone lockbox The classic time-lock box. Drop your phone in, set the timer, and you cannot get it back until time’s up. I use the Mindsight lockbox and negotiated a 10% discount for readers of this blog. Use code WHATIFIDIDNT at checkout.

Note: when you use one of our codes, you help support this site. You get things for less, and we earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you.

Hope this helps!